Contingency auditing is the best way to properly deal with threats posed by natural and man-made disasters. Without contingency auditing information, businesses cannot properly assess disaster recovery plans, or possibly stay on course with business continuity plans.

By reviewing all pertinent information at all stages of disaster recovery plan development, contingency auditing can provide recommendations to improve plan effectiveness, ultimately saving a company money while improving efficiencies. When looking to find contingency auditing methods that would be most effective for your business, consider the following:

1. Hire a full-service contingency auditing firm to perform the work on your behalf.

2. Learn the right questions to ask before hiring a contingency audit firm or performing the audit with in-house staffing resources.

3. Shop around for computer software to assist with ongoing contingency auditing efforts.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Consider hiring a full-service contingency auditing firm to work on your behalf

A contingency auditing provider can ensure an objective report of the performance of your company's plan. Make sure your contingency auditing list includes firms with disaster recovery and business continuity planning expertise, since the two go hand-in-hand with contingency auditing.

I recommend: Business Continuity Disaster Recovery provides one-stop shopping with expertise in business continuity, disaster recovery planning and contingency auditing. The website of AIRMIC, or the Association of Insurance and Risk Managers, offers a service providers page that includes contingency auditing firms as well as companies that specialize in disaster recovery plans and risk assessments.

Learn the right questions to ask before beginning the contingency auditing process

Since contingency audits help set and maintain the course for disaster recovery and business continuity planning, it's important to make sure you are asking the right questions. This is particularly important if your organization decides to conduct the audit using in-house staffing resources rather than hiring an outside firm to do it for you.

I recommend: The Security Standard offers an ISO 27000 toolkit that, among other things, contains a contingency audit questionnaire that can be downloaded and purchased online. The Security Audit Management Group also sells a Disaster Recovery Toolkit that includes a contingency audit questionnaire.

Shop around for computer software to assist with ongoing contingency auditing efforts

Regular contingency auditing allows for continued fine tuning of any disaster recovery plan, which ultimately protects your business. Purchasing computer software can help your company continue tweaking any disaster recovery and continuity plans. Contingency planning software can assist you in your contingency audit whether you utilize a third party or conduct an audit using your own resources.

I recommend: CPM's website includes a directory of Contingency Planning Software to assist with contingency auditing. ACL Services offers AuditExchange, designed specifically for audit teams. AuditExchange captures and stores audit data in a secure central location allowing a widespread team to share sensitive information simultaneously.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Contingency audits should never take the place of tests or training exercises. Quite the opposite is true and contingency audits should include tests and training exercises to identify personnel gaps, assess individual readiness as well as training competency.