A compliance audit is a formal review that checks if an organization is following all the laws, regulations, and standards that apply to its operations. In IT, this means verifying things like security controls, data protection practices, and access logs against frameworks such as SOX, PCI-DSS, HIPAA, or GDPR. In simple terms, it’s an examination to confirm that your IT environment is playing by the rules set by regulators and industry standards. Compliance audits typically involve external or internal auditors who will inspect policies and evidence (like change logs or security configurations) to ensure everything is in order.