What is ITGC?
The basic controls that can be applied to IT systems are known as information technology general controls. These controls help to ensure that the systems are operating properly and meet the needs of the organization. Information Technology General Controls (ITGC) is a framework designed to help organizations manage, control, and monitor their information security risks. A set of policies that will help to ensure that all of the controls that are in place are effectively implemented.
Importance of ITGC
ITGC is an important part of all the controls that are applied, as well as additional information that can be used for assessing the effectiveness of the controls. The purpose is to help ensure accuracy and efficiency in the organization, as well as compliance with policies and regulations.
ITGC play an important role in all aspects of information technology. From setting up and managing systems, to developing applications, to creating and managing users, the ITGC plays a critical role. It oversees technology issues such as how new technologies are acquired and developed, or how company security protocols are enacted.
Types of ITGC
- Physical and Environmental Security - It is about controlling who has access to physical and environmental security. Data centers need to be protected from unauthorized access and unexpected environmental events.
- Logical Security - All employees are generally given access to IT systems and services, but not all employees require access to all resources. Some employees may only need access to specific resources, depending on their job responsibilities. Access privileges are typically coordinated by human resources and IT-based job responsibilities.
- Backup and Recovery - Given the volume of data generated each day, backup and recovery have grown in significance because they safeguard business operations, data, databases, applications, and VMs.
- Incident Management - Hackers have always been constantly targeting IT infrastructure. Organizations should implement continuous incident management techniques. When certain incidents happen, a process must identify the incident, analyze it, and implement choices about its mitigation and resolution.
- Information Security - Because there are so many ways for security to be breached, information security is perhaps the most important IT general control. Standardized forms of information security must be implemented to ensure that information remains secure and protected.
What is ITAC?
IT Application Controls (ITAC) are security measures that apply to specific computer software applications and transactions. It is a security procedure to prevent or limit illegal apps from operating in a manner that can endanger data.
Difference between ITGC and ITAC
The ITGC is the foundation of the IT control structure. Whereas IT application or program controls are completely automated and are designed to ensure complete and accurate processing of data from input to output.
ITGC contributes to the accuracy of data generated by IT systems and continues to support the statement that systems operate as intended and produce accurate results. ITAC depends largely on the application's business purpose.
General controls have an impact on the overall operation of a company's information technology system. As an outcome, it has a wider scope range of applications. Application controls, on the other hand, are specific to a single application. As a result, application controls have a more limited and defined scope.
Conclusion
IT systems are now an essential part of many businesses daily operations. IT General Controls would be applicable to organizations of all sizes; companies should evaluate their situation in light of the framework and determine how risks are mitigated in their organization. An annual assessment of an organization's controls in the IT General Controls framework, as well as the implementation of mitigating controls for identified problems, will assist an organization in addressing the appropriate problem areas as it increases.