How to Choose Audit Trail Software
To choose the right audit trail software, start by determining your needs. Companies and organizations in industries with strict regulatory compliance standards need equally strict audit trails. These audit trails should be:
- Unchangeable - No one, not even a system administrator, can change dates or other details about them
- Detailed - Audit trails should include usernames, time stamps, and information on what was done
- Automatic - There shouldn't be any manual processes when it comes to recording audit trail information
- Searchable - All data in audit trails must be easily findable through a simple search to make audits easier
- Comprehensive - Every part of the software should be subject to audit trails so there are no blind spots
Once you have the right features in mind for your audit trail software, make sure that it's in your price range, has all the features you need (such as AI, automated workflows, electronic signatures, and other document management features), and provides excellent customer support. If you need to get started with it quickly, be sure to find one that has a short implementation time and quick learning curve.
Audit Trails by Revver
If your organization needs to become compliant with audit trail guidelines from HIPAA, SEC, or any other governing body, then Revver is the document management system for the job.
A secure and feature-rich DMS ideal for enterprise applications, Revver also comes with a built-in function for audit trails.
With Revver's audit trails, you will be able to keep track of each and every user who accesses your DMS—authorized or otherwise.
The audit trail will follow and track each user’s access and activity throughout the entire system, logging everything a person searches, opens, modifies, or deletes.
Whether a worker is digging around in files they should not be accessing, or editing templates or profiles for no clear reason, Revver's audit trail will tell you.
This feature is something that well-known or freeware DMS programs, such as Dropbox, do not offer.
Another huge benefit of Revver's audit trails is that they’re designed with external auditor capability. If an auditor needs to access documents or files or review your DMS for compliance, they can do so in the cloud—without the need for an on-site visit.
The audit trail doesn’t just make it easier for you to audit what your employees are doing on your DMS. Indeed, it also makes it easier and more convenient for auditors.
Audit trails are also a good way to find out whether a transaction is being conducted accurately and truthfully. If every transaction has a proper audit trail, an auditor can quickly determine if the transaction is valid or not. Auditors can also move quickly, which means less money spent on audit fees and time spent in the field.
Finally, with Revver, you can rest assured that your audit trails are always going to be there. In particular, Revver is a respected DMS because it uses file storage redundancy to make sure that files are never lost.
In the same vein, any audit trail logs generated by the Revver system cannot be deleted. If you need to go back and restore an accidentally deleted file or find out where an employee made a mistake in a specific document, you can appreciate what an important security feature an audit trail can be in a DMS.
Discover audit trails and other top-notch security features with Revver.
Answering Your Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between version history and an audit trail?
Version control tells you what changed in a document, while an audit trail tells you everything that happened involving that document. A document's version history is valuable for recording dates and times. An audit trail shows you a broader range of activity, including document views, downloads, permission changes, approvals, sharing events, and administrative actions. Together, a version history and audit trail provide a complete picture of a document's lifecycle.
What information should a document management system's audit trail include?
A comprehensive audit trail should record every significant action performed on a document, including who accessed it, what action they took, when it occurred, and, when applicable, details such as IP address, version changes, or permission updates. The more complete the audit trail, the easier it is to investigate issues, demonstrate compliance, and verify document history. You may want to check with the regulatory body who audits your organization to ensure you are recording the information they require in your audit trails.
Why is an audit trail important for document management?
An audit trail creates accountability by providing a chronological history of document activity. It helps organizations investigate security incidents, demonstrate regulatory compliance, verify approvals, resolve disputes, and understand exactly how a document has changed throughout its lifecycle.
Which industries benefit the most from audit trails?
Nearly every organization benefits from audit trails, but they're especially valuable in industries with strict compliance and recordkeeping requirements, including healthcare, financial services, insurance, legal services, manufacturing, government, education, and human resources. Any business that handles confidential information or undergoes regular audits can benefit from detailed activity records.
Can an audit trail help detect unauthorized document access?
Yes. Audit trails make it possible to identify who accessed a document, when they accessed it, and what actions they performed. This visibility helps security teams investigate suspicious activity, detect unauthorized access, and respond more quickly to potential security incidents.
Do audit trails help simplify compliance audits?
Absolutely. Rather than manually reconstructing document history, organizations can provide auditors with a verifiable record of document activity. This reduces the time spent gathering evidence while increasing confidence that required processes were followed consistently.
Are audit trails generated automatically?
Most modern document management systems generate audit trails automatically whenever users interact with documents. Automatic logging helps ensure activity is consistently recorded without relying on employees to manually document their actions.
Can users modify or delete audit trail records?
That depends on the platform, but trustworthy audit trails are designed to preserve accountability. Organizations evaluating document management software should understand how audit logs are protected, who can access them, how long they're retained, and whether the records themselves can be altered or deleted. Those capabilities directly affect the audit trail's reliability.
How do audit trails improve document security?
Audit trails don't prevent unauthorized activity by themselves, but they provide visibility into user behavior. Knowing that every significant action is recorded helps strengthen accountability, supports internal investigations, and encourages organizations to maintain stronger document governance practices.
What should I look for in a document management system's audit trail?
Look for a solution that automatically records document activity, captures detailed user actions and timestamps, supports filtering and reporting, integrates with your organization's security policies, and makes it easy to retrieve audit records during compliance reviews or internal investigations. Comprehensive search and export capabilities can also save significant time when responding to audits. Revver, for example, allows administrators to filter audit logs by user, action, and date range and generate downloadable reports for further review.