IT Audit & Compliance Blog

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.

Establishing an Effective Internal Control Environment

Organizations flourish when they establish environments that foster the efficient execution of operations. Internal controls should help organizations deliver value to their stakeholders and achieve their strategic objectives while aligning with industry best practices, laws, and regulations to manage risks facing them. What Is the Control Environment of a Company? The Institute of Internal Auditors control environment definition states that the […]

Risk Management

Information Security Risk Management: A Comprehensive Guide

Some people may not believe this, but information security’s purpose is, or should be, to serve the business and help the company understand and manage its overall risk. Sure, there are some security professionals that appear to have the goal of spending as much money as possible and getting the latest and greatest software, and there are also some that like to say “no”…for everything…all the time, but the good ones are there to help.

FedRamp readiness assessment

An Expert Guide to a FedRAMP Readiness Assessment

  A FedRAMP Readiness Assessment is an opportunity for Cloud Service Providers (CSP) targeting government clients to demonstrate that they are ready to begin the FedRAMP process in earnest. With the end goal being a Provisional ATO (P-ATO) from the Joint Authorization Board (JAB) or an ATO granted by a Federal Agency, CSPs, through the […]

attestation services and engagements

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.

What is a virtual CISO?

Virtual CISO: What Is it? Services, Responsibilities, & Cost

According to ISACA’s State of Cyber Security 2019, 72% of organizations have a chief information security officer (CISO). Also, in that study, only 55% of organizations have an increasing security budget. For many small and mid-sized organizations, budgets are already tight, and hiring a full-time CISO may seem like a luxury. So how does an […]

SOC 2 Privacy vs. GDPR

SOC 2 Privacy vs. GDPR: Personal Data Audit Considerations & Compliance

The SOC 2 Privacy criteria is one of the AICPA’s five Trust Services Criteria that may be included in a System and Organization Control (SOC) report that a service organization provides to its user entities. On the other hand, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is an enforceable legislative act in place to protect the […]

HIPAA risk assessment

HIPAA Risk Assessment: Security Compliance vs Risk Analysis – What is the Difference?

Throughout 2018 and 2019, the OCR has identified the failure to conduct and adequate risk assessment as a key finding in nearly half of their settlements. Making it the largest single source of identified HIPAA violations. Many organizations undergo some level of third party reporting on their compliance with the HIPAA security rule. Generally these […]