What is an Independent Opinion in Auditing?

by Joseph Kirkpatrick / June 15, 2023

In order for an audit to comply with regulations, it must be conducted by an auditor with an independent opinion. What is an independent opinion? It’s an auditor’s unbiased, objective stance towards an organization which leads to an accurate, credible report on an organization’s security and compliance. Any type of information security audit needs to have an independent auditor, but especially in the case of a CPA performing SOC 1…

What Does Reasonable Assurance Mean?

by Joseph Kirkpatrick / April 5, 2023

What is Reasonable Assurance? The AICPA defines reasonable assurance as a high, but not absolute, level of assurance. In an audit, that means perfection is not the goal because absolute assurance is not obtainable. Instead, auditors use reasonable assurance in their testing to come to a practical conclusion about the details of your organization’s security controls. At KirkpatrickPrice, our Information Security Specialists provide expert audits that focus on accuracy, attention…

Choosing a Higher Level of Assurance

by Joseph Kirkpatrick / April 5, 2023

When a quality audit is performed by KirkpatrickPrice, there are many qualified experts behind the scenes completing the documentation review, project management, onsite visit, remediation efforts, report writing, and quality assurance. These security professionals work to provide the best assurance service possible to your organization. How exactly can you finish your audit process feeling assured and secure? You need to make sure you aren't settling for anything less than a…

3 Objectives of the COSO Framework and SOC 1

by Joseph Kirkpatrick / April 5, 2023

SOC 1 and the COSO Framework If you’re new to the SOC 1 audit process, you might be wondering what framework is used to evaluate the effectiveness of internal controls. This would be the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission, or COSO Internal Control – Integrated Framework. This framework is one of the most common frameworks used to design, implement, maintain, and evaluate internal controls. It outlines three…

Will I Pass or Fail the SOC 1 Audit?

by Joseph Kirkpatrick / April 5, 2023

If your organization is making the investment in information security audits, it’s understandable to question whether or not you will pass or fail the audit. After all, many organizations pursue compliance because they have something at stake, like a new client or big product launch, and if they do not pass the audit, there could be severe consequences. However, there’s good news when it comes to SOC 1 audits: the…