Institute of the Internal Auditors (IIA) Doha Chapter, recently conducted a workshop on “A practical approach to COBIT 2019” at Hilton Doha recently.
COBIT (Control Objectives for Information and Technology) is a leading framework for customising and right-sizing enterprise governance of Information and Technology.
The trainer Narasimhan Elangovan is a futurist, a Fintech IT assurance professional specialised in data analytics, blockchain, RPA, cybersecurity, etc.
Elangovan explained the landscape of technological disruption and digitisation that is creating a massive impact on today’s organisations. He spoke about the practical application of the framework with case studies of how to customise and integrate COBIT 2019 to deliver maximum value.
“With increasing uncertainty and the need for constant change, enterprises must adopt best practices to survive and thrive in this digital age. Auditors, as knowledge workers, must upskill with adequate expertise to remain relevant. While on one side technology is extensively used to solve everyday challenges, little do organisations realise about the risk exposure. It is necessary that as a part of corporate governance, businesses should optimise risks. COBIT 2019 is the only business framework for the governance and management of enterprise Information and Technology,” Elangovan said.
The COBIT 2019 framework incorporates the “latest thinking” in enterprise governance and management techniques and provides globally accepted principles, practices, analytical tools and models to help increase the trust in, and value from, information systems.
It defines the starting point of governance and management activities with the stakeholder needs related to enterprise Information and Technology while creating a common language between IT and business for the enterprise governance and management of IT.
It is also consistent with generally accepted corporate governance standards and thus helps companies comply with the regulatory requirements.
Sundaresan Rajeswar, IIA Qatar Board member said, “Internal auditors should keep pace with the ever-changing and complex world of IT since the Board expects that the internal audit activity assures all-important risks, including those introduced by IT. The changing landscape of governance in light of Industry 4.0, the need is to have an overarching framework to manage information and technology.
“The key takeaway from the workshop was learning how to customise and use COBIT 2019 for organisations and developing an easy to use tool for governance and assurance needs.”
