Unveiling the Top Updates in ISACA CISA for 2024

The Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) is a global certification for information systems auditing, control and security professionals. Like any other examination in the modern world, the CISA examination and the content that is tested in the examination also changes from time to time due to the ever-evolving world of technology.

 

As per the tendencies and innovations of the present days, there are some essential changes of the CISA certification in the year 2024. This blog is about the new changes to CISA 2024, new domains, enhanced exam layout, and areas of emphasis.

 

Detailed CISA Domains

 

Another important change in CISA 2024 is the alteration of domains that is a part of its framework. ISACA has refined the domains to reflect current practice and the advancement in technology. Let's understand percentage of changes in weightage.

 

Domains	CISA 2019	CISA 2024
Information System Auditing Process	21%	18%
Governance and Management of IT	17%	18%
Information System Acquisition, Development, and Implementation	12%	12%
Information Systems Operations and Business Resilience	23%	26%
Protection of Information of Assets	27%	26%

 

 

The 2024 update to the CISA certification exam maintains its structure around five core domains but introduces new topics and focus areas within each, aligning more closely with modern IT audit and cybersecurity practices. This change reflects ISACA’s commitment to keeping the certification relevant to today’s rapidly changing technology landscape.

 

The ISACA CISA  getting updated with exam’s Content Outline (ECO) with a slight shift in weightage. This adjustment affects the focus placed on each domain and the number of questions candidates can expect on the CISA certification exam.

 

Domain	Old Version 2019	New Version 2024
Domain 1: Information Systems Auditing Process	Focused on audit standards, planning, execution, and reporting	Emphasis on risk-based planning, data analytics, and overall risk management
Domain 2: Governance and Management of IT	Covered IT governance frameworks, alignment with business	Integration of IT governance with enterprise governance, and emerging frameworks
Domain 3: Information Systems Acquisition, Development, and Implementation	Traditional SDLC and project management approaches	Inclusion of agile, DevOps, and cloud-based solutions
Domain 4: Information Systems Operations and Business Resilience	Operations management and disaster recovery	Expanded to business continuity and incident response
Domain 5: Protection of Information Assets	Basic security principles and controls	Greater emphasis on cybersecurity, threats, and countermeasures

 

Let’s talk about update in each domain in detail:

 

1. Information Systems Auditing Process:

 

This domain continues to be the foundation of CISA certification. It covers the standards and methodologies on how to conduct audits on information systems especially in the areas of planning, execution and reporting of an audit engagement. The changes made in the content include the following; risk based audit planning, data analytics and the organization’s risk management framework.

 

Key areas include:

 

• Risk based approach to the audit planning and sampling
• Audit project management
• The use of big data in auditing.
• Reporting of audit findings and status

 

Aspect	Old Version 2019	New Version 2024
Audit Planning	General audit planning	Risk-based audit planning
Audit Execution	Traditional audit execution methods	Leveraging data analytics in auditing
Reporting	Basic reporting techniques	Enhanced reporting, including follow-up procedures
Risk Management	Limited focus on risk	Alignment with organization’s risk management strategy

 

2. Governance and Management of IT 

 

This domain involves specific sub-tasks that are geared towards ensuring that information technology of an organization is well coordinated and in line with the strategies as well as goals and objectives of the firm. These updates seem to place more focus on the linking of IT governance with enterprise governance, the function that IT plays to support business processes, as well as new frameworks in IT governance.

 

Key areas include:

 

• IT governance frameworks and standards relate to the principles and norms that govern the IT function.
• IT strategy integration with business goals
• Performance management and metrics.
• Resource management and optimization

 

Aspect	Old Version 2019	New Version 2024
Governance Frameworks	Traditional frameworks	Integration with enterprise governance frameworks
Strategy Alignment	Basic alignment with business objectives	Stronger focus on IT enabling business processes
Performance Management	Limited performance metrics	Comprehensive performance management and metrics
Resource Management	General resource allocation	Optimization of IT resources

 

3. Information Systems Acquisition, Development, and Implementation

 

Due to the faster evolution of technologies in this digitally-driven world, this domain now has more information on the trends as agile/Scrum, DevOps along with information on cloud. It stresses the aspect of managing projects with a view of creating value but at the same time considering control and compliance.

