In an IS auditor's review of an organization's configuration management practices for software, which of the following is MOST important?
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A. B. C. D.C.
When conducting a review of an organization's configuration management practices for software, an IS auditor's primary focus should be on ensuring that the organization has effective controls in place for managing changes to software configurations. Therefore, the most important factor to consider would be the organizational policies related to release management.
Release management policies are the set of guidelines and procedures that an organization follows to ensure that changes to software configurations are implemented in a controlled and consistent manner. These policies typically define the roles and responsibilities of individuals involved in the change management process, establish procedures for testing and validating changes before they are implemented, and provide guidelines for documenting and tracking changes.
Effective release management policies can help an organization to reduce the risk of errors or unintended consequences resulting from changes to software configurations. This is particularly important given the potential impact that changes to software can have on an organization's operations and information security.
In contrast, service level agreements (SLAs) between the IT function and users, post-implementation review reports from development efforts, and software rental contracts or lease agreements are all important factors to consider in the context of managing software configurations. However, they are not as critical as organizational policies related to release management.
SLAs define the agreed-upon levels of service that the IT function will provide to users, and post-implementation review reports provide information on the success of software development efforts. These factors are important for ensuring that software is meeting the needs of the organization and its users. However, they do not necessarily ensure that changes to software configurations are being managed effectively.
Similarly, software rental contracts or lease agreements are important for ensuring that an organization is using software in a compliant and cost-effective manner. However, they do not necessarily address the issue of how changes to software configurations are managed.
In summary, while all of the factors listed in the question are important for managing software configurations, organizational policies related to release management are the most critical factor to consider when conducting a review of an organization's configuration management practices for software.