Video: IT Controls & Environment

In this lesson, navigating through the complexities of IT controls becomes a breeze as Nick Palazzolo, CPA, demystifies the subject. With an engaging approach, he breaks down general controls which form the backbone of a secure IT environment, akin to the control environment principles of COSO. This includes a detailed look at IT infrastructure, security management, and the careful process of software acquisition, stressing the point that convenience should never trump security. Delving into critical topics such as security testing, audit trails, and reasonableness checks, Nick ensures a complete grasp of these concepts, drawing parallels to examples that resonate outside digital boundaries. He also clarifies the differences between batch and hash totals as integral validation methods and concludes with insights on the significance of reviewing system access logs to detect fraud, proving how vigilance can protect a company's vital information assets.