The attached Data Center General Controls Questionnaire is a powerful tool for evaluating the effectiveness and integrity of operational controls within a mainframe data center. It's organized into 13 key sections to help auditors scrutinize critical control areas. By addressing each question, you can systematically assess if best practices are being followed and identify any potential vulnerabilities or areas of non-compliance. This ultimately enables you to provide informed recommendations for enhancing security measures, operational efficiency and overall system resilience.

This questionnaire covers the following areas:

• Organization and Management, examining leadership roles and responsibilities
• Computer Operations, covering standard procedures and incident handling
• Physical Security, focused on preventing unauthorized access
• Environmental Controls, addressing risks like fire or power loss
• Program Data File and Transaction Security, ensuring protection mechanisms for critical data
• Security Administration, evaluating access control policies
• Application Systems Development & Maintenance, exploring standards for software development life cycle phases
• Systems Software Support, investigating maintenance protocols and documentation standards
• Vendor Support, assessing vendor management practices
• Database Administration, focusing on data storage and access controls
• Hardware & Software Inventory Management, tracking inventory processes
• Telecommunications, reviewing network connectivity and security measures
• Continuity of Operations, emphasizing disaster recovery planning and business continuity preparedness. 

Collectively, these sections provide a thorough framework for auditing all aspects of data center operations.