Electronic information that establish operational control of the management system can be in a variety of file
formats depending on the software applications that are utilized by the organization to generate the
information. Electronic file formats include, text, HTML, PDF, etc. Spreadsheets and databases formats are
also considered to be electronic documented information subject to the control elements of the management
system to being audited.
Given the relative ease with which users can now create electronic spreadsheets and other electronic
information, auditors should ensure that processes governing the controls that apply to management system
hard-copy information in-general are also employed for electronic information.
Organizations need to employ suitable and effective methods within the electronic environment for ensuring
the adequate review, approval, publication and distribution of its management system documentation. These
should be consistent with the methods for the development and modification of electronic information.
In many cases control measures may also be standard features of software applications used for their
creation. Therefore auditors should understand these application-specific controls to the degree that these
are utilized as a basis for conformance to the applicable management system standard.
Given the increased capacity to modify, update, reformat and otherwise improve documented information
within an electronic documented information system, auditors should pay particular attention to control
elements such as identification and revision level.
As electronic media facilitates an increased rate of modifications, auditors should verify that the controls
being employed for the management of obsolete information are considered within the organizations’ control
processes.
Auditors should verify that information exists to provide orientation to users with regard to the functional and
control aspects associated with electronic information. Additionally, “Point-of-use” requirements associated
with the applicable management system standards will typically be addressed in part by the organization's
access policies. Auditors should understand the organization's processes regarding user privileges as these
become important factors for properly implementing the organization's processes.
External electronic communication with external providers, customers and other interested parties may
involve the exchange of documented information. Given that the documented information may contain key
parameters that specify the functioning of the organization's processes, auditors should verify the degree to
which these are formally introduced and controlled within the electronic documented information system.
Auditors should review the methods employed by the organization for capturing output, in order to ensure
that activities provide sufficient confidence in the accuracy of the information.
When evaluating the organization’s controls with regard to retention and storage of documented information,
auditors should verify if organizations have an understanding of their storage capacity versus:
- the rate of information generation,
- retention timeframes,
- the rate of record disposal,
as these factors may impact the proper functioning of the electronic documented information system..
Given that the knowledge-base and the performance of the organization may be almost entirely in electronic
records, Auditors should review the organizations approaches for securing the information contained in
electronic means. For more information on Information Security see ISO/IEC 27001.