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The Vital Security Function You May Have Overlooked | Network Security

working on laptop with security icons

You’ve invested a lot of time and money into creating a security system set up with cameras, access control, burglary alarm, and fire alarm… and that’s great. But, did you consider if your network infra­structure can adequately secure and support all of that? Unfor­tu­nately, many organi­za­tions may not believe they need to have IT risk assess­ments as part of their security and technology strategy. More than 75% of execu­tives report that their organi­za­tions either have no method to measure cyber risk or don’t know if their organi­zation measures risk exposure, according to a Marshand McLennan Agency survey. However, risk assess­ments are an essential part of your overall cyber­se­curity policies, and your technology management is as well. Some businesses may be unclear on the details of a risk assessment. Read on to learn how they can be highly beneficial to any organi­zation and why securing the network that runs your security system is critical to your overall security posture and preparedness.

A risk assessment will benefit any organi­zation in any industry. At a minimum, the assessment ensures that your organi­zation is covering the basics of IT security. It can also identify regula­tions a business needs to follow that they may not even be aware of, especially for indus­tries that are not as highly regulated as verticals such as the healthcare and financial sectors.

There are three main elements of the analysis done – admin­is­trative, physical, and technical. Admin­is­trative assesses what policies the organi­zation has in place. Physical involves physical security, such as locks on doors (access control), logs of who enters various parts of the property, security cameras backup and more. Technical includes elements such as your organization’s firewall or your intrusion detection.

In terms of deliv­er­ables, your organi­zation will receive a document that can be used to formulate a plan to improve security. This document will typically have a list of high, medium, and low risks to your organi­zation, as well as solutions to mitigate these risks. It will outline the who, what, when, where, and why of these action items, so you have a clear plan going forward of how to improve your security posture.

It is best practice to have an assessment done on a recurring basis. This will vary depending on your particular organi­zation, but typically at least an annual risk assessment is best.

Although smaller businesses or less regulated businesses may not think they are at risk, hackers will go for the most vulnerable, which means that any small business is at risk of an attack. And finally, the risk assessment identifies issues within any organization’s environment so that those issues can be resolved, regardless of industry. Knowing how critical your network integrity is to your security, Bates Security started Heron Managed Services to deliver smart, strategic network and IT infra­structure and support to our clients.

The bottom line is, if a risk assessment is not done, issues and vulner­a­bil­ities for your IT security may not be found. This leaves your security vulnerable. Although your organi­zation will identify problems piecemeal throughout daily opera­tions, having a risk assessment gives a dedicated project to finding and improving areas of weakness in your network and cyber­se­curity setup. This allows your organi­zation to go beyond the basics and ensure you are optimizing your security and addressing the essentials.