Today’s world has become risky and uncertain, and it is no surprise when organisations face a crisis. With the world being a digital village, multiple threats, such as organised crime and hacking, exist.
Due to digitalisation, cybercrime is now a new norm. It has adversely affected organisations and individuals as they risk information theft. Working culture has also been affected, considering most employees work from home. An internal auditor needs to assess the working culture and ensure that the company values are still adhered to.
Here are some of the top internal audit trends to watch out for in 2023. These trends can help perform audits effectively and provide assurance to an organisation or individual.
What does Internal Audit involve?
It’s an audit function that provides insight into an organisation’s current and future risks and ways to control them. An internal auditor should be up-to-date about the technological changes many businesses undergo. This can help them improve an organisation’s operations effectively.
Here are the top 4 trends that internal auditors should watch in 2023:
• Cyber Security and Data Security
With digitalisation, many organisations are adopting new technology as part of their business operations. It includes the storage of business and customer information on the cloud. Adopting new technologies can also increase the risk of cyber security and data privacy.
Cyber attacks have been rampant and continue to negatively affect organisations. Hence organisations should increase cyber security awareness and scrutiny of IT security. The internal auditor must assess all aspects of the protection controls on data storage and privacy. It can help enhance a company’s operations.
• Digital Migration and New Technologies
Many organisations will continue to digitise their operations through 2023. It means they would have to navigate risks associated with new technology such as artificial intelligence, robotic automation, cryptocurrencies etc.
Since digitalisation is here to stay, the audit team must continue assessing these changes. They can then recommend the best ways to ensure governance and control matters are considered.
• Organisation Working Culture
Numerous organisations have transformed their working culture from on-site to working from home. However, doing so also affected their working culture. Many organisations now make it their core business to commit resources to maintain a culture and connectivity between staff.
It’s the work of an auditor to conduct soft control audits that will ensure the current working culture is in line with the desired culture. The auditor must assess the cultural elements to show how staff’s daily behaviour reflects the organisation’s values.
• Economic Uncertainty
The world is going through different economic uncertainties. Inflation is one of them. It has led to an increase in oil and gas prices, which in turn, reduces a household’s purchasing power.
Internal auditors must be involved in assessing the critical risk areas in an organisation. They should provide long-term strategies to improve them. They must also look into managing a business’s financial and operational risks. Furthermore, they should ensure that an organisation adheres to current international sanction conditions.
Conclusion
Internal audits are crucial in an organisation. It helps keep an organisation abreast of significant risks and benefits in business continuity. Cyber security, data security, and working culture are some trends that an internal audit team should consider in 2023.