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Software Audit Services

Get an honest, independent view of your software, code and delivery process, with the strengths to build on, the risks to fix first and a practical plan to improve, from the founders and senior engineers who do the review, with nothing to sell you.

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What you can get with Authect's software audit

Whether you've inherited a codebase, you're preparing for investment or a sale, or releases simply feel slower and riskier than they should, an audit tells you where you really stand. We review your product, code, architecture, documentation and the way your team builds and tests software, and report the strengths, weaknesses and risks in plain language.

Every audit is carried out by senior engineers who build software every day, led with the founders. We don't stop at a list of problems: you get a prioritised action plan with the fixes that matter most, how much effort they take and what they'll improve, so you can act straight away, with us, with your own team or with anyone else.

What we cover

What our software audit covers

We shape each audit around your goals and scope, then review the development process, the software itself, or both, keeping you informed as findings emerge rather than surprising you at the end.

Development process audit

We look at how work moves from idea to production: how releases are planned and shipped, how the project is managed, how business analysis and QA fit in, and who is responsible for what. You find out which parts of your process are stable, which slow you down and which create risk, from unclear requirements to manual release steps.

Man gesturing while being interviewed by two colleagues with open notebooks, software audit process
Software audit

We examine the product itself: code quality and maintainability, architecture and how well it will scale, test coverage, security weaknesses, dependencies, performance, infrastructure and documentation. Automated analysis gives us the broad picture; senior engineers reading the code tell you what it actually means for your business.

Developer's hand on a mouse in front of two monitors showing code and app screens
After the audit

We present the findings to you and your team, answer questions and co-create an action plan with priorities and effort estimates. If you want, we help you carry it out, then come back to check progress and confirm that the most important risks are closed.

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Service benefits

How a software audit creates value for your business

  1. 01

    Spot the weak points in your delivery

    An independent look at your products, processes and documents shows the strengths to keep and the hidden risks across your development life cycle, before they turn into missed deadlines or outages.

  2. 02

    Build a better product

    We review quality from every angle: code, tests, usability, security and performance, measured against recognised software quality characteristics, so you know exactly where the product falls short and why.

  3. 03

    Get to market faster

    Bottlenecks in development and testing waste time every sprint. We find where work gets stuck, from slow builds to manual testing, and show you how to clear the way.

  4. 04

    Check your project artefacts

    Requirements, designs, test plans, infrastructure scripts and documentation get the same scrutiny as the code, so the whole project, not just the software, is ready to grow.

  5. 05

    Create a clear action plan

    Every finding comes with a recommendation, a priority and an effort estimate, so you can plan the fixes into your roadmap instead of facing a vague list of worries.

  6. 06

    Plan the road ahead

    Beyond fixing today's issues, we help you shape how your software and team should evolve, and we follow up to make sure the plan is working.

  7. 07

    Catch issues before your users do

    End-to-end checks of performance and behaviour help you find defects before a release goes live, so you fix problems proactively rather than in front of customers.

Our process

Our five-step software audit process

A clear structure keeps the audit focused and on schedule. You know what we're looking at, who we need to talk to and when you'll see results.

  1. 01

    Discovery

    We plan the audit with you: your business goals, the reason for the audit, the scope and the people and access we'll need.

  2. 02

    Analysis

    We collect data from your code, tools and documentation, run automated analysis, interview the team and verify every important finding before it goes in the report.

  3. 03

    Presentation

    We present our findings and recommendations to you, in a version for leadership and a version for engineers, and talk them through until they're clear.

  4. 04

    Implementation

    Together we turn the recommendations into an action plan, and if you'd like, our engineers help you put it into practice.

  5. 05

    Control

    We follow up after an agreed period to review progress, confirm that key risks are closed and adjust the plan if your priorities have changed.

Audit scope

Choose the audit that fits your question

Most clients start with one of these. We can combine them when the question is broader, for example before an acquisition or a major rebuild.

Code and architecture auditDelivery process auditSecurity and infrastructure audit
Best whenYou've inherited a codebase, are planning a rebuild or need to know if the product can scale.Releases are slow, quality is uneven or teams struggle to deliver what was planned.You're preparing for a customer security review, an audit or a move to the cloud.
What we reviewCode quality, architecture, dependencies, test coverage, performance and documentation.Planning, requirements, QA, release and project management practices, and roles and responsibilities.Access, secrets, cloud configuration, network exposure, logging, backups and known vulnerabilities.
Who we talk toYour engineers and technical leads.Product owners, managers, engineers and testers.Engineers, operations and whoever owns security and compliance.
What you getA technical health report, a risk map of the codebase and a prioritised refactoring plan.A view of where work gets stuck and a plan to make delivery faster and more predictable.Findings ranked by risk, with concrete fixes and the evidence you need for auditors and customers.
Common next stepTargeted refactoring or step-by-step modernisation.Process changes, test automation and coaching for the team.Fixing the highest risks first, then regular retests.

FAQs

Software audit FAQs

What is a software audit?

A software audit is an independent review of your software and the way it's built, with clear findings and a plan to improve. We look at code quality, architecture, test coverage, security, dependencies, performance, infrastructure and documentation, and can also review your delivery process. You get the strengths to build on, the risks to fix first and a prioritised action plan.

When do you need a software audit?

An audit is worth it when you need an honest answer about where your software stands. Common reasons are inheriting a codebase, preparing for investment, a sale or an acquisition, planning a rebuild, getting ready for a customer security review, or releases that feel slower and riskier than they should. We shape the scope around the question you need answered.

How long does a software audit take?

It depends on the size of the codebase, the scope and how many people we need to talk to. We follow five steps: discovery, analysis, presentation, implementation and control. In discovery we agree the scope, access and schedule with you, so you know when you'll see results, and we keep you informed as findings emerge rather than surprising you at the end.

How much does a software audit cost?

It depends on scope: a code and architecture audit is a smaller piece of work than a combined code, process and security audit before an acquisition. We quote each audit individually after a free scoping conversation with the founders. If the audit leads to a rebuild or new features, the software development cost calculator on our website gives you a rough first idea of that work.

What do we get at the end of a software audit?

You get clear findings and a prioritised action plan, presented in one version for leadership and one for engineers. Every finding comes with a recommendation, a priority and an effort estimate. Depending on the scope, you also get a technical health report and risk map of the codebase, a plan to make delivery faster, or security findings ranked by risk with the evidence auditors and customers ask for.

Do we have to hire you to fix what the audit finds?

No. We have nothing to sell you, and the action plan is written so you can act on it with us, with your own team or with anyone else. If you'd like our help, our engineers can put the plan into practice, and we follow up after an agreed period to review progress and confirm that the most important risks are closed.

Tell us what you’re building. A founder replies within one working day, and builds it with you.

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