Technology risk assessed. Controls strengthened.

In an era where business processes are inseparable from technology, effective IT and system controls are not optional — they are fundamental to reliable financial reporting, operational resilience and regulatory compliance. ZAFCA's IT and system audit practice bridges the gap between financial assurance and technology risk, providing independent assessments that give boards, management and external auditors confidence in the systems that run the business.

Our IT and system audit services

We combine accounting and auditing expertise with technology knowledge to assess risks and controls across the IT environment. Our services are designed to support statutory audit requirements, standalone IT assurance engagements and regulatory compliance mandates.

IT General Controls (ITGC)

ITGCs form the foundation of control assurance for financially significant systems. We assess controls over logical access, program change management, computer operations and IT governance — the domains that underpin the reliability of automated controls relied upon in a financial statement audit. Our ITGC reviews are aligned with ISAs (particularly ISA 315 and ISA 330) and can support both external audit reliance and standalone IT assurance reports.

Typical scope includes user access provisioning and de-provisioning, segregation of duties, privileged-access management, password and authentication policies, program migration and testing protocols, backup and recovery arrangements, and job scheduling and monitoring.

Application controls review

While ITGCs address the environment in which applications operate, application controls operate at the transaction level. We review automated controls embedded within ERP, financial, procurement and operational systems — including three-way match, tolerance checks, system-generated calculations, edit checks and interface controls between systems. Our application control reviews identify configuration gaps, missing controls and opportunities to shift from manual detective procedures to automated preventive controls.

Cybersecurity assessments

Our cybersecurity assessment methodology evaluates the maturity of an organisation's cyber defences against recognised frameworks — including NIST CSF, ISO 27001 and the SBP's IT governance and risk management framework for financial institutions. We assess perimeter security, endpoint protection, network segmentation, incident detection and response capability, security monitoring, penetration testing results and security awareness programmes. Reports highlight vulnerabilities ranked by risk severity with practical remediation recommendations.

Vulnerability testing

Working with specialist technical partners, we coordinate vulnerability assessments and penetration testing engagements that probe network infrastructure, web applications and wireless environments for exploitable weaknesses. Our role is to ensure the scope is appropriate, the methodology is sound and the findings are translated into business-relevant risk assessments that management can act upon.

Data privacy and GDPR advisory

Data protection obligations are expanding rapidly — from the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) affecting businesses that handle European personal data, to Pakistan's Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), 2016 and the emerging Personal Data Protection Bill. We help organisations map their data flows, assess privacy risks, review consent mechanisms and design policies and procedures that support compliance with applicable data protection regimes.

IT governance and disaster recovery

Strong IT governance ensures that technology investments align with business objectives and that IT risks are managed at board level. We review IT governance structures, policies, steering committee effectiveness and alignment with frameworks such as COBIT. Our disaster recovery and business continuity reviews assess recovery plans, backup strategies, recovery time objectives and testing regimes — giving stakeholders confidence that the organisation can maintain critical operations through disruption.

Software license management

Unmanaged software licenses expose organisations to compliance risk, financial penalties and reputational damage. We review software inventory, license entitlements and deployment records to identify gaps between installed software and licensed rights. Our software license management reviews help organisations address over-deployment, rationalise license spend and establish robust software asset management practices.

• IT General Controls (ITGC) reviews across access, change, operations and governance
• Application controls review for ERP, financial and operational systems
• Cybersecurity maturity assessments aligned with NIST CSF and ISO 27001
• Vulnerability assessment and penetration testing coordination
• GDPR, PECA and data privacy compliance advisory
• IT governance and COBIT alignment reviews
• Disaster recovery and business continuity plan assessments
• Software license compliance and optimisation reviews