What do we, as digital citizens and business owners, need to remain vigilant in an ever-evolving online landscape? One essential factor is a reliable, routine security audit from an established cybersecurity provider. Cybersecurity threats are becoming increasingly sophisticated, diverse, and widespread, yet most organizations still struggle with allocating appropriate funding to protect their systems adequately.
Per reports by the Breach Level Index, over 14.7 billion digital records have been lost or stolen since 2013. As this figure illustrates, it is crucial to conduct regular security audits to stay protected against any potential data breaches to keep a business, clients, and staff safe and protected. By implementing routine security audits and ensuring privileged accounts adhere to industry standards for password strength and access restrictions, you can drastically minimize your attack surface and defend your business against cyber criminals.
Identify vulnerabilities
A security audit helps to identify the weak points in business cyber defenses. By undertaking regular audits, companies can recognize areas that require strengthening and make the necessary improvements or modifications. Businesses can update software and ensure all security patches are applied to close loopholes and make it more difficult for any potential cyber-criminals to infiltrate their system.
Compliance with industry standards
Compliance and adherence to industry standards are mandatory for businesses. Auditing enables businesses to identify the areas that need improvement and ensure a company is conforming to all requirements and regulations. To adhere to commonly accepted standards and regulations, businesses should focus on all areas, including access control policies, data protection and management policies, and disaster management policies.
Protection of company assets
Conducting security audits will ultimately safeguard a company’s digital information. Company data, staff files, and other documents must be urgently protected from unauthorized access. Through frequent audits, a company can confirm that its security measures are effective. Rigorous security audits deter cyber criminals and protect the business assets that are most sensitive and crucial to the continued growth and success of the organization.
Preserving the business reputation
A cybersecurity breach compromises a business’ reputation and can severely damage the company’s image. Inaccurate information and misunderstandings around breaches can spread quickly on social media and other online platforms, causing potentially disastrous public mistrust for a business or organization. On the other hand, a successfully conducted security audit and the subsequent implementation of required safety measures demonstrate proactive efforts in ensuring that