CISA Exam Dumps - Certified Information Systems Auditor

During a pre-deployment assessment, the best indication that a business case will lead to the achievement of business objectives is that the business case reflects stakeholder requirements. A business case is a document that explains the rationale, benefits, costs, and risks of a proposed project or initiative. A business case should align with the strategic goals and vision of the organization and address the needs and expectations of the stakeholders who are involved in or affected by the project12.

Stakeholder requirements are the conditions or capabilities that stakeholders expect from a project or its outcomes. Stakeholders can include customers, users, employees, managers, suppliers, regulators, and others who have an interest or stake in the project. Stakeholder requirements should be identified, analyzed, prioritized, validated, and documented throughout the project lifecycle34.

The business case should reflect stakeholder requirements because they provide the basis for defining the project scope, objectives, deliverables, quality standards, success criteria, and benefits realization. By reflecting stakeholder requirements, the business case can demonstrate how the project will add value to the organization and its stakeholders, justify the investment and resources required for the project, and facilitate the decision-making and approval process for the project5 .

Therefore, during a pre-deployment assessment, an IS auditor should look for evidence that the business case reflects stakeholder requirements as the best indication that the business case will lead to the achievement of business objectives.

The best recommendation to improve IT governance within the organization is C. Require executive management to draft IT strategy. IT governance is the process of establishing and maintaining the policies, roles, responsibilities, and accountabilities for managing technology risks within an organization1. One of the key objectives of IT governance is to ensure alignment and integration between technology and business strategies, leading to optimal outcomes and value creation1. Therefore, it is essential that executive management, who are responsible for setting the vision, mission, and goals of the organization, are also involved in drafting the IT strategy that supports and enables them. By requiring executive management to draft IT strategy, the organization can:

Ensure that the IT strategy is consistent and coherent with the business strategy, and reflects the organization’s priorities, values, and culture2.

Enhance communication and collaboration between IT and business functions, and foster a shared understanding and commitment to the IT strategy2.

Increase accountability and transparency for IT performance and outcomes, and ensure that IT investments are aligned with the organization’s risk appetite and value proposition2.

Quality control reviews are the best way to demonstrate to senior management and the board that an audit function is compliant with standards and the code of ethics. Thesereviews assess the efficiency and effectiveness of the audit function, ensure compliance with audit standards and ethics, and identify areasfor improvement12. While audit staff interviews, control self-assessments (CSAs), and corrective action plans can provide valuable insights, they do not offer the same level of assurance as a comprehensive quality control review12.

 IT governance should be driven by organizational strategies. It provides a formal structure for organizations to produce measurable results toward achieving their strategies and ensures that IT investments support business objectives12. While business unit initiatives, balanced scorecards, and policies and standards can play a role in IT governance, they are tools or methods that support the implementation of the organizational strategies.

Aligning IT strategy with business strategy primarily helps an organization to optimize investments in IT. This is because alignment ensures that IT resources and capabilities are aligned with the business goals and priorities, and that IT delivers value to the business in terms of efficiency, effectiveness, innovation, and competitive advantage12. By aligning IT strategy with business strategy, an organization can avoid wasting money and time on IT projects or services that do not support or contribute to the business outcomes3. Alignment also helps to identify and prioritize the most critical and valuable IT initiatives that can create or optimize business value4.

Therefore, the correct answer to your question is A. optimize investments in IT.

 The best recommendation to mitigate the risk of eavesdropping associated with an API integration implementation is to implement Transport Layer Security (TLS). TLS is a cryptographic protocol that provides secure communication over a network by encrypting the data in transit and authenticating the parties involved. TLS can prevent unauthorized parties from intercepting, modifying or tampering with the data exchanged between the API endpoints. Encrypting the XML file, implementing SOAP, and masking the API endpoints are not sufficient to mitigate the risk of eavesdropping, as they do not provide end-to-end encryption or authentication for the API communication. References: IS Auditand Assurance Tools and Techniques, CISA Certification | Certified Information Systems Auditor | ISACA

The best reason to implement a data retention policy is to limit the liability associated with storing and protecting information. A data retention policy is a business’ established protocol for maintaining information, typically defining what data needs to be retained, the format in which it should be kept, how long it should be stored for, whether it should eventually be archived or deleted, who has the authority to dispose of it, and what procedure to follow in the event of a policy violation1. A data retention policy can help an organization to:

Comply with legal and regulatory requirements that mandate the retention and disposal of certain types of data, such as financial records, health records, or personal data

Reduce the risk of data breaches, theft, loss, or corruption by minimizing the amount of data stored and ensuring proper security measures are in place

Save costs and resources by optimizing the use of storage space and reducing the need for backup and recovery operations

Enhance operational efficiency and performance by eliminating unnecessary or outdated data and improving data quality and accessibility

Support business continuity and disaster recovery plans by ensuring critical data is available and recoverable in case of an emergency

Facilitate audit trails and investigations by providing evidence of data authenticity, integrity, and provenance

Therefore, by implementing a data retention policy, an organization can limit its liability associated with storing and protecting information, as well as improve its data governance and management practices.

 The best compensating control when segregation of duties is lacking in a small IS department is transaction log review. Transaction log review can help detect any unauthorized or fraudulent activities performed by IS staff who have access to multiple functions or systems. Transaction log review can also provide an audit trail for accountability and investigation purposes. The other options are not as effective as transaction log review in compensating for the lack of segregation of duties. Background checks are preventive controls that can help screen potential employees for any criminal records or dishonest behavior, but they do not prevent existing employees from abusing their access privileges. User awareness training is a detective control that can help educate users on how to report any suspicious or abnormal activities in the IS environment, but it does not monitor or verify the actions of IS staff. Mandatory holidays are deterrent controls that can discourage IS staff from engaging in fraudulent activities by requiring them to take periodic leave, but they do not prevent or detect such activities when they occur. References: CISA Review Manual (Digital Version), Chapter 3, Section 3.2