Validate compliance. Uncover hidden risks.

At EXTEND Resources, we provide cybersecurity and data privacy audit services to help organizations understand compliance gaps, prepare for third-party audits, and identify risks and exposure.

How do outside audit services benefit you?

As the pressure to identify and reduce cyber risks grows, businesses seek transparency and insights into the maturity, quality, and effectiveness of their cybersecurity and data privacy programs.

Leveraging audit services can offer the insights organizations need. Increasingly, stakeholders turn to outsourced audit providers for expert, efficient, cost-effective assistance with evaluating their own programs, preparing for a third-party audit, managing third-party risk, or performing cyber risk due diligence for various business reasons.

Audit Services from EXTEND Resources

Compliance Gap Assessment

Whether your organization must comply with a cybersecurity or privacy framework, standard, regulation, law, or business requirement, gaining a clear view of your compliance status is a crucial step in protecting against information security threats.

EXTEND performs high-level evaluations and discovery sessions to help you understand your progress toward full compliance. We can help you validate your program’s current state, uncover compliance gaps, and recommend improvements designed to help you remediate gaps and meet your cybersecurity and data privacy compliance goals.

CMMC
HIPAA
ISO 27001
NIST 800-171

SOC2
State Privacy Regulations
Industry Requirements

External Audit Readiness

Preparation is the key to planning for success and reducing stress when your organization is the subject of a third-party audit. EXTEND serves as your internal audit team to evaluate readiness before the external audit.

EXTEND performs an internal review of your documentation and activities, tests the effectiveness of your controls, gathers evidence, and identifies potential observations and findings so you can resolve them before you undergo an external audit. EXTEND can also streamline the audit process by serving as your audit lead, managing the external audit on your behalf, and working directly with the auditor or assessor.

Regulatory Audits
Third-Party Assessors

Client Audits
Insurance Carrier Audits

Internal Audit

Information is the new currency, and it is often an organization’s most valuable asset. Stakeholders at every level—from senior management to the board of directors to leaders of acquiring companies—seek to thoroughly understand an organization’s data protection efforts, information security and data privacy risks, and potential exposure.

EXTEND performs comprehensive internal audits tailored to your scope and goals, providing an independent, objective view of the effectiveness of an organization’s governance, risk management, and compliance activities. We deliver a detailed report of findings to help you capitalize on improvement opportunities and an executive summary to support an organization’s annual audit program.

Cyber Risk Management Validation
Board Governance & Cyber Resilience
Senior Management Cybersecurity Evaluation
Merger and Acquisition Cyber Due Diligence
Third-Party Cyber Risk Management

Why choose outside audit services rather than internal resources?

Objectivity

An effective audit requires an objective perspective on your practices, which your internal team might overlook due to familiarity. Audits performed by an outside company are inherently unbiased and designed to deliver an independent view of an organization’s strengths and weaknesses.

Affordability

Due to more robust demand and a limited talent pool, the costs for skilled audit talent have risen dramatically. Hiring process costs are also at a premium. Using an outside audit service can be a cost-effective option.

Talent

Retaining and managing a full-time audit team is more complex than ever. Working with an outside firm specializing in assessment, audit readiness, and full internal audit capabilities brings you the talent, tools, and disciplined processes you need at a lower cost.

Tools and Specialty Knowledge

Talent and expertise across an internal audit team can vary. Outside auditors have extensive training and expert knowledge of information security and data privacy frameworks, laws, and requirements. Moreover, they are armed with tools and software to manage the project efficiently.

Strategic Planning

Outside auditors often have experience engaging with audit committee members, board members, senior leadership, and others to explain audit findings, facilitate understanding of business risks and exposures, and help develop a strategic plan to defend against them.

Scalability

Audit and assessment needs change as your business evolves and grows. The spotlight on cybersecurity and data privacy risks will continue to grow. An outsourced audit provider can grow with you without the cost of continually building a large in-house team and managing turnover.

Don’t just take our word for it.

"Excentium retained EXTEND Resources to conduct internal ISO audits for our Integrated Management System (ISO 9001, 20000-1, 27001). Their audit team was well prepared, thorough, and easy to work with. Their feedback was insightful and has helped us continue to improve. We look forward to a long relationship with them."

Close Security & Privacy Gaps. Resolve Audit Findings.

If desired, EXTEND can work with your organization to remediate findings identified during the internal audit and implement opportunities for improvement. Examples include:

Proper Documentation: Meet documentation requirements and improve the quality of your policies, processes, and other documents.

Policy Development: Create customized, compliant policies, leveraging our library of templates, so you don’t have to handle this laborious task.

Data Protection Controls: Implement and configure tools and settings to meet data protection requirements.

Incident Management: Develop and refine reporting and response processes, disaster recovery plans, and business continuity processes. Test plans and processes for efficacy.

Training Requirements: Deliver information security training and communications designed to generate awareness of compliance requirements.

POAM Tasks: Assist in completing items on your Plan of Action and Milestones for CMMC compliance.

Validate business processes, controls, and compliance.

EXTEND helps clients achieve a successful audit outcome. We offer personalized service, pairing you with an internal auditor from our team of subject-matter experts, to help you focus on your priorities and tailor solutions that fit your needs.

Ready to pass your next information security or data privacy audit?