Share
An IT security audit contributes to mitigating risks and maintaining the confidence of your customers and partners.
Companies need to make IT security a priority in order to limit the risk of data loss or fraud. With cyberattacks on the rise and so many organizations transitioning to remote work, businesses of all sizes are facing major challenges.
Issues linked to your technology, processes or human error could impact customer or partner confidence in your company and ultimately damage your business’ reputation. Then, of course, there’s the costs that could arise from any incidents.
Here are some questions to ask yourself:
- Has your business already adopted IT security best practices?
- Are these practices documented and communicated effectively?
- Is your incident response plan up to date?
- Have you implemented proper controls such as data backups or workstation and server protection?
An IT security audit is a comprehensive security check-up aimed at answering all these questions. The exercise helps identify which best practices should be maintained and what mitigation measures are needed to address detected vulnerabilities.
What’s the purpose of an IT security audit?
Security audits are sometimes wrongly perceived as a punishment or criticism, especially if company management requests one without the technical teams being in agreement. But in fact, IT audits are a great way to gain the support of decision makers, to put in place the right processes and solutions for the organization, and to highlight the return on investment.
First and foremost, an IT security audit is an open discussion with the organization’s key people, providing a clear understanding of any operational issues, risks, and existing or potentially missing mitigation measures.
This exercise aims to produce a market standard gap analysis and to guide the organization to comply with the requirements certifications, such as ISO27001.
With active threats all around, security incidents are even hitting the major players that should have robust protections in place experience security incidents. No matter how big or small your organization is, you can’t turn a blind eye to your vulnerabilities.
Even if everyone in the company takes their responsibilities very seriously, security checks and balances can be unintentionally overlooked. An IT security audit helps you make sure your organization has set up the right prevention, detection and corrective measures to remain resilient in the face of cyberincidents.
What are the advantages of an IT security audit?
IT security audits are based on existing guidelines and industry standards (ISO, CIS, etc.). By comparing your company’s current situation to a specific reference baseline, we perform what’s called a gap analysis. The idea is to identify missing control measures along with their associated risks and potential impacts on your organization.
The audit also gives you the chance to set up recurring verification processes so that your organization’s growth or evolution remains aligned with any requirements identified during the audit.
There are several advantages to a third-party audit. For example, it can :
- Give you an expert assessment of your organization’s cybersecurity maturity;
- Formalize processes and ensure that everything is properly documented;
- Provide a starting point for implementing a continuous improvement process;
- Strengthen the organization’s security, optimize processes and make the company more resilient;
- Lead to practical recommendations that support changes;
- Increase partner and customer confidence through active IT security management;
- Facilitate relationships with insurers thanks to formally established processes;
- Reduce the risks associated with cyber threats by implementing recommendations;
- Strengthen trust and alignment between management and the provider (internal or external) regarding IT management.
The team of experts who will assist you in this exercise will also be a key partner in the event of an incident, offering you effective support.
We’re living in a digital age and the transformation is occurring at breakneck speed. Your company’s ability to inspire confidence in its technology management is critical to its long-term viability and success. IT security affects all business industries and is key for operational continuity. An experienced external expert will point out any critical aspects you may have missed and direct you to the best available solutions for your organization.