Question 684 - CISA discussion

The most helpful thing for an IS auditor to review when evaluating an organization's business processes that are supported by applications and IT systems is the enterprise architecture (EA). EA is the practice of designing a business with a holistic view, considering all of its parts and how they interact. EA defines the overall goals, the strategies that support those goals, and the tactics that are needed to execute those strategies. EA also outlines the ways various components of IT projects interact with one another and with the business processes. By reviewing the EA, an IS auditor can gain a comprehensive understanding of how the organization aligns its IT efforts with its overall mission, business strategy, and priorities. An IS auditor can also assess the effectiveness, efficiency, agility, and continuity of complex business operations.

The other options are not as helpful as option B. A configuration management database (CMDB) is a database that stores and manages information about the components that make up an IT system. A CMDB tracks individual configuration items (CIs), such as hardware, software, or data assets, and their attributes, dependencies, and changes over time. A CMDB can help an IS auditor to monitor the performance, availability, and configuration of IT assets, but it does not provide a holistic view of how they support the business processes. IT portfolio management is the practice of managing IT investments, projects, and activities as a portfolio. IT portfolio management aims to optimize the value, risk, and cost of IT initiatives and align them with the business objectives. IT portfolio management can help an IS auditor to evaluate the return on IT investments and the alignment of IT projects with the business strategy, but it does not provide a detailed view of how they support the business processes. IT service management (ITSM) is the practice of planning, implementing, managing, and optimizing IT services to meet the needs of end users and customers. ITSM focuses on delivering IT as a service using standardized processes and best practices. ITSM can help an IS auditor to review the quality, efficiency, and effectiveness of IT service delivery and support, but it does not provide a comprehensive view of how they support the business processes.Reference:What is enterprise architecture (EA)? - RingCentral,What is a configuration management database (CMDB)? - Red Hat,IT Portfolio Management Strategies | Smartsheet,What is IT service management (ITSM)? | IBM