You're reading from CISA – Certified Information Systems Auditor Study Guide - Second Edition

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Published inJun 2023

PublisherPackt

ISBN-139781803248158

Edition2nd Edition

Concepts

Information Security

Author (1)

Hemang Doshi

IT Governance

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An Information Systems (IS) auditor must have knowledge of enterprise...

Enterprise Governance of IT (EGIT)

EGIT is a process used to monitor and control IT activities. IT governance ensures that information technology provides added value to business processes and also that IT risks are appropriately addressed. The purpose of EGIT is to ensure that IT activities are aligned with business objectives. Such an alignment of IT and business leads to the attainment of business value.

The Board of Directors is primarily responsible for EGIT. It implements governance through leadership, organizational structures, policies, and performance monitoring to ensure that business objectives are achieved.

The following diagram depicts EGIT in a nutshell:

Figure 3.3: EGIT in a nutshell

For the successful implementation of EGIT, it is essential to design and document well-structured processes. This is discussed in the next topic.

EGIT Processes

The EGIT framework can be implemented by establishing and managing the following processes...

IT-Related Frameworks

IT-related processes should be defined and documented in a structured manner. The adoption of IT-related frameworks helps an organization add value to its stakeholders and also ensures confidentiality, integrity, and the availability of IT assets. The following are some of the EGIT frameworks:

IT Standards, Policies, and Procedures

EGIT is implemented through a specific set of standards, policies, and procedures. Let’s understand how each one of these operates.

Policies

A policy is a set of ideas or strategies that are used as a basis for decision-making. They are high-level statements of direction issued by management:

There can be multiple policies at the corporate level as well as the department level. It should be ensured that department-wise, policies are consistent and aligned with corporate-level policies.
Policies should be reviewed at periodic intervals to incorporate new processes, technology, and regulatory requirements. An appropriate version history should also be maintained. An IS auditor should check for currency.
IS auditors should use policies to evaluate and verify compliance.
An IS auditor should also consider the applicability of policies to third-party vendors and service providers and their adherence to said policies...

Organizational Structure

A CISA candidate is expected to have an understanding of the organizational structure as well as the various roles and responsibilities of important IT functions.

The following table depicts the roles of IT-related functions:

Framework	Description
COBIT	COBIT was developed by ISACA. It stands for Control Objective for Information and Related Technology. COBIT is an EGIT framework that ensures that IT is aligned with the business and delivers value for the business.
ISO 27000 series	The ISO 27000 series is a set of best practices for information security programs. ISO/IEC 27001 is a well-recognized standard for an Information Security Management System (ISMS).
ITIL...

Enterprise Architecture

An Enterprise Architecture (EA) defines the structure and operations of the organization. The objective of EA is to determine how an organization can achieve its current as well as future objectives. It is important for the EA to include the entire future outcome. If a future-state description is not included in the EA, it is incomplete.

The EA’s primary focus is to ensure that technology initiatives are compatible with the IT framework. Hence, the EA’s goal is to help the organization adopt the most successful technologies. The Zachman Framework was one of the first EAs created by John Zachman. It is a fundamental EA structure that provides a formal and structured way of viewing and defining an enterprise.

Enterprise Security Architecture

Enterprise security architecture is a subset of overall enterprise architecture and includes security processes and procedures and how these are linked across the organization from a strategic, tactical...

Enterprise Risk Management

Enterprise risk management (ERM) is a set of practices, methods, and processes adopted by organizations to manage and monitor risks. ERM is a structured process for managing various risks that can adversely impact business objectives. For effective risk management, it is important to determine an organization’s appetite for risk.

Risk Management Process Steps

Risk management is a process by means of which potential risks are identified, monitored, and managed. The following table depicts five steps to effective risk management:

Authority/committee	Description
Board of Directors	Corporate governance is mainly the responsibility of the Board of Directors.
Strategy committee	Advises the board on IT initiatives. This committee consists of members of the board and specialist members of the non-board.
IT steering committee	Ensures that the IS department is in line with the goals and priorities of the organization. The committee must determine whether IT processes support business requirements. Monitors...

Maturity Model

Implementing IT governance involves the ongoing performance measurement of the assets of an organization. Maintaining consistent processes, productivity, and efficiency requires the implementation of a process maturity framework. The system can be based on different models, for example, Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) and the Initiating, Diagnosing, Establishing, Acting, and Learning (IDEAL) model. CISA aspirants should be aware that there will be no direct questions in the exam on any of the particular frameworks or models.

Laws, Regulations, and Industry Standards Affecting the Organization

Laws and regulations are being enacted with the aim of protecting the interests of stakeholders. In the field of IT, the most common objectives of laws and regulations include the safeguarding of privacy and the confidentiality of personal data, the protection of intellectual property rights, and the integrity of financial information.

All these laws and regulations mandate various policies and procedures to protect the interests of stakeholders. CISA aspirants should be aware that there will be no direct questions in the exam on any particular laws or regulations.

An IS Auditor’s Role in Determining Adherence to Laws and Regulations

An IS auditor should consider the following factors in determining the level of adherence to laws and regulations by an organization:

Has an organization identified applicable laws and regulations pertaining to IT?
How is the Governance, Risk, and Compliance...

Summary

In this chapter, you learned about the important aspects of enterprise governance and related frameworks that an IS auditor is expected to use during audit assignments. You also explored the practical aspects of IT standards, policies, and procedures. The most important benefit of audit planning is that it helps the auditor focus on high-risk areas. Further, you studied organizational structure, enterprise architecture, and enterprise risk management.

The following is a recap of the important topics learned about in this chapter:

EGIT is a process used to monitor and control IT activities. Information security governance is an integral part of overall IT governance. Information security governance addresses concerns regarding the protection of information assets, in other words, the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the information.
The primary responsibility and accountability for setting up the IS security policy reside with the Board of Directors...

Chapter Review Questions

Before you proceed to Chapter 4, IT Management, it is recommended that you solve the practice questions from this chapter first. These chapter review questions have been carefully crafted to reinforce the knowledge you have gained throughout this chapter. By engaging with these questions, you will solidify your understanding of key topics, identify areas that require further study, and build your confidence before moving on to new concepts in the next chapter.

Note

A few of the questions may not be directly related to the topics in the chapter. They aim to test your general understanding of information systems concepts instead.

The following image shows an example of the practice questions interface.

Figure 3.6: CISA practice question interface

To access the end-of-chapter questions from this chapter, follow these steps:

Open your web browser and go to https://packt.link/UiKaw. You will see the following screen:

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Author (1)

Hemang Doshi

Hemang Doshi has more than 15 years of experience in the field of system audit, IT risk and compliance, internal audit, risk management, information security audit, third-party risk management, and operational risk management. He has authored several books for certification such as CISA, CRISC, CISM, DISA, and enterprise risk management.
Read more about Hemang Doshi

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Steps	Description
Asset identification	The first step is the identification of assets that are critical to the organization and that need to be adequately protected. Assets can be in the form of data, hardware, software, and people. Once assets are identified, they should...

Steps

Description

Asset identification

The first step is the identification of assets that are critical to the organization and that need to be adequately protected.

Assets can be in the form of data, hardware, software, and people.

Once assets are identified, they should...