A technical audit is an evaluation of the technology infrastructure of an organization. The aim is to determine strengths and weaknesses in the tech stack, and ensure it aligns with your business objectives. It’s a critical step to be taken prior to launching a new project and provides an important insight into how the technology will perform.
Tech audits are different than IT reviews and security assessments that are focused on assessing systems to ensure security and compliance. Tech audits evaluate all the tools your business employs to perform its work, their effectiveness in terms of cost, efficiency, and integration with other technologies.
The details of a tech review depend on the person conducting it. It can be requested by a CFO, who is trying to cut software costs, or it may be guided by a management team who want to be more flexible and productive.
One of the most common results of a tech stack audit is that a variety of tools are used to perform similar tasks. As an example marketing teams may make use of Asana and Wrike, while engineering may utilize Jira. The result is that the data isn’t flowing smoothly across departments and creating a single point of truth.
These applications are often used by specific departments or teams. Some of these apps may be useful and have value, but they could also be a source of risk, especially when integrations and security are not vetted. Tech audits give the top management the ability to see the tools they use and the way they are used to determine whether they should be integrated into the broader technology stack.