Course Introduction
IT Auditing and Information Systems Assurance Training Course provides a comprehensive and practical framework for professionals responsible for evaluating information technology governance, controls, risks, systems reliability, and assurance. The programme develops the knowledge required to assess whether technology environments support organisational objectives while maintaining confidentiality, integrity, availability, compliance, and operational resilience.
The course examines the complete IT audit lifecycle, from understanding technology risks and developing risk-based audit plans through control evaluation, testing, evidence gathering, findings development, reporting, and follow-up. Participants will explore how IT auditors can apply structured methodologies to assess general IT controls, application controls, infrastructure environments, information security arrangements, and technology-enabled business processes.
Particular emphasis is placed on information systems assurance and the relationship between technology controls and broader organisational risk. Participants will learn how to evaluate governance structures, access management, change management, system development, backup arrangements, cybersecurity controls, data management, third-party technology services, and business continuity capabilities using practical audit and assurance techniques.
The programme also addresses modern technology environments and emerging risks affecting organisations, including cloud computing, artificial intelligence, automation, remote working, digital platforms, cyber threats, data privacy, advanced analytics, and technology outsourcing. Participants will develop the ability to identify control weaknesses associated with rapidly changing technology landscapes and assess whether management responses are proportionate to identified risks.
Through practical exercises, audit scenarios, control-testing techniques, and assurance-focused case studies, participants will strengthen their ability to translate technical observations into meaningful business risks and actionable recommendations. The course also develops professional judgement, evidence evaluation, documentation, stakeholder communication, and reporting skills required to produce credible and decision-useful IT audit results.
By completing this programme, participants will be better equipped to plan and conduct technology-focused audits, evaluate information systems controls, identify weaknesses and emerging risks, assess assurance evidence, and communicate findings effectively to management, audit committees, technology leaders, and other stakeholders. The course supports organisations seeking stronger technology governance, dependable information systems, resilient operations, and sustainable assurance practices.
Duration
10 days
Who Should Attend
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Internal auditors responsible for auditing information technology environments, systems, applications, and technology-enabled business processes.
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IT auditors seeking advanced techniques for evaluating general controls, application controls, cybersecurity, and information systems assurance.
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Information security professionals involved in control assessment, governance, assurance reviews, and technology risk management activities.
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IT managers and technology leaders responsible for implementing effective information systems governance, controls, and assurance frameworks.
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Risk management professionals assessing technology-related operational, cybersecurity, data, and business continuity risks.
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Compliance and regulatory professionals responsible for evaluating technology controls against legal, regulatory, and organisational requirements.
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External auditors who need to understand information systems controls and technology risks when performing financial or operational assurance engagements.
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Systems administrators and technology specialists seeking a stronger understanding of audit expectations, control effectiveness, and assurance requirements.
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Data governance and information management professionals involved in data quality, security, integrity, privacy, and information systems controls.
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Cybersecurity professionals seeking to strengthen their understanding of IT audit methodologies, control testing, evidence, and assurance reporting.
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Business continuity and disaster recovery professionals responsible for evaluating technology resilience, recovery capabilities, and system availability.
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IT project managers and systems development professionals involved in implementing controlled, auditable, and secure information systems.
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Governance, Risk and Compliance professionals responsible for coordinating technology-related assurance, compliance, and control activities.
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Audit committee members, senior managers, and executives seeking stronger understanding of technology assurance risks and IT audit reporting.
Course Objectives
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Develop advanced knowledge of IT auditing principles, information systems assurance concepts, technology governance requirements, and risk-based approaches for evaluating modern digital environments.
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Apply structured methodologies for identifying, assessing, prioritising, and documenting technology risks that may affect organisational objectives, information reliability, security, compliance, and operational resilience.
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Evaluate IT governance structures, policies, responsibilities, oversight mechanisms, and technology decision-making processes to determine whether information systems are appropriately governed.
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Assess the design and operating effectiveness of IT general controls covering access management, change management, operations, system development, infrastructure, backup, and technology administration.
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Examine application controls and automated business processes to determine whether systems support accurate, complete, authorised, valid, and reliable processing of organisational transactions and information.
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Develop effective IT audit plans, programmes, testing procedures, sampling approaches, evidence requirements, and working-paper structures that support consistent and defensible assurance conclusions.
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Apply appropriate techniques for auditing cybersecurity controls, identifying technology vulnerabilities, evaluating security governance, and assessing organisational preparedness for cyber-related risks and incidents.
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Evaluate cloud services, outsourced technology arrangements, third-party providers, and digital platforms to identify risks relating to governance, access, availability, data protection, service performance, and contractual assurance.
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Strengthen the ability to use data analytics, automated testing, continuous auditing, and technology-enabled audit techniques to identify anomalies, control exceptions, unusual transactions, and emerging risks.
