What Is a Tech Audit?
A technical audit is a comprehensive examination of an organization’s tech infrastructure. The objective is to determine weaknesses and strengths of the technology stack and to ensure that it’s aligned with the business objectives. It’s a crucial step to make prior to starting any new project. It also provides valuable information about how the technology will perform.
Tech audits differ from IT reviews and security assessments, which are more focused on assessing the systems’ compliance and security. Tech audits take stock of the tools your organization uses to do work, and analyze their effectiveness, cost, and integration with other technologies.
The specifics of a tech review will depend on the individual conducting it. It could be requested by a CFO, who is looking to cut costs associated with software, or it may be guided by a management team looking to become more agile and efficient.
One of the most common results of a tech stack audit is that many tools are used to perform similar tasks. For instance, engineering teams might use Jira, while marketing teams might use Asana and Wrike. This means that the data isn’t flowing seamlessly across departments and forming a single source of truth.
These applications are often used by specific departments or teams. Certain apps could be beneficial and provide value, but they could also pose risks, especially when integrations and security are not checked. Tech audits give the top management insight into these tools and how they are used and helps determine if they should be incorporated into the overall technology stack.