Managing Audits During COVID-19 Crisis

During the COVID-19 pandemic, when so much of the workforce is working at home, companies need to make sure they conduct audits to ensure appropriate security procedures are in place, says Prasanna Bharatan, global head assurance and risk management at Wockhardt, a global pharmaceutical company.

"Where audits come in handy for business is during these periods when ... there are changes in the way we work," Bharatan says in an interview with Information Security Media Group. "So there has to be some way by which you manage differential processes but ensure that controls are put in place. That is where audits come in." (See: Blaming Auditors for Breaches: Too Narrow a View)

In this interview (see audio link below the image), Bharatan also discusses:

• How audits procedures must change;
• How audits teams have accommodated changing expectations;
• Why audits are as important as ever.

Bharatan heads internal audits and risk management at Wockhardt Group, a global pharmaceutical and biotechnology company based in Mumbai, India. He is responsible for audits across all subsidiaries and geographies. Previously, he was chief internal auditor at Pidilite Group and vice president, internal audits, at Bharati-Axa Life Insurance.