 

Key areas include:

 

• BI and Cloud computing, Agile and DevOps practices
• Vendor management and third party risks
• System development life cycle (SDLC) methodologies
• Cloud computing and service models

 

Aspect	Old Version 2019	New Version 2024
SDLC Methodologies	Traditional SDLC	Inclusion of agile and DevOps practices
Project Management	Conventional project management	Focus on delivering value through agile and DevOps
Vendor Management	Basic vendor management practices	Enhanced third-party risk management
Cloud Computing	Limited coverage	Comprehensive coverage of cloud service models

 

4. Information Systems Operations and Business Resilience:

 

This domain was expanded to mean business and its impact not just on disaster recovery but also business continuity and incident response. It brings out the need for an operational capacity of organizations and how disruption impacts on this capacity.

 

Key areas include:

 

• IT operations management
• Business continuity planning
• Disaster recovery planning
• Incident response and management

 

Aspect	Old Version	New Version
IT Operations Management	Traditional IT operations	Modern IT operations management
Business Continuity	Primarily disaster recovery	Comprehensive business continuity planning
Disaster Recovery	Basic disaster recovery planning	Enhanced disaster recovery strategies
Incident Response	Limited focus	Detailed incident response and management

 

5. Protection of Information Assets

 

Since the threats have become more common these days, this domain focuses on cybersecurity to a greater extent. It includes the safeguarding measures for maintaining confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information and has added information on latest threats and safeguarding tools.

 

Key areas include:

 

• Data protection and privacy

• Information security management

• Risk and danger control

• Cybersecurity frameworks and standards

 

Aspect	Old Version	New Version
Information Security Management	Basic security management	Advanced information security management
Cybersecurity	Limited coverage	Extensive coverage of cybersecurity frameworks
Threat Management	Basic threat and vulnerability management	In-depth threat and vulnerability management
Data Protection	General data protection	Focus on data protection and privacy regulations

 

Preparing for CISA 2024

 

As a result of the major changes that have recently occurred in the CISA examination, how candidates study for the exam has been changed too. Below you will see some of the tips to prepare for CISA 2024 exam:

 

• Understand the New Domains: To understand the changes properly, one has to analyze the changes in the domain areas and their primary focus. The key facet, which we consider significant, is to make sure that you understand its practical implementations of concepts.

 

• Leverage Updated Study Materials: As for the exams, one must use the knowledge of the latest study guides, review manuals and practice examinations that contain content from the CISA 2024.

 

• Join Study Groups and Forums: Engage with the study groups, or forum with the other candidates online. Sharing the conceptual understanding and knowledge will boost up the understanding.

 

Also Check - Top 27 CISA Exam MCQs

 

• Practical Experience: Gain the experience of conducting Information systems audit, governance and security. Thus, there will be an emphasis on theoretical concepts in parallel with the accumulated experience of practice.

 

• Continuous Learning: It is advised to constantly update oneself, or at least the known or practiced area, with new materials and technologies that are existing in the given field. Blog posts related to the subject area should be read, webinars attended, and engaged in professional learning.

 

 

Conclusion -  Update in  ISACA CISA for 2024 

 

The update in CISA Exam 2024 is the clear sign that CISA is evolving and is matching the trend going on in the market. New domains, enhancing the structure of the exam, and concentration on the crucial areas such as cloud computing, data privacy, and cybersecurity makes CISA a relevant and highly sought-after certification for IT specialists. In this way, the candidates can prepare for the exam and advance in the career in information systems auditing and security, and also be aware of the changes.

 

As the technology landscape continues to evolve, staying current with certifications like CISA ensures that professionals are equipped with the knowledge and skills to address emerging challenges and contribute to the success of their organizations.

 

The updated CISA exam will reflect the new exam content outline (ECO) beginning 1 August 2024 .Talk to our team of experts today at Vinsys, as we are one of the leading providers of CISA course online, that helps candidates in clearing the exam in the first attempt.

 

Check our Upcoming CISA Certification training with updated Content