SCHAUMBURG, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Technologies such as AI are reshaping the future of IT auditors, but auditors are largely optimistic about the future, according to new research from global tech association ISACA.
In the Future of IT Audit: Research Brief, the results of a survey of more than 2,400 IT auditors worldwide, 92 percent of IT auditors responded that they are optimistic about how technology will impact them professionally over the next five years. Nearly 8 in 10 say their IT audit team has the technical skills and training to keep up with the technology changes affecting them.
Additional good news is that IT auditors are increasingly involved in major tech projects. Thirty-five percent say they are brought in during the planning phase of such projects, 44 percent say they have a significant impact on major tech projects in their organizations, and nearly half (47 percent) say IT auditors will be significantly more involved in these projects in the next three to five years.
Among the new technologies that IT auditors most want to learn more about are:
- Predictive analytics (53 percent)
- Artificial intelligence (51 percent)
- Blockchain (48 percent)
- Machine learning (45 percent)
- Robotic process automation (45 percent)
Those who obtain this knowledge are likely to be in high demand, according to people seeking to hire IT auditors. More than two-thirds (67 percent) say they have difficulty recruiting auditors with the required technical skills, and 64 percent say the technical skills gap is having an impact on performing IT audits with a high degree of confidence.
Todd Weinman, president and chief recruiting officer of an audit and GRC search firm, is seeing this reflected in his clients’ priorities.
“The one unmistakable trend I am seeing is a return to the more technical auditor,” said Weinman. “With the heightened attention to cybersecurity risks, companies realize they need IT audit talent with deeper technical understanding.”
New Resource Helps Auditors Navigate the Future
To help IT auditors acquire the skills needed for the future, ISACA has launched a Transforming IT Audit web site, with resources on AI, blockchain, IoT and more.
Among the resources featured are:
- A free Auditing AI white paper
- A free IT Audit Career Pathways tool
- An Audit Outlook video on AI and machine learning
- Cybersecurity Audit Certificate Program
Resources will be added continually throughout 2019 and beyond.
“ISACA was founded 50 years ago to help individuals navigate an entirely new career: electronic data processing audit,” said ISACA Board Chair Rob Clyde, CISM. “Five decades later, our mission continues to be to help auditors thrive in a technology-driven world, by equipping them with new skills at a faster pace than ever before. Auditors are optimistic about the future of the profession, and we at ISACA are excited for the innovations to come.”
For more information on the Future of IT Audit Study, visit www.isaca.org/futureofITauditstudy. For the Transforming IT Audit microsite, visit https://transformingaudit.isaca.org.
About ISACA
Now in its 50th anniversary year, ISACA® (isaca.org) is a global association helping individuals and enterprises achieve the positive potential of technology. Today’s world is powered by information and technology, and ISACA equips professionals with the knowledge, credentials, education and community to advance their careers and transform their organizations. ISACA leverages the expertise of its 460,000 engaged professionals—including its 140,000 members—in information and cyber security, governance, assurance, risk and innovation, as well as its enterprise performance subsidiary, CMMI® Institute, to help advance innovation through technology. ISACA has a presence in more than 188 countries, including more than 220 chapters worldwide and offices in both the United States and China.
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