Network Security Assessment: What It is and its Benefits
In recent years there has been a rise in hacking and cyber attacks on all sizes of business. It is essential that you protect your business details and the details of your clients. Not only are their fines and a loss of reputation attached. But there are long-lasting ramifications to your ability to function after attacks. Information and your hard work can be gone in the blink of an eye. So what is a network security assessment, and how can it benefit your business?
What Is A Security Risk Assessment?
A security risk assessment should be part of your standard cybersecurity practice. An assessment will detect all of the potential risks that threaten your business, outline how to protect your company, and the implementation to keep your business secure.
A security risk assessment will measure how secure your company currently is, look for compliances, and standard industry frameworks.
What Is The Purpose of A Network Security Assessment
The reason for a network security assessment is to highlight:
- Internal and external vulnerabilities
- Understand the implications and the potential harm that can happen
- Determine the true risk
- Highlight the threats to your business, including individuals, assets, operations
What Are The Different Network Security Assessment Types?
There are a number of different security assessments that you are likely to come across.
Risk Assessment: A risk assessment will highlight potential risks and what you could lose.
Pen Testing: A pen test, penetration testing, is a simulation of how an attacker would approach your current security. It will test your security measures.
Compliance Assessment: This will measure how compliant you are with things like GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI.
Vulnerability Assessment: A vulnerability assessment will identify all of your vulnerabilities and the solutions possible.
What Are The Benefits of a Security Risk Assessment?
You should want to protect your internet-connected systems and the data that your company holds. This is what cybersecurity is all about – protection. A risk assessment will highlight areas that you are vulnerable and where you can have a higher level of protection. The benefits of a security risk assessment mean that you will not have to worry about your company is at risk.
Vulnerabilities
A risk assessment will give you exact information about the threats and risks for your company. Not only from external sources but internal too. Giving you the data to make the right decisions going forward. Understanding any issues with your security policies and the ability to increase your security and lower your vulnerabilities.
Educations
Presenting your employees with information that can help them within the work environment to follow all of the correct procedures. Giving your employees the tools to work together to foster an office culture of protecting the information, software, and hardware within the company.
Compliance
The risk of being non-compliant isn’t just a cash fine. Suffering an information breach, or hacking means that every employee, client, and supplier information is at risk. If you store personal information, medical records, financial details, and more – identity theft is a real possibility.
A network security assessment will ensure that you compliant and meet all of the industry standards for your field. Avoiding costly fines, breaches, and loss of reputation is simple when you have a network security assessment.
Asset Discovery
Assets aren’t as simple as they once were. It is a mix of digital computing platforms, including web applications, clouds, mobile devices, and other hardware. A network security assessment will identify all of your assets and ensure that you have a live view of everything.
Productivity and Motivation
When your employees understand more about the data that they handle and the actual ramifications without proper protection, they are motivated to adhere to all the protocols. Keeping the company data safe is the duty of all employees.
Productivity rises because the staff can do their job without worrying about things like compliance or security. The new infrastructure ensures that their data is safe, and so it is that of the clients.
Document Security
In previous years documents would be stored in a filing cabinet. Now nearly all of the documents are kept digitally. Agreements, bank records, financial accounts and insurances. Depending on your business, a range of information about your customers and clients may also be stored. A risk assessment will tell you exactly how safe these are and how you can make it safer.
A security risk assessment will set your business on the path to better management of the information that your business holds. Ensuring that your business is compliant and managing all of the cybersecurity risks with care.
