Section 5 : Chapter 4

Configuration Audits
The configuration audit is probably the most critical activity for
preventing leakage. Configuration audits help auditors identify situ-
ations where leakage will likely occur without corrective action. For
the most part, configuration audits are conducted using the reconcil-
iation technique.

The most important configuration audits are in the customer, prod-

uct and network configuration areas.

For example, to verify that a customer’s phone number, status and

product authorizations are the same in the billing system and in the
network, one would pull all the appropriate customer data from the
billing system and the HLR and then run a comparison program or
SQL command to prove it.

Any discrepancy between these two indicates a problem that needs

to be rectified.

A “synchronization system” is the system that formalizes the pro-

cess of synchronizing configuration information.

E ve n t Aud i t s

Major Types
• New Product
• Network Change
• New Rate Plan
• New Carrier Partner Network
Major Activities
• Trace
• Test Call
• Configuration Verification
• Bill Cycle Audit

Figure 5.4.14 Event audits

eXcellence in Telecommunications 313