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Assess information systems resilience through evaluation of business continuity, disaster recovery, backup, recovery testing, incident management, and technology availability arrangements.
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Produce clear and evidence-based IT audit findings, recommendations, assurance reports, and management communications that explain risk implications, root causes, control weaknesses, and required corrective actions.
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Integrate emerging technology risks, including artificial intelligence, automation, Internet of Things environments, digital ecosystems, privacy concerns, and evolving cyber threats into modern IT audit and assurance strategies.
Comprehensive Course Outline
Module 1: Foundations of IT Auditing and Information Systems Assurance
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Principles, objectives, scope, and professional responsibilities of modern information technology auditing and systems assurance.
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The relationship between IT governance, business objectives, risk management, internal controls, and information systems assurance.
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IT audit lifecycle, engagement structures, assurance methodologies, professional judgement, and evidence-based conclusions.
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Key technology risks affecting confidentiality, integrity, availability, reliability, compliance, and organisational performance.
Module 2: IT Governance, Risk and Control Frameworks
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IT governance structures, accountability models, oversight responsibilities, policies, standards, and technology decision-making.
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Technology risk management frameworks and approaches for identifying, assessing, treating, monitoring, and reporting IT risks.
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Evaluation of IT policies, procedures, standards, control frameworks, governance committees, and management oversight mechanisms.
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Alignment of technology strategy, enterprise objectives, risk appetite, regulatory obligations, and information systems assurance requirements.
Module 3: IT Audit Risk Assessment and Audit Planning
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Identification and assessment of technology risks across applications, infrastructure, information assets, users, processes, and service providers.
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Risk-based IT audit planning, annual audit universe development, engagement prioritisation, and allocation of audit resources.
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IT audit objectives, scope definition, audit criteria, walkthroughs, process understanding, and development of tailored audit programmes.
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Risk assessment documentation, audit planning evidence, preliminary analytical procedures, and development of effective audit testing strategies.
Module 4: IT General Controls Auditing
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Evaluation of logical and physical access controls, user administration, authentication mechanisms, privileged access, and access reviews.
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IT change management controls covering change requests, approvals, testing, segregation of duties, deployment, and emergency changes.
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IT operations controls involving job scheduling, incident management, system monitoring, batch processing, and operational procedures.
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Backup, recovery, infrastructure management, configuration management, and other foundational controls supporting reliable information systems.
Module 5: Application Controls and Systems-Based Auditing
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Application control principles covering input validation, processing accuracy, completeness, authorisation, interfaces, and output reliability.
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Testing automated controls, configurable system rules, workflow approvals, exception handling, and system-enforced business requirements.
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Evaluation of application interfaces, data transfers, reconciliations, automated calculations, and system-generated reports.
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Auditing enterprise applications, financial systems, operational platforms, and integrated systems supporting critical organisational processes.
Module 6: Access Management, Identity and Privileged Access Auditing
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User identity lifecycle controls covering account creation, modification, termination, role assignment, and periodic access recertification.
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Privileged account governance, administrative access monitoring, segregation of duties, elevated permissions, and emergency access controls.
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Authentication controls including passwords, multifactor authentication, single sign-on, identity federation, and modern access technologies.
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Audit testing techniques for identifying inappropriate access, dormant accounts, excessive privileges, conflicting roles, and access control exceptions.
Module 7: Cybersecurity Auditing and Information Security Assurance
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Cybersecurity governance, security policies, risk management, security operations, and assurance approaches for evaluating organisational preparedness.
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Security control assessment covering endpoint protection, network security, vulnerability management, monitoring, incident detection, and response.
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Audit approaches for identifying weaknesses in cyber defence, security awareness, threat management, and security control implementation.
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Cyber incident preparedness, response capabilities, lessons learned, evidence preservation, and assurance over cybersecurity remediation programmes.
Module 8: Systems Development, Change Management and Technology Projects
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Systems development lifecycle controls covering requirements, design, development, testing, approval, deployment, and post-implementation review.
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Audit assessment of project governance, technology implementation risks, project controls, quality assurance, and stakeholder accountability.
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Change management testing for standard, normal, emergency, configuration, infrastructure, and application changes.
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Post-implementation assurance, benefits realisation, control effectiveness, system performance, and remediation of implementation weaknesses.
Module 9: Data Governance, Data Quality and Information Assurance
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Data governance structures, ownership, stewardship, classification, quality management, retention, and accountability for critical information assets.
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Data quality dimensions including accuracy, completeness, consistency, validity, timeliness, uniqueness, and reliability for audit and assurance purposes.
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Audit techniques for evaluating data interfaces, databases, master data, data transformations, reconciliations, and information integrity.
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Data privacy, confidentiality, information lifecycle management, and controls protecting sensitive and business-critical organisational information.
