ITWeb, in partnership with Global Micro, has launched a survey examining how South African organisations approach everyday audit readiness – and whether they have the processes, technology and accountability in place to respond when scrutiny comes.

The survey looks beyond the traditional scramble to prepare for an audit, exploring how organisations manage controls, evidence, accountability and corrective actions as part of their day-to-day governance, risk and compliance (GRC) processes.

It also examines the role technology can play in making audit readiness a continuous process, rather than a once-off exercise. In particular, the survey considers whether GRC platforms and artificial intelligence can improve visibility, reduce manual administration, strengthen evidence management and help organisations identify and address gaps before they become audit findings.

“Being audit-ready shouldn’t mean rushing to gather evidence when an audit is announced,” says JJ Milner, MD of Global Micro. “Organisations should be able to demonstrate at any point that their controls are operating, evidence is current, responsibilities are clear and corrective actions are being followed through.”

For many organisations, however, achieving this level of visibility can be difficult when information is spread across spreadsheets, e-mails, shared drives and multiple business systems. Manual evidence collection and unclear ownership can make it harder to establish what has been completed, what remains outstanding and where potential risks lie.

The survey asks respondents to consider:

How would you describe your organisation’s current approach to audit readiness?
Where is audit and control evidence primarily stored?
What prevents your organisation from maintaining everyday audit readiness?
How much of the audit and compliance process is still managed manually?
Where could GRC technology and AI make the greatest difference?

Milner says the survey will provide a snapshot of where South African organisations are today and where there is an opportunity to improve.

“This survey will help us understand how South African organisations manage audit readiness today, and where GRC and AI can reduce manual effort, collect and validate evidence, and improve control visibility, evidence integrity and real-time reporting,” he says.

Take the survey and have your say.

By completing the questionnaire and providing their business contact details, respondents will stand a chance to win a R3 000 Takealot voucher.

The detailed survey findings, providing insight into how South African organisations are approaching audit readiness and GRC, will be published on ITWeb, along with the name of the prize winner.

Audit readiness survey

Assess your business’s everyday audit readiness