What Is Audit Trail Software?
Audit trail software is a platform that tracks and records important events and activities within a digital system. Also known as audit logging software, these platforms capture the chronological sequence of events, providing companies with a clear and accurate record of their activities. This is critical for finding areas of improvement, managing risks, and maintaining compliance with relevant governing bodies. These platforms also facilitate the auditing process, which is critical when gathering accurate data sets.
Importance
Maintaining an accurate and comprehensive trail of activities is a critical aspect of managing an organization. This is to help stay compliant with the regulatory framework and to ensure transparency in your operations as well. Here are some more reasons why using this type of platform is important:
Enhanced Accountability
These platforms promote transparency and accountability by enabling organizations to trace the origin and evolution of critical events. With the right audit trail software, organizations can better foster a culture of responsibility among stakeholders.
Compliance
Regulatory compliance mandates, such as the Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX), US Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), necessitate meticulous record-keeping and data governance practices. Audit trail software helps organizations adhere to these standards by capturing and retaining audit trails in accordance with regulatory requirements.
Risk Mitigation
By identifying anomalies, unauthorized access attempts, and suspicious activities, audit trail software serves as a proactive risk management tool, allowing organizations to address security vulnerabilities preemptively.
Key Features
It’s always best to choose an audit trail software that will work best for your industry or organization. However, there are some key features that are must-haves, regardless of your industry. These features include the following:
Comprehensive Logging Capabilities
Audit trail software must offer comprehensive logging capabilities to efficiently capture a wide range of activities. Data such as user logins, file modifications, configuration changes, system events, and administrative actions should be easily collected and logged to ensure a complete audit trail.
Real-Time Monitoring and Alerting
Real-time monitoring and alerting functionality enable organizations to stay abreast of critical events and security incidents as they unfold. Audit trail software can generate alerts for suspicious activities, policy violations, and unauthorized access attempts, empowering stakeholders to take immediate remedial action and mitigate potential risks.
Secure Storage and Integrity Preservation
To ensure the integrity and confidentiality of audit trails, audit trail software should come with secure storage mechanisms, encryption protocols, and access controls. By using the right robust data protection tools, organizations can safeguard audit logs against tampering, unauthorized access, and data breaches, preserving their evidentiary value and integrity.
Choosing the Right Software
Here’s a breakdown of the software above to make it easier to select the best option.
Audit Trail Software | Free Version | Paid Plan | Mobile App |
SafetyCulture | Yes | $24/user/month* | Yes |
Form | None | Custom pricing | Yes |
Isolocity | None | $159/user/month | Yes |
Workiva | None | Contact vendor for pricing | Yes |
Cura | None | Contact vendor for pricing | No |
Tipalti | None | $129/month | Yes |
Qualio | None | Contact vendor for pricing | No |
* billed annually
