Whenever your managed service provider (MSP) company starts with a new client, it inherits a long list of unknown factors. These include undocumented systems, outdated backups, misconfigured security, and other concerns no one mentions during the sales process. If not uncovered quickly, these blind spots can create unnecessary risks.
This is why it’s important to conduct a structured yet lightweight IT audit during onboarding. Doing so will help you see all the assets and the client’s security posture, reduce the risk of surprises during support, and deliver value faster by aligning services with the client’s environment.
This guide will provide checklists on how to conduct a lightweight IT audit, what to look for, best practices, and possible NinjaOne integrations.
Checklist of core IT audit categories and actions
A lightweight onboarding audit should zero in on the basics: the assets, how they are protected, who has access, if the backups work, and where the documentation is missing.
📌 Use Cases:
- This will let you determine your client’s assets, security posture, access, backups, and documentation gaps.
- Lets you discover and mend early risk factors.
📌 Prerequisites:
- You will need the ability to export from an RMM or run a lightweight discovery scan.
- Access to check security basics like antivirus, endpoint security and protection, multifactor authentication (MFA), firewall settings, open ports, and whether systems are patched.
- Access to review user accounts, which accounts have admin rights, and password policies.
- Access to backup systems to confirm jobs, encryption, and test a small restore.
Step 1: Inventory discovery
This phase involves detecting and performing an IT infrastructure audit of the client’s inventory. Here are the tasks, what they can do, and how to do them:
| Task | What it does | How to do it |
| Scan for devices, software, and user accounts. | Involves performing an IT asset discovery task, establishing a baseline of what exists in the client’s environment, such as computers, servers, and accounts | Run a scan using your RMM or use a lightweight network discovery tool. |
| Use RMM or network discovery tools. | Gathers system and user data | Initiate scans from your RMM dashboard. |
| Cross-reference with client documentation. | Confirms accuracy and uncovers undocumented assets | Compare scan results with records provided by the client. |
Step 2: Security snapshot
This step involves quickly examining protections like antivirus, MFA, patching, and firewall rules. This gives you a sense of how well-protected or exposed a client’s environment is.
| Task | What it does | How to do it |
| Confirm the presence of antivirus/EDR, MFA on key accounts, and firewall rules. | Ensures the client has baseline protections in place |
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| Identify open ports, disabled Windows updates, or failed patching. | Highlights immediate gaps that attackers can use. |
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| Check for known vulnerabilities using software version comparisons. | Flags outdated software that could expose the environment |
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Step 3: Access control and account audit
User accounts and permissions are the usual weak points in new environments. Auditing admins, stale accounts, and password policies early prevents privilege abuse and helps establish a secure baseline.
| Task | What it does | How to do it |
| List local and domain administrator accounts. | Reveals who has elevated access and if it’s justified |
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| Identify stale, disabled, or generic accounts. | Highlights accounts that attackers or insiders exploit |
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| Validate group membership and password policies. | Ensures users only have the access they need, and strong passwords are enforced |
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Step 4: Backup and continuity check
During onboarding, confirm that backups are running, data is protected, and at least one restore has been tested to prove recoverability.
| Task | What it does | How to do it |
| Confirm backups are enabled, monitored, and tested | Ensures data can be recovered in the event of loss or failure. |
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| Note storage location, frequency, encryption, and restore capability | Ensures backups meet security and compliance needs |
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Step 5: Documentation and policy gaps
This step involves identifying gaps during onboarding, preventing confusion later, and helping align the client with industry best practices.
| Task | What it does | How to do it |
| Look for missing network diagrams, asset lists, or onboarding/offboarding procedures | Enables you to see where knowledge is undocumented |
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| Highlight critical missing policies (password policy, incident response plans) | Surface compliance and security risks tied to absent or outdated policies |
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PowerShell automation command for listing local admin accounts for audit
You can use PowerShell to automate account checks during onboarding. This saves time, and a simple PowerShell script lists all members of the local administrators group, letting you spot forgotten or unauthorized accounts.
📌 Use Cases:
- Identify who has local admin rights on endpoints and servers.
- Flag unauthorized or stale accounts for removal.
