When businesses think about IT audits, they often think of compliance regulations they are forced to meet or hoops they must jump through for insurance.
But an IT audit isn’t about red tape; it’s about identifying risks before they become costly problems.
Even if a business isn’t subject to strict regulatory standards like HIPAA or Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards, conducting periodic IT audits can prevent security breaches, downtime, and compliance headaches down the road. In fact, some of the most damaging cybersecurity incidents in recent years have happened simply because no one was keeping an eye on basic IT hygiene.
Businesses sometimes erroneously conclude they are not a target for cybercriminals because they assume that obscurity is its own form of protection. Unfortunately, this false sense of security can have dire consequences when it leads to lax IT practices.
Of course, there are also other reasons for conducting an IT audit:
- Cyber insurance applications are now asking about multi-factor authentication, backups and patching.
- Clients and vendors may demand evidence of best security practices.
- In the event of an incident, not having documented procedures could complicate recovery or liability.
Industry auditors will each have their own requirements, but there are some basics that apply to everyone. Starting with asset inventory, a good audit catalogs computers, network equipment, printers, servers and mobile devices. It is impossible to secure an asset that is unknown. For each of the assets on the inventory sheet, it is crucial to know if they are still supported by vendors.
Once assets and use case purposes have been identified, it’s important to establish who in the organization has access to those assets. Many breaches happen because employees have overly broad access to business data, or unused accounts are not properly removed. Additionally, ensuring that users are all using unique logins and avoiding shared passwords is a sure-fire way to build protection in a network. The next logical step in securing a network is to make sure that multi-factor authentication is enabled wherever possible.
Audits should verify that operating systems and applications are up to date, and any unsupported systems are flagged for replacement or have other security mitigations in place. To avoid worst-case scenarios, it’s important for a business to have a reliable back up system in place, one that is regularly tested and secured off-site to prevent bad actors and minimize any data loss. Finally, companies should maintain clear policies governing IT use and incident response, and ensure all staff follow them.
An internal IT department is not needed to run a basic audit. Many managed service providers (MSPs) offer audits as part of their available services. If a company is tackling an audit in house, it should start with a checklist; there are free ones available from organizations like the Center for Internet Security.
Also, businesses should consider tools like Microsoft Secure Score, Google Workspace Admin reports or even a spreadsheet to begin documenting the IT assets currently in use. Once the first audit is complete, revisit it at least once a year, or after major events like employee turnover, office moves or system upgrades.
An IT audit isn’t always about just checking a box because some authorities require you to do so. It is about visibility; an organization can’t fix problems that they don’t know about. By taking time to evaluate systems now, they not only reduce risk but also increase a business’s resilience, credibility and preparedness for whatever comes next.
Whether it’s a vendor due diligence questionnaire, a cyber insurance renewal or a customer with specific IT requirements, businesses will be glad that they took the time to look under the hood now to be better prepared for trouble down the road.
For more information, visit netsurit.com.
