The notion of cybersecurity is not new. Ever since the arrival of the internet, the concept of online or digital crime has been discussed and debated. However, in the 1970s and 1980, IT security was primarily limited to academia.
When viruses showed themselves in the late 1980s and early 1990s and gained traction into the 2000s IT security began to be institutionalized.
Companies could no longer ignore threats and needed to take measures to strengthen their IT security.
Do you want to make sure your company isn’t harmed by ransomware?
Here’s how easy it is to perform a comprehensive cybersecurity audit.
How Can I Do a Cybersecurity Audit?
Business ownership today is more challenging than ever. The increased dependence on the internet and software has brought additional security challenges. As a small business owner, you may find this a difficult question!
You may ask a few questions to discover how cyber-safe your business is.
Here are a few examples:
- What is the company’s policy on passwords?
- What is our backup strategy?
- Do we employ two-factor authentication?
- Do we have a software update policy?
- Which anti-virus and anti-malware software do we use?
- Are the tools up to the task?
- Are our personnel cyber-aware?
From the above, it’s evident that comprehending all of the concerns is not an easy process. Most company leaders find this unsettling, if not outright terrifying.
As a result, we recommend breaking this down into phases. First, start with an assessment to identify any vulnerabilities.
Everyone in the company has to collaborate in any Cyber Event within the company, including:
- Owners of the event
- Shareholders
- Execs
- C-Level
- Legal
- Engineering
- Even HR
Bear in mind that managing cybersecurity is no longer the sole responsibility of the IT department.
Assess the Situation
The cyber threat landscape is constantly changing, so a regular cybersecurity audit is essential for a comprehensive risk management strategy.
At all times, your company should monitor the cyber hygiene of its whole ecosystem, including third- and fourth-party providers.
Building and maintaining your company’s cyber resilience is trackable with regular audits and remediation plans.
By identifying the cyber threats that influence your security posture, a cybersecurity risk assessment may help you make better decisions about deploying finances to build controls and secure your network.
A thorough cybersecurity assessment is essential for establishing if your company is adequately equipped to protect against various threats. Then, you can start to look at technical remediation and educating the workforce.
A security assessment aims to expose vulnerabilities and remedy security weaknesses. It also attempts to keep key stakeholders and board members updated about the company’s cybersecurity posture. This allows you to make better judgments about how security initiatives may be applied in day-to-day operations.
After completing a cybersecurity compliance assessment, you will have a better understanding of your company’s cyber security position.
After the Audit
The ever-changing threat landscape hampers cyber security compliance. A regular cybersecurity audit will indicate where compliance efforts are required.
Now that you have a better idea of how cyber-secure your business is, you can begin to work on increasing the cybersecurity of your company.
You may feel that this all feels like a roundabout; truth be told, it is. As quickly as hackers try new ways to breach your company, you will need to update your company’s cyber-protection.
This guide describes a handful of the advantages of a cybersecurity audit. Why not read the rest of our blog? We have a ton of additional info relevant to business owners like you.