Module 10: IT Operations, Infrastructure and Technology Resilience Auditing
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Auditing data centres, servers, networks, operating environments, infrastructure monitoring, configuration controls, and technology operations.
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Evaluation of incident management, problem management, service requests, operational monitoring, and technology service performance.
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Business continuity and disaster recovery controls covering recovery objectives, backup strategies, recovery procedures, and resilience testing.
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Technology resilience assessment for critical systems, infrastructure dependencies, single points of failure, and operational disruption scenarios.
Module 11: Cloud Computing, Outsourcing and Third-Party Technology Assurance
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Cloud governance, service models, shared responsibility arrangements, cloud security controls, and technology assurance considerations.
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Audit evaluation of outsourced IT services, managed service providers, technology vendors, contracts, service-level agreements, and performance commitments.
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Third-party due diligence, assurance reports, control attestations, contractual rights, subcontractor risks, and ongoing vendor monitoring.
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Cloud data protection, access management, availability, portability, resilience, configuration risks, and exit strategy considerations.
Module 12: IT Audit Data Analytics and Continuous Auditing
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Data acquisition, extraction, validation, transformation, and preparation techniques for technology-enabled audit procedures.
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Analytical testing for unusual transactions, duplicate records, access anomalies, control exceptions, configuration changes, and suspicious activity.
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Continuous auditing and continuous monitoring approaches for identifying control weaknesses and emerging technology risks in near real time.
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Audit visualisation, dashboards, exception reporting, automated testing, and communication of technology risk insights to management.
Module 13: Artificial Intelligence, Automation and Emerging Technology Risks
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Auditing artificial intelligence systems, automated decision processes, machine learning applications, algorithms, models, and associated governance controls.
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Emerging risks associated with generative AI, automated content, model outputs, data quality, bias, explainability, and accountability.
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Internet of Things, robotic process automation, APIs, digital platforms, and interconnected technology environments from an assurance perspective.
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Technology innovation governance, emerging risk identification, responsible adoption, control adaptation, and assurance strategies for rapidly evolving technologies.
Module 14: IT Audit Evidence, Testing and Working Papers
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Evidence requirements for IT audits, including relevance, reliability, sufficiency, authenticity, traceability, and appropriate documentation.
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Control testing methodologies, walkthroughs, inspection, observation, reperformance, inquiry, sampling, and technology-assisted testing techniques.
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IT audit working papers, audit trails, evidence indexing, review processes, documentation standards, and quality control requirements.
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Handling electronic evidence, system logs, configuration records, screenshots, reports, access listings, and other technology-generated audit evidence.
Module 15: IT Audit Reporting, Findings and Assurance Follow-Up
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Development of clear IT audit findings covering condition, criteria, cause, effect, risk implications, evidence, and management response.
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Reporting technology weaknesses to operational management, executives, audit committees, information security leaders, and other stakeholders.
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Developing practical recommendations that address root causes, strengthen controls, improve resilience, and support measurable remediation.
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Follow-up procedures for validating corrective actions, reassessing residual risks, tracking overdue actions, and reporting unresolved technology weaknesses.
Module 16: Advanced Information Systems Assurance and Future IT Audit Strategy
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Integrated IT assurance across cybersecurity, data, applications, infrastructure, cloud environments, third parties, and technology-enabled operations.
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Advanced approaches to technology risk sensing, continuous assurance, control automation, predictive analytics, and audit transformation.
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Future IT audit implications of artificial intelligence, digital ecosystems, quantum technologies, advanced automation, and evolving cyber threats.
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Building a forward-looking IT audit strategy that strengthens organisational resilience, technology governance, assurance coverage, and stakeholder confidence.
Training Approach
This course will be delivered by our skilled trainers who have vast knowledge and experience as expert professionals in the fields. The course is taught in English and through a mix of theory, practical activities, group discussion and case studies. Course manuals and additional training materials will be provided to the participants upon completion of the training.
Tailor-Made Course
This course can also be tailor-made to meet organization requirement. For further inquiries, please contact us on: Email: training@upskilldevelopment.com Tel: +254 721 331 808
Training Venue
The training will be held at our Upskill Training Centre. We also offer training for a group (at a discount of 10% to 50%) at requested location all over the world. The Onsite course fee covers the course tuition, training materials, two break refreshments, buffet lunch, airport transfers, Upskill gift package, and guided tour.
Visa application, travel expenses, dinners, accommodation, insurance, and other personal expenses are catered by the participant
Certification
Participants will be issued with Upskill certificate upon completion of this course.
Airport Pickup and Accommodation
Airport pickup and accommodation is arranged upon request. For booking contact our Training Coordinator through Email: training@upskilldevelopment.com, +254 721 331 808
Terms of Payment:
Unless otherwise agreed between the two parties’ payment of the course fee should be done 3 working days before commencement of the training so as to enable us to prepare better.
