An ongoing appraisal of the financial health of a company's operations by its own employees. Employees who carry out this function are called internal auditors. During an internal audit, internal auditors will evaluate and monitor a company's risk management, reporting, and control practices and make suggestions for improvement. Internal auditing covers not only an organization's finance function, but all the operations and systems in a firm. While internal auditors are typically accountants, this activity can also be carried out by other professionals who are well-versed with a company's functions and the relevant regulatory requirements.