In many organisations, internal audit is still seen as a periodic exercise—quarterly reviews, checklists, weeks of analysis, followed by a report that arrives after the fact. The problem? Risk doesn’t operate on a schedule. Business processes evolve quickly, and by the time the findings reach decision-makers, things may already have changed.
Modern companies are moving in a different direction. They’re adopting internal audit functions that operate around the clock, powered by data, automation, and system integration. In this model, internal audit is no longer a backwards-looking activity, but a real-time function for monitoring, signalling, and advising.
What does this shift look like in practice? Consider two companies facing the same situation, but with very different audit capabilities.
Company A:
8:00 a.m. A detailed audit report lands in the executive inbox—six weeks of analysis, summaries, charts. The control team is waiting for feedback.
The issue? By the time the report is read, some of the processes it covers have already changed.
Company B:
8:00 a.m. The GRC dashboard updates in real time. A key risk indicator has turned red. The department head has already received an alert. The audit team knows what’s causing the anomaly.
There’s no need to write a report—a decision will be made before noon.
Moving from periodic reviews to continuous insight is changing the role of internal audit—from a checker of compliance to an active player in helping the organisation stay resilient, informed, and ready to act.
Predicting Instead of Detecting
Traditional internal audit has long focused on identifying issues after the fact. It’s a model built on documentation, sampling, and retrospective analysis—valuable, but slow. In a fast-moving organisation, that delay can mean missed opportunities, or worse, undetected risks turning into real damage.
The 24/7 audit model changes that. When powered by data and automation, an audit becomes proactive instead of reactive. Algorithms monitor activity in real time, flag anomalies, and even identify patterns that suggest emerging risks before they fully materialise. Instead of hunting for errors, auditors can focus on interpreting signals, validating concerns, and guiding action.
According to Deloitte’s 2025 Internal Audit Outlook, internal audit is no longer just about assurance. It’s about delivering insight and foresight, and that evolution depends heavily on the ability to work with live data, predictive analytics, and AI.
Examples? Think of a machine learning model scoring risks based on transaction patterns, or natural language processing scanning thousands of documents for deviations in tone or language. These tools don’t replace auditors—they expand what’s possible.
Instead of reporting what went wrong last quarter, internal audit becomes the function that sees risk early, speaks up fast, and helps the organisation stay one step ahead.
Beyond Teams and Checklists
Remote auditing became the norm out of necessity, driven by travel restrictions, dispersed teams, and the rise of hybrid work. But in many organisations, “remote” still means little more than video calls and shared spreadsheets. It’s digital in form, but not in function.
A 24/7 audit model goes much further. It’s not just remote—it’s connected. Integrated systems, real-time alerts, and centralised risk dashboards allow auditors to track developments without needing a calendar full of meetings or endless email chains.
Instead of sending out checklists and waiting for answers, internal audit receives live data from ERP systems, financial platforms, and control dashboards. Risk signals surface automatically. Changes in access rights, unusual spending patterns, or process deviations trigger alerts—not weeks later, but as they happen.
A digital audit helps teams work faster and with greater focus. Auditors make fewer manual requests, are less disruptive to business teams, and get access to clearer, more relevant information. The location of the auditor is no longer the point—what matters is having access to the right data, at the right time.
Automated Reporting: Turning Data into Decisions
In many audit teams, reporting still takes up a huge amount of time. Gathering data, organising it in spreadsheets, building slides—it’s a manual process that slows everything down.
With the right tools, much of this work can run in the background. When GRC systems connect to business data and BI platforms like Power BI, reports update on their own. Dashboards display the latest risk indicators in real-time. Presentations for the board are no longer built from scratch. They’re based on live, trusted data.
Instead of spending days formatting data, auditors can focus on what matters:
- What is the data telling us?
- What decisions need to be made?
- Where should attention go next?
As ISACA notes, automating the collection and presentation of control data not only saves time, but it also gives internal audit space to focus on high-value work like judgment, evaluation, and strategy. In short, automation doesn’t replace the human role—it clears the way for better thinking.
Audit and Compliance as a Company’s Nervous System
In a connected organisation, internal audit isn’t just a checkpoint. It works more like a nervous system—constantly picking up signals, interpreting them, and helping the business respond.
With continuous monitoring, audit teams see changes as they happen. Access rights updated outside regular hours? Alert. A spike in exception approvals? Logged and flagged. These aren’t dramatic failures. They’re small signals that, when tracked and understood, can prevent bigger problems later.
Compliance shifts, too. Instead of documenting actions after the fact, teams get involved earlier. Controls are built into processes. Alerts and rules are defined at the start. As ISACA puts it, this is a move from reactive to embedded—from checking compliance to building it into how things work. Audit becomes more than a function. It becomes a presence—vigilant, informed, and involved.
According to Deloitte’s 2025 Internal Audit Outlook, the future of internal audit is defined by insight and foresight, not just by assurance. That future depends on better use of data, smarter tools, and a more connected approach to risk management.
A 24/7 audit model isn’t just a technical upgrade. It’s a shift in mindset. Instead of checking after the fact, the audit becomes part of what happens as the business moves. Instead of writing reports weeks later, teams help make decisions in the moment. And instead of working on the sidelines, internal audit becomes a trusted part of how the organisation stays aware, aligned, and ready.
It’s not about being everywhere. It’s about knowing what matters—and being ready when it does.
