Evidence Collection Guide
Learn how to efficiently collect and organize evidence for compliance audits.
Why Evidence Matters
Evidence is the foundation of any compliance audit. Auditors don't take your word for it— they need proof that controls are designed properly and operating effectively. Good evidence collection can mean the difference between a smooth audit and weeks of scrambling.
Types of Evidence
Policies & Procedures
Examples:
- Information Security Policy
- Acceptable Use Policy
- Incident Response Plan
- Business Continuity Plan
- Change Management Policy
Beth Automation: Beth generates and manages policies with automatic version control and acknowledgment tracking.
Technical Evidence
Examples:
- Cloud security configurations (AWS, Azure, GCP)
- Firewall and network security rules
- Encryption settings and certificates
- Vulnerability scan results
- Penetration test reports
Beth Automation: Beth connects to your infrastructure and continuously collects configuration evidence.
Access & Identity
Examples:
- User access lists and permissions
- Access review completion records
- Terminated user removal evidence
- MFA enrollment status
- Privileged access logs
Beth Automation: Beth integrates with identity providers to automatically capture access control evidence.
Operational Evidence
Examples:
- Security awareness training completion
- Background check confirmations
- Vendor risk assessments
- Incident tickets and resolution
- Change request approvals
Beth Automation: Beth tracks operational activities and generates evidence packages automatically.
Best Practices
Automate Everything Possible
Manual evidence collection is error-prone and time-consuming. Connect integrations once and let Beth collect evidence continuously.
Organize by Control
Structure evidence folders by control requirement, not by system. This makes audit packages easier to assemble and review.
Maintain Timestamps
Every piece of evidence needs a timestamp. Auditors verify that controls were operating during the audit period.
Keep Historical Records
Don't overwrite old evidence. Maintain a history so you can demonstrate consistent compliance over time.
Document Exceptions
When something doesn't meet a control, document the exception and compensating controls. Transparency builds auditor trust.
Beth's Approach
Beth eliminates manual evidence collection through:
- 100+ integrations that pull evidence automatically
- Continuous collection, not point-in-time screenshots
- Evidence mapped to controls for instant audit packages
- Version history and tamper-proof audit trails