As we know, the world relies heavily on the internet and technology for all sorts of things; right from our education to conducting businesses, it’s all shifting from an offline to an online domain. With so many things happening over the internet, IT security is of utmost importance and are undeniably essential. Hackers and viruses are getting smarter day by day, and cybercrimes are on an alarming rise. A cybersecurity magazine states that cybercrimes are expected to grow over 15% in the next five years, amounting to a USD 10.5 trillion industry till 2025.
What can one do to safeguard themselves and their organization from these cybercrimes and viruses online? Well, the only solution is to have an Information security audit & VAPT to ensure the safety and scrutiny of your protection online. To know more about this, we have illustrated it in detail below. Check it out.
What is an IT security audit?
Table of Contents
VAPT is the process of reviewing and analyzing your network and digital assets of a business/organization. Its primary goal is to check compliance with cybersecurity policies and identify any other malicious software that might hinder your networking system’s normal functioning. Not only this, but then analyzing the tools used to keep the network and digital assets safe and secure is also examined closely under the microscope. However, no two IT security auditing processes are the same. They are entirely different but then follow a similar approach as given below.·
Detection of asset vulnerability.
The first and foremost process is identifying all the risks that have or could affect the hardware and software of protecting the digital assets and networking credibility. Knowing the types of risk and their impact on the business is essential for any auditing enterprise. Documentation of these risks is necessary.
Identification of internal and external threats.
Cyber-attacks come in various shapes and sizes as there are hundreds of different types. Nobody can predict the kind of attack an organization could face, but being prepared for all such attacks is necessary. Identifying the likelihood of the threats, which could be internal or external based on your industry, is essential, and keeping a record of them is vital.
Potential impact on business from these threats.
Tracking down previous threats that might have affected other companies from a similar industry is necessary. Also, researching more on them and figuring out the number of times such an attack has taken place, what measures were taken before? Understanding the impact of the attack is essential. Ensure proper allocation of resources to provide a better fighting chance to fend out cyber-attacks.
Risk response.
The final step of an IT security audit is providing the different response options that an organization could take to overcome such attacks. There could be multiple options for every cyber-attacks, and choosing the right one comes down to the organization and the auditing team to make the correct call. Hence, the right choice goes a long way in keeping your business afloat online without any threats or attacks whatsoever.
Importance of an IT Audit
Many businesses and organizations have understood the importance of having an IT security audit to know their flaws and fix them before a disaster could strike. As they say, prevention is better than precaution, and the same applies to companies looking to strengthen their networking aspects from a hardware and software POV. Furthermore, it helps significantly in the following ways.·
Reduction of risk.
The importance of carrying out an IT security audit reduces the risk and vulnerability an organization faces on an online platform. It effectively finds out the threats in a network, eliminating them and enabling future-proofing it the best possible scenario.
Improvise security.
An IT security audit provides necessary solutions and answers to cybersecurity policies to make your hardware and software aspects of upholding the company’s networking and online presence safe and secure.
Regulation compliance.
With whatever rule the state or the center might have imposed towards IT security, an IT security audit will help to comply with those in the best possible manner. We can know about the rules that we follow and those we ignore with an audit’s help. This helps to have a cumbersome approach towards total safety and security online.
Effective communication between technology and business management.
Auditing helps effective communication flow through an organization from the heads running the business to the IT department. It helps one another understand its technological problem if it doesn’t comply with improving the IT security in terms that its senior management would understand.
Bottom line
IT security audit is one of the most important aspects for having your company safeguarded online. Especially if your entire company is online, it’s a better way to invest a little beforehand rather than spending millions on the damages caused due to negligence later on. Don’t forget to have an IT security audit conducted today to safeguard your company or organization from future cyberattacks.