Course Information
How to Talk Tech: IT Audit Fundamentals for Non-IT Auditors
Parking for SAO, Professional Development courses is in Garage B (1511 San Jacinto Blvd.). The Garage signage may read 1511 San Jacinto or Garage B. The elevator in Garage B is not reliable. If you are unable to walk the stairs, please contact the professionaldevelopment@sao.texas.gov for alternate parking arrangements. Handicapped parking is free at the meters around the downtown area.
A course coordinator will email you a parking permit prior to the course start date. A permit must be displayed or you will be ticketed.
Course Description
Information technology is embedded in nearly every process auditors examine. From payroll systems to procurement platforms to financial reporting tools, IT underpins the controls we rely on. Yet many auditors without a technical background hesitate when conversations shift toward servers, system access, change management, or application logic.
This course is designed specifically for non-IT auditors who need a practical, control-focused understanding of technology. Through a series of guided scenarios that follow an organization’s systems from infrastructure to application to development, participants will learn how to think about IT the way auditors should.
Rather than overwhelming participants with technical jargon, this session explains key IT control concepts in plain language, including:
Data center and infrastructure controls
General computer controls (GCC)
Application controls
System development life cycle (SDLC) controls
The emphasis is not on becoming an IT expert. It is on developing the confidence to ask the right questions, recognize control risks, and communicate effectively with IT professionals during audit engagements.
Participants leave with a structured mental framework for approaching IT-related audits and the ability to translate technical discussions into audit-relevant insights.
Course Objectives
Objectives
Recognize key IT concepts relevant to internal auditing.
Understand how IT impacts organizational processes and controls.
Identify practical areas of focus for IT-related audits.
Communicate effectively with IT professionals during fieldwork.
Outline
Module 1. Why IT Matters to Every Auditor
How technology underpins business processes
The risk of auditing processes without understanding IT
The auditor’s role in technology environments
Module 2. Infrastructure and Data Center Controls
What auditors should know about infrastructure
Physical and logical access controls
Environmental and continuity considerations
Module 3. General Computer Controls (GCC)
Access management
Change management
IT operations
Why GCC matters to financial and operational audits
Module 4. Application Controls
Input, processing, and output controls
Automated vs manual controls
How application controls support process reliability
Module 5. System Development Life Cycle (SDLC)
How systems are built and changed
Risks in system development and implementation
What auditors should examine during system changes
Module 6. Communicating with IT Professionals
Asking better IT questions
Translating technical responses into audit risk
Avoiding common misunderstandings
Prerequisites
None
Instructors
Robert Berry is an international speaker/presenter/trainer focusing on risk management, internal auditing and soft skills. He is a frequent and highly rated speaker / trainer at many industry conferences.
Robert is also a writer / author. He has penned more than 100 articles on risk, audit and compliance on his company’s blog and for multiple industry publications.
His company, That Audit Guy LLC, focuses on training individuals in person, live virtually and through on demand courses. Robert has several private clients and also delivers training directly to consumers.
He has written two books directly related to internal auditing. Ask, Get, Perform: The Auditors Essential Guide to Asking Better Questions, Getting Better Answers, and Performing Better Audits broke the top 50 on Amazon in the US and hit #1 in France. His other book, Creating Wonderful Workpapers: The Auditor's Essential Guide to Delivering Good Documentation, is highly recommended on Amazon.
Robert is a Certified Public Accountant, Certified Internal Auditor, Certified Information Systems Auditor, Six Sigma Greenbelt and a Certified Virtual Presenter.