The Importance of Regular IT Security Audits

There seems to be a general understanding of the importance of IT security among business management. Despite this general understanding, there is often an assumption that if security systems and processes are in place, that no further security measures are needed. This assumption often leads to the dismissal of regular IT security audits, which puts many organizations at risk. IT security systems are important, yes, but these systems are often still at risk, which reveals the importance of regularly scheduled IT security audits.

IT Security Audits

Audits in general tend to get a bad rap for most businesses due to the pressure that they often place on management and staff. This pressure results from the importance of whatever type of audit is taking place; IT security audits are no different. IT audits typically consist of numerous tasks that include regulatory compliance, virus protection and management, user administration policies and compliance, software patches, risk to the organization, employee training, network security architecture, and many more. They are important for the protection and livelihood of every organization that utilizes digital technology. Regular IT security audits are important for the protection and livelihood of every organization that utilizes digital technology.

21 Reasons for Scheduling Regular IT Audits:

1. Keep sensitive data protected
2. Keep compliance programs up to date (i.e. HIPAA)
3. Identify security loopholes & ensure the level of security required for the type of data
4. Keep the organization on top of current and new security practices
5. Ensure that staff are correctly following security protocols
6. Implement proper cyber security awareness education and training
7. Establish precautionary measures & procedures
8. Give peace of mind to management, staff, and customers
9. Make more effective security decisions based on data analysis from the audit
10. Demonstrate to customers and staff that security is important to your organization
11. Use findings from audit to create and implement new security policies and procedures
12. Identify potential risks and threats that are most likely to affect your organization
13. Identify and prioritize risk responses
14. Better prepare organization to protect against potential threats
15. Uncovering hidden risks
16. Prevent security breaches and reduce impact of breaches
17. Make smarter investments for technology, security, and software
18. Reduce security problems that result from human error
19. Keep technology up-to-date
20. Protect against incorrect or unwanted changes
21. Regular audits can also help improve the effectiveness of your auditor as they learn more about your organization and its technology, processes, issues, and needs

With our rapidly evolving digital world and infrastructure, cybersecurity threats are changing rapidly as well. It’s important for organizations to stay on top of the current best practices to secure their business. Don’t wait until you face a security threat to make sure your systems and practices are working correctly; contact us today to set up an IT consultation so that we can help you maintain the security of your business.