📌 Prerequisites:
- You need to be able to run PowerShell as an administrator on the target device.
- Windows 10/11 or Server 2016+, which supports the code below.
- For domain-wide checks, the Active Directory module is required.
# List local admin accounts for audit
Get-LocalGroupMember -Group "Administrators" | Select-Object Name
This script lists all accounts with local admin rights. Reviewing these results will help surface privilege risks early and ensure only approved users retain elevated access.
⚠️ Things to look out for
| Risks | Potential Consequences | Reversals |
| Skipping asset discovery | Shadow IT or undocumented devices remain unmanaged. | Always run an RMM export or network scan and compare against client documentation. |
| Incomplete security snapshot | Missing AV/EDR, patching, or MFA gaps go unnoticed. | Use RMM reports and manual checks to detect, manage, and remediate vulnerabilities. |
| Overlooking stale or generic accounts | Forgotten accounts become entry points for attackers. | Audit local admins with PowerShell and review AD groups; disable or remove unused accounts |
| Assuming backups work without testing | Data loss during an incident if backups can’t restore | Confirm backup jobs and encryption. Perform a small restore test. |
| Ignoring policy and documentation gaps | Support slows, and compliance risks occur. | Request all available documents, note gaps in diagrams, SOPs, and policies for fixing. |
IT audit execution: 6 best practices
A one-time audit only has an impact if the results are structured, prioritized, and communicated well. To achieve this, follow these practices to ensure your onboarding audit delivers clear value to both your team and your clients.
Use a checklist format
Create an IT audit checklist template or worksheet covering each audit category. Tools like SharePoint Lists or Forms work well for distributed teams. A checklist will help keep the process consistent and ensure nothing is missed.
Start with the highest risk items
Prioritize areas with the greatest impact, such as firewall configuration, backup checks, and stale administrator accounts. Tackling critical risks first will reduce the chance of downtime or security incidents.
Map findings to action plans
Document each issue with its risk level, recommended remediation, and a target resolution date. This ensures nothing gets lost in the shuffle. Action plans turn audit results into measurable improvements instead of static reports.
Keep language non-technical for clients
When sharing results, focus on business outcomes instead of technical jargon. Explain risks and fixes in terms of downtime, costs, or compliance. Clear communication between MSP and client builds trust.
Schedule a follow-up audit
Revisit unresolved or deferred items 30–60 days after remediation to confirm progress and close the loop. A follow-up will prove accountability and ensure fixes are implemented.
Leverage the audit as a QBR input
Use your findings to frame the first Quarterly Business Review (QBR) discussion and shape the long-term service roadmap with the client. This positions the audit as a strategic tool that guides an MSP’s actions and demonstrates value.
Integration ideas to enhance IT audit with NinjaOne
| Integration idea | What it does | How to do it |
| Use NinjaOne’s device inventory | Provides a baseline of client hardware and software | Export asset and software reports to capture an initial onboarding snapshot. |
| Build custom alerts for stale admin accounts or disabled patching | Flags risks in real time so they don’t get overlooked | Configure policy-based alerts for inactive accounts or turned-off Windows Update. |
| Apply custom fields for “Audit Status” | Tracks the audit state of each asset or endpoint | Create and populate a custom field in device records to mark audit progress. |
| Automate backup verification scripts | Confirms backups are running and restorable | Schedule and run test-restore scripts as automated tasks in NinjaOne. |
| Store audit results and remediation tickets | This keeps audit evidence and action items organized | Save results in NinjaOne Documentation and link them to tickets in your PSA. |
Turn a lightweight IT audit into long-term client value
A structured onboarding gives MSPs immediate insight into a new client’s environment. It reduces inherited risks, uncovers hidden issues, and sets a professional tone right away, especially during onboarding. By keeping the process lightweight and checklist-driven, you can gather the right information without relying on expensive platforms or creating unnecessary delays.
These audits deliver quick wins by giving you crucial information. You’ll get a stronger security posture, a faster path to IT maturity, and a smooth-sailing service delivery. Most importantly, this process demonstrates commitment to improvement and reinforces your role and ability as a trusted partner.
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