It was as inevitable as my next tax bill; the "rest of us" now have a reference guide for compliance. Wiley Publishing has added IT compliance to the Dummies series, in this case a pocket guide to help with an IT audit.

Titled "IT Compliance For Dummies," and penned by some folks at Active Reasoning the booklet directs readers in general fashion how to develop a compliance strategy, how to plan ahead, develop controls, automate processes, validate controls, leverage compliance for other IT practices, and make compliance sustainable.

The guide also cites many of the common material deficiencies found during Sarbanes-Oxley audits. For instance, did you know that not performing self-assessments is "like putting off cleaning out the refrigerator—the longer you wait, the more you create messy work for yourself." I wondered what that smell was coming from the archives!In all seriousness, the booklet is a swift, high-level read that could help simplify the way you approach a long-term compliance program. It's not a detailed how-to journal and it focuses heavily on Active Reasoning's slice of the market, change management, but the 30 minutes it takes to cover this guide, it might be worth being a dummy.It was as inevitable as my next tax bill; the "rest of us" now have a reference guide for compliance. Wiley Publishing has added IT compliance to the Dummies series, in this case a pocket guide to help with an IT audit.