Why IT Security Audits Are Required

Nov 24, 2022

A security audit is a comprehensive assessment that determines the state of security within the organization. A formal security audit often includes numerous manual and automated procedures that test for vulnerabilities, weaknesses, and deficiencies in your organization’s IT infrastructure that may expose personal information or critical business data. The goal of an IT data security audit is to provide you with a detailed report that outlines areas of concern as well as recommendations for improvement.

Let’s quickly check all the details on what an IT security audit is and why your company needs it.

What Is a Security Audit: Understanding the Basics

IT security audits are conducted to make sure your company is fully compliant with the standards for information security. They also offer a chance to identify any weaknesses in your system and make sure your employees are aware of them.

An IT security audit is a comprehensive review of your entire network, including hardware, software, policies, and procedures. The audit will help you identify potential problems and fix them before they become real problems.

The results of the audit will be used to identify weaknesses in your system’s security and offer recommendations for how to improve it. These recommendations can include anything from adding new software or hardware to updating current systems with newer versions that are more secure or, for example, if there are any gaps in training or knowledge among employees who use certain types of software or hardware regularly (such as network administrators).

An IT security audit is often conducted by an independent third party who has no vested interest in the outcome. They are usually hired by upper management or someone who has been given this responsibility by upper management. They will have a team of experts working with them on the project, depending on the size of the company being audited.

The auditor will examine each aspect of a company’s IT infrastructure individually, including its hardware and software configurations as well as its policies and procedures related to information security issues such as data encryption or password protection policies for sensitive files stored on laptops or smartphones owned by employees who travel frequently outside of office premises (e.g., sales representatives).

An IT security audit can help you understand:

What risks are posed to the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data stored on your network?
Are adequate controls in place to mitigate these risks?
Is there evidence that these controls have been breached or circumvented at any time before now?

Why Are Security Audits Important?

Security audits are important for a number of reasons, but the most important reason is that they help companies protect themselves from cyber-attacks. These attacks can be devastating and cost companies millions of dollars annually. The more advanced the cyber security audits, the more likely the company will be able to identify potential weaknesses in its system and prevent them from being exploited.

Security audits also help companies understand where their vulnerabilities are and how best to address them. In this way, they can continue to improve their overall security posture without spending too much time or money on unnecessary measures.

Important note from Access: Organizations need to conduct regular security audits so they can ensure that they have adequate safeguards in place. This is especially important if they are operating in an industry that deals with sensitive information.

Additionally, many insurance companies now demand that you do a security audit within 12 months and have a plan in place to close any vulnerabilities. Some insurance companies demand that the businesses they cover undergo regular penetration tests and security audits, which must be carried out by firms other than those offering cyber/network security within their teams. If you are managing things internally, this obviously means outsourcing your security audits and penetration testing to a third party company.

The following are some of the main benefits an IT security audit has to offer your company, as discussed above:

It helps to see if your current security plan is effective
Through an audit, you can shut down or repurpose unused devices and software that you find during the audit to cut costs and ensure that your cybersecurity and protection management procedures and training activities are having an impact
It helps to identify the weaknesses that new technology or processes have introduced into your company
It helps to show that the company complies with all applicable laws

Types of IT Security Audits

There are a number of different types of IT security audits. The following is an overview of the most common categories:

Penetration tests: A penetration test is an attempt to break into your network, usually by an authorized individual or team. This type of audit can help you determine how well your security measures hold up against a real attack, and it can also be used as a training exercise for your staff.
Vulnerability assessments: A vulnerability assessment involves scanning your network for known vulnerabilities and reporting back with the results so that you can take steps to fix them. This type of audit is typically conducted by third-party companies that specialize in this type of service.
Compliance audits: Compliance audits are performed by auditors who check your company’s records, policies, procedures, and other documents related to compliance with certain regulations or standards. These audits can be conducted both internally or externally by outside parties such as a law firm or government agency.

How Long Does An Audit Take to Complete?

The length of the audit process is dependent on several factors. From our own experience working with different companies, the following factors are important to consider.

The size of your company and its network. A small business with only a few computers could take less than a week to audit, while a large enterprise with multiple offices and thousands upon thousands of devices might take several weeks or months to complete.
The complexity of your network. An IT security audit for an organization that has implemented strong security measures can be much shorter than one for an organization with lax policies in place.
How much time you devote to it as a company executive or manager, and who’s responsible for overseeing the entire operation from start to finish. This will mean spending more time focusing on implementing best practices after the fact when compared to someone else whose job involves being far less hands-on.

What to Look For in an IT Audit

Before you begin the process of conducting an IT audit, there are a few things that you should look for in order to ensure that the audit will be successful.

The first thing to look for when choosing an IT auditor is experience. You want someone who has been doing audits for a while and has worked with many different businesses in your industry, like Access. This will help them understand what issues you might have and how best to go about solving those problems.

Another thing that you need to look for in an IT auditor is knowledge of their field—that means they need both technical knowledge as well as business knowledge. You want someone who understands not only how each type of technology works but also how it interacts with other parts of your business system so that they can provide an accurate report on where trouble spots may lie within your system’s architecture.

Access is proud of our years of experience in providing help to both small and large businesses across a variety of sectors, including professional services, non-profit, distribution, retail manufacturing, and all governmental organizations.

Our team of experts has knowledge in the majority of business disciplines, including management, accounting, ERP, production, and the full range of IT services and products. If you want to learn more about how we can collaborate in terms of your company’s IT audit feel free to contact us for further details.

Last but not least, when choosing an IT auditor, make sure that you choose someone who will work with you throughout the entire process—it’s not just about doing a quick review and giving recommendations based on what they find there! Instead, they have to guide you through the entire process, from finding the vulnerabilities within your IT infrastructure to suggesting the corresponding actions for improvement.

Concluding Thoughts

The truth is that an audit can help any organization get the best possible results from their security management plan and make sure their data is safe from breaches.

If you are not sure where to start in your IT security audit journey, our team of experts is here to help.

We are an experienced IT service provider who is here to provide you with all the necessary IT infrastructure solutions for your business.