Category: Guides & Best Practices
Practical Guidance related blogs such as:
• How-To Guides
• Checklists & Templates
• Best Practices
• Common Findings & Lessons Learned
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AI Frameworks: Face-Off—Or Perfect Pair? NIST AI Risk Management Framework + CSA AI Controls Matrix Unpacked Summary Table of Contents 1. The Big Question The AI Controls Matrix (AICM), developed by the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) and released in July 2025, and the NIST AI Risk Management Framework (AI RMF 1.0), released by the U.S. Read more
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Back-2-Basics Blog Series – Part 1: 10 Security Principles App Owners & Admins Often Forget Summary Table of Contents ➢ Introduction ➢ Summary ➢ Reference Summary Introduction In the rush to adopt the latest tech and flashy tools, many app owners and admins forget the fundamentals of cybersecurity—until a breach reminds them. Before you scramble Read more
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The Growing Gap Between AI Power and AI Protection in 2026 — And How to Close It This is a big deal for IT Audit & Compliance. Summary Table of Contents ➢ Introduction ➢ AI Power vs. Protection Gap – IT Audit & Compliance Checklist (2026) Introduction Artificial Intelligence (AI) in 2026 is more powerful, accessible, and Read more
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Network Folders: Access, Privacy & Stale Data—Oh My! Why you should know What data is stored on your network, Who has access, & What to do about it. “Security through obscurity” — Sounds clever—but in practice, it’s a dangerous assumption. If your organization doesn’t clearly understand what data exists on its network shares and who Read more
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12.5 SaaS Contract Terms Companies Forget—Until It’s Too Late You’ve negotiated hard, signed the contract for that critical cloud or SaaS platform, and breathed a sigh of relief. The implementation begins, and everything seems fine—until renewal time. Suddenly, prices jump 7–10%, egress fees make data migration prohibitively expensive, a breach occurs with delayed notification, or Read more
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14.5 Business Impact Analysis (BIA) Mistakes That Make Your Disaster Recovery Plan Worthless You’ve invested time and money in a solid-looking Business Continuity Plan (BCP) and Disaster Recovery (DR) strategy. Backups are in place, failover systems are tested (sort of), and recovery time objectives (RTOs) are documented. Then a disruption hits—whether a ransomware attack, cloud Read more
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How to Turn Your Risk-Control Matrix Into a Living Document (Instead of a Dusty Spreadsheet) Your Risk-Control Matrix (RCM) started with good intentions: a centralized view of key risks and the controls designed to mitigate them. Now it sits in a shared drive, updated sporadically, and referenced mainly when auditors ask for it. The result? Read more
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7 Questions Every CFO Should Ask Before Signing the Next Enterprise Software Deal Enterprise software deals promise efficiency, innovation, and growth. But a poorly vetted contract can lock your organization into hidden costs, compliance gaps, security weaknesses, and limited exit options for years. CFOs increasingly sit at the center of these decisions—not just for budget Read more
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Policy Frameworks That Actually Work: Why “Set It and Forget It” Policies Fail Every Audit You spent weeks (or months) developing a comprehensive set of IT and compliance policies. They look professional, cover all the major areas, and get approved by leadership. Then you file them away, check the “policies in place” box, and move Read more
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Third-Party Risk Scoring Done Right: A Simple Framework That Actually Predicts Problems Most companies score their vendors. Few do it in a way that actually helps them spot trouble before it hits. You send out questionnaires, review SOC 2 reports, check financials, and assign a color: green, yellow, or red. Then the vendor gets onboarded. Read more