Behind the Firewall ft. Wayne Clement

by Morgan Prost / August 12th, 2026

Inactivity is the silent killer of any audit.

Wayne Clement, an Information Security Auditor, has a name for the client behavior that quietly derails audits: the silent killer.

Inactivity.

It shows up in familiar forms like pushback on in-person meetings, evidence requests that sit untouched for days, or a “we’ll get to it” that never receives attention. By the time anyone notices, the timeline is already slipping.

Wayne’s answer is relentless preparation long before the audit team ever walks in the door.

During every in-person Client Visit Week, he runs structured prep sessions well ahead of time:

Walk stakeholders through exactly how to upload evidence, not just where.
Break down evidence requirements line by line, so nothing is left to interpretation
Sends only one email, a single “here is exactly what I need”, instead of a scattered thread of follow-ups.

The payoff shows up on both ends of the experience level. First-time participants feel guided instead of tested, veteran staff get fewer back-and-forths eating into their week, and across the board: fewer last-minute scrambles, faster evidence turnaround, and audits that actually stay on schedule.

Removing the guesswork before it has a chance to cause a delay can make the biggest difference in your audit.