What Is a Tech Audit?
Technical audits are an assessment of the technology infrastructure of an organisation. The goal is identify weaknesses and strengths within the technology stack, and to ensure that it is in line with your business objectives. It’s a crucial step to take before beginning an exciting new project. It provides an important insight into how the technology will perform.
Tech audits differ from IT reviews and security assessment which focus more on evaluating systems in terms of compliance and security. Tech audits evaluate all the tools your company employs to do work, and analyze their effectiveness, cost, as well as integrations with other technologies.
The details of a technology audit will depend on the person conducting the review. It may be requested by the CFO looking to reduce costs for software, or by a team of leaders looking to be more efficient and agile.
A tech stack audit usually shows that different tools are employed for the same purpose. For instance marketing teams may utilize Asana and Wrike while engineers might use Jira. This means that the data isn’t flowing smoothly across departments and creating a single point of truth.
Un-sanctioned applications are also commonly employed by specific departments or teams. While some of them may be useful and add value, they can also pose a risk, especially if they aren’t checked for security or integrations with other technology. An audit of technology gives the leader insight into these tools and how they are used, helping determine if they should be incorporated into the larger technology stack.