When people think of auditors, chances are they usually associate them with taxes or some other form of financial review. In some circles, auditors might be looked at with a wary eye, but auditors play an important role in how business is conducted every day.
Auditing gives companies and the investors and credits associated with them the assurance that company funds are being in the right way. Auditors do financial reviews to protect the public from bad investments in corrupt companies and above all, they hold companies accountable.
For anyone wanting to become an auditor, there are many benefits of the job.
- It is mentally stimulating and challenging
- There’s plenty of variety in the work
- Auditors tend to work in teams, so you learn the benefits of teamwork
- Auditors learn the importance of negotiation and the need to be assertive
Investopedia provides an in-depth look at pursuing auditing as a career and what a person can expect on the job.
The importance of auditing extends to ISO auditors. More than 1.6 million ISO certificates were recorded worldwide with more than 33,000 of them recorded specifically for ISO 27001. There are also currently 1.1 million ISO 9001 certificates issued across 178 countries and economies.
An ISO audit is essentially a check to make sure an individual or companies are doing exactly what they say they’re doing. ISOs are revised every eight years and adjusted to be more fit for purpose; as the world changes so do the standards.
An ISO 9001 audit is one that checks quality management systems. The ISO 9000 series of quality standards is the most used management system worldwide; thousands of organizations rely on these standards to establish an effective quality management system.
ISO 9001 has eight sections:
- Scope
- Normative Reference
- Terms and Definitions
- Quality Management System
- Management Responsibility
- Resource Management
- Product Realization
- Measurement, Analysis and Improvement
To achieve ISO 9001 certification, an organization needs to pass two external audits. Although timelines can sometimes vary, most organizations can achieve initial certification within six months. Eighty three percent of organizations certified with ISO 9001 report an improved company perception, higher demand for products and services and an increased market share.
Read more on ISO 9001 here.
Like ISO 9001, ISO 27001 plays an important role. ISO 27001 is a set of specifications for information security management systems. While ISO 9001 ultimately determines customer satisfaction with a service or product, ISO 27001 ultimately determines information risk reduction.
Nearly 100 percent of people believe that ISO 27001 plays or will play an important role in improving their company’s information security defenses. Additionally, 51 percent of respondents say that “improved information security across the whole organization is the single most important benefit of ISO 27001 implementation.”
Read more about ISO 27001 here.
For financial consultants, there are many auditor courses available including courses to become a lead auditor, ISO 9001 classes and ISO 27001 consulting.
Those interested in lead auditor courses can take them to get certified and improve their auditing and management skills while leading a team.
Many auditor courses can be taken online and free ISO auditor courses are also available.
For more information see this.
