The Linford & Company Blog is written by our very own auditors, who are experts in IT audits, information security, and compliance topics. Their auditing experience encompasses a broad spectrum of industries and organizations, and their specialized expertise can help your company or organization make the right decision for your auditing needs. Our specific areas of focus in our IT Audit & Compliance Blog include SOC 1 Audits, SOC 2 Audits, HIPAA Audits, HITRUST Certification, and FedRAMP Assessments, NIST & CMMC, and Penetration Testing.
Compliance with the requirements of the HIPAA Security Rule starts with understanding how it is constructed. The HIPAA Security Rule is part of the overall HIPAA Privacy and Security Rule and consists of standards and implementation specifications. Per HIPAA Security Safeguards: Each Security Rule standard is a requirement: a covered entity must comply with all [...]
In this blog, we will be discussing the concept of reasonable assurance, what reasonable assurance means, absolute assurance, and how they both relate to SOC report opinions. Understanding the meaning of reasonable assurance is useful to both management of the service organization and also the users of the SOC report. In relation to SOC reports, [...]
Determining materiality in an attestation audit can be challenging when the scope of the audit cannot be quantitatively measured. As stated in an AICPA Discussion Paper, “When providing assurance services, it’s important that practitioners understand what information will most significantly impact stakeholders’ decision-making process, which is central to a practitioner’s consideration of engagement materiality.” In [...]
“Why wash your hands?” “How to Protect yourself and others.” These are headlines that I recently ran across while browsing daily news updates. For months, we’ve been bombarded with advice and guidance on how to stay healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic. While the guidance may vary, the topic of handwashing and avoiding hand contact (i.e. [...]
In the world of accounting and audit services, assurance, attest, and audit play key roles. The question often arises: What is audit assurance? What is the difference between these three terms? How do they relate or complement each other? A definition check with Merriam-Webster provides the following: Assurance: the state of being assured: such as [...]
Exposing employees to the security threats that exploit businesses, seemingly weekly these days, can help companies protect themselves against those threats. This blog will present the importance of security training, options, and resources, and the frequency that training should be provided. What is Security Awareness Training? Security awareness training is the process of providing information [...]
There was a time when gold was what the thief was after. But reading the newspaper today rarely provides a story in which a train was robbed just for the gold. Today’s thief is after data – personal information. But today’s target isn’t too different from the gold target of a century ago. Both represent [...]
Throughout my career, I’ve listened to and participated in the debate or discussion surrounding security vs compliance. Most often it seems that those involved in the discussion feel as though they need to take one side or the other. That co-mingling the two is more of a necessary evil versus an activity that provides value [...]
Every organization should design a control structure to identify and address risks related to internal and external forces that impact an organization. This control structure includes four main types of Internal Controls: Manual Controls IT Dependent Manual Controls Application Controls IT General Controls Preventive and Detective controls can be found within each of these four [...]
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