Achieving success in business starts by building a strong brand. If your goods and services are dependable and of high quality, your customers are going to have a more favorable opinion about your company. But the challenge here isn’t so much about the process of gaining a good reputation, it’s about maintaining it. Something like a cyberattack could quickly change the fate of your organization. Fortunately, there’s something you can do to prevent such an outcome from occurring.
What Is a Cybersecurity Risk Assessment?
These days, most businesses defend their network with a variety of cybersecurity tools, like antivirus software and firewalls. While those solutions are a great way to protect your business, they aren’t perfect. It’s possible that there could be a few flaws in your system. Even if those flaws seem insignificant, an experienced cybercriminal can find a way to exploit that hole in your security and create a backdoor into your infrastructure.
A cybersecurity risk assessment is a proactive intrusion prevention procedure that’s used to detect vulnerabilities in your IT. This is a process where an experienced IT specialist thoroughly examines the entirety of your infrastructure. If any problems are discovered, the consultant works with you to implement the necessary fixes to give you full protection.
Cybersecurity is important in business and being proactive with an assessment can save you from trouble down the road. However, this isn’t the type of service you do once and never have to think about it again. As you implement new technology into your infrastructure, you’re also adding to your attack surface and introducing new potential vulnerabilities. Additionally, new threats are always popping up and it’s possible they could find a way around any security you currently have.
As a result, every organization should conduct ongoing cybersecurity risk assessments. By performing regular cybersecurity testing, you can ensure your cybersecurity is ready to take on any new threats.
Are There Different Types of IT Security Assessments?
Cybersecurity risk assessments can vary greatly in terms of type and scope. For example, you may order a cybersecurity risk assessment for a specific department, or you could have one that encompasses your entire organization. Some examples of different types include:
- Network Scans: A network scan is used to identify possible vulnerabilities that could be used to carry out attacks on your network. It’s also used to detect blind spots on wired or wireless networks.
- Host Scans: A host scan is used to locate and identify vulnerabilities on servers, workstations, or other network hosts.
- Application Scans: An application scan is meant for testing web applications and their source code. It’s able to discover software vulnerabilities by scanning source code on the front end or by conducting a static/dynamic analysis of the source code.
- Database Scans: Database scans take a look at your database and other big data systems in your infrastructure. The goal of this scan is to identify misconfigurations, find rogue databases or insecure developer test environments, and classify sensitive data across an organization’s infrastructure.
What Are the Benefits of a Cybersecurity Assessment?
No matter what the scope or method is, the core goals and the benefits of performing an assessment remain the same. Here are some of the benefits that come from a cybersecurity risk assessment:
- Improved Self-Awareness: By identifying risks, the cybersecurity risk assessment helps you understand your infrastructure’s strengths and weaknesses. With this information, you can continue to improve your cybersecurity programs and enhance your security posture.
- Cost Savings: Detecting and analyzing existing risks allows you to create effective solutions to mitigate threats. Mitigating risks prevents cyberattacks, meaning you won’t have to pay for the resulting damages.
- Compliance: Depending on the sector you operate in, you may be subject to strict security regulations. Some regulations require businesses to perform regular assessments. If your industry doesn’t require an assessment, an analysis can ensure you are compliant with other requirements.
- Communication: A cybersecurity risk assessment requires input from all departments of the company. Each department must be on the same page to pinpoint the best solution for the business.
- Visibility: An assessment provides an opportunity to gain a better view of your available IT assets, data, and endpoint devices. This can lead to better monitoring and risk management of your systems.
What Does a Risk Assessment Cover?
You know that the purpose of a cybersecurity risk assessment is to minimize any risks your business faces. But what are the threats that a risk assessment identifies? A comprehensive risk analysis addresses three core threats to your business, including:
- Digital Threats: Any suspicious activity in your network
- Technical Failures: Malfunctioning hardware or software that could damage your data
- Physical Threats: This can include employees with malicious intent, natural disasters, and more.
A Cybersecurity Risk Assessment Is a Part of a Larger Security Strategy
A cyberattack can have devastating consequences for any business. It should go without saying that avoiding or promptly resolving a cyberattack is crucial to business continuity and success. Regular risk assessments can help achieve that goal, but they are only a part of the solution. A risk assessment should be done as part of a comprehensive risk management plan.
Through a cybersecurity mitigation plan, you can reduce the odds of experiencing a cyberattack down the road. Essentially, it’s a roadmap your team can follow to improve risk mitigation. Since cyberthreats are constantly evolving, a proper risk mitigation plan needs to be an ongoing process, just like cybersecurity risk assessments.
Keep Your Business Safe From Threats
Upfront Computer Solutions is a managed services provider that specializes in all things IT. We offer a variety of IT services, including cybersecurity solutions. From 24/7 monitoring to vulnerability testing, we have everything you need to keep your business safe and secure.
Contact us today to learn more.
