Why Your Business Needs A Network Security Audit

Written by: Jay H.

Many small-medium businesses (SMB) wonder if they need a network security audit conducted. The short answer – yes, but the cybersecurity strategy built from this audit varies based on each business. Let’s go over what you should know about network security audits for your organization.

What Exactly Is A Network Security Audit?

A network security audit establishes two vital components of building your cybersecurity strategy: your risks and vulnerabilities. Managed IT service providers like Design2Web IT determine both of these through penetration testing and vulnerability scanning.

By uncovering your SMB’s security weaknesses, you can get a breakdown of what solutions you need to protect your network. So, a network security audit helps you determine the gaps in your security strategy to build a comprehensive plan.

Why Get A Network Security Audit?

Cyberattacks have dramatically increased over the years. By 2025, the projected annual cost of cybercrime is $10.5 trillion! If measured as a country, cybercrime would be the world’s third-largest economy after the U.S. and China.

This means you can no longer afford to put cybersecurity on the backburner. You may think that your SMB is not in the sights of attackers, but you would be unfortunately wrong. Forty-three percent of all cyberattacks target small-medium companies like yours, and the effects can be catastrophic. Sixty percent of businesses that suffer a significant data breach go out of business within one year, but still, many firms don’t view cyberattacks as a legitimate threat.

It’s time to take your cybersecurity seriously, and performing a network security audit is step one.

Your Organization’s Cybersecurity Strategy

Your organization’s cybersecurity strategy needs to be multi-faceted and comprehensive. Some components of a modern cybersecurity strategy include:

• Authentication protocols: These standards ensure that the people accessing your data are who they claim to be and prevent unauthorized access.
• Endpoint protection: This stops devices connected to your network from becoming a gateway to your network if compromised.
• Perimeter security: These solutions act as a shield between your network and the Internet and include firewall, antivirus, VPN, spam filtering, and more.
• Data backup and rapid disaster recovery: Backup solutions store your business data in various locations, and rapid disaster recovery quickly restores operations in an emergency.
• Network monitoring: A managed IT service provider like Design2Web IT proactively monitors your network to spot suspicious activity.
• Information security: These solutions prevent accidental data loss.

Get A Network Security Audit

The bottom line is that every modern business needs to have a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy in place. The first step to formulating this strategy is to get audited to determine your business’ weaknesses and vulnerabilities.

If you need a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy but are unsure of where to start, contact us at Design2Web IT today. We can perform a network security audit for your organization and determine your cybersecurity profile.