5.1 Background
In many organisations, the origins of computer audit lie in the need for business auditors to obtain independent data from the system and subsequently, to obtain an assurance about the internal workings of the IT system. Although audit automation still represents a core activity of many computer auditors, increasingly, this activity is being transferred to business auditors. This transition has been facilitated by the availability of more user friendly application software. The role of the computer auditor in this environment is to provide specialist expertise to the business auditors, rather than perform the activity.
IT can deliver significant benefits to the audit process in terms of: timeliness, efficiency, professionalism and increased productivity.
Audit automation is generally considered under two main headings:
• as an audit tool
• as an administration tool