Internal controls (which include manual, IT-dependent manual, IT general, and application controls) are essential process steps that allow for one to determine or confirm whether certain requirements are being done per a certain expectation, law, or policy. Additionally, internal controls allow auditors to perform tests to gain assurance that a process is designed and operating […]
About Jaclyn Finney
Jaclyn Finney started her career as an auditor in 2009. She started with Linford & Co., LLP. in 2016 and is a partner with the firm. She is a CISA with a special focus on SOC, HITRUST, FedRAMP and royalty examinations. Jaclyn works with her clients to provide a process that meets the needs of each customer and generates a tailored report that is useful to the client and the users of the report.
SOC Incident Reporting: What are SOC 2 Security Reporting Requirements?
Over the last year, the world saw a number of major security breaches in the news. Some notable ones include the SolarWinds attack, Colonial Pipeline Hack, and JBS U.S. Beef plant attack. Unfortunately, attacks are nothing new. Other major attacks over the years have included the Equifax data breach, Uber data breach, and WannaCry cyber […]
Navigating Compliance Frameworks: SOC 2 vs. HITRUST
Over the past few years, it seems like there is a new compliance framework that companies are required to follow every year. And many companies are trying to understand which one applies, how many they are required to obtain, and how much it is going to cost. This blog will discuss two frameworks: SOC 2 […]
AICPA Peer Reviews – Who Audits the Auditor?
Do you ever wonder if the CPA firm your organization decides to use has the right type of experience when going through the engagement process? Well, one question you can ask is the last time the CPA firm went through the AICPA peer review program. In this post, we will discuss what an AICPA peer […]
What Do Auditors Do? Understanding an Auditor’s Responsibilities
It is a misconception that the job of an auditor can be summed up to individuals that examine financial records with the goal of forming an opinion about the fairness of information presented within a company’s financial statements
Materiality in Auditing: How to Prepare For Your Audit
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 […]
Security Awareness Training: Implementing End-User Information Security Awareness Training
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 […]
Risk of Material Misstatement – Audit Risk Components Related to SOC Reports
Obtaining evidence to confirm the design and operating effectiveness of controls used to support business objectives are completed during the audit process. One objective of this process is to look at the rate of deviations in an effort to determine if there is risk of material misstatement. In this post, we will look at different […]
Cloud Audits & Compliance: What You Need to Know
As the popularity of cloud computing has increased over the last decade, so has the maturity of standards used to govern these resources. This article will provide a definition of cloud computing and cloud computing audit, the objectives of cloud computing, the scope of a cloud computing audit and understanding cloud compliance, and audit steps […]
What Is Attestation?
The definition of attestation is to affirm to be correct. In accounting, an attestation engagement is the process of providing an opinion on published financial and other business information of a business, public agency or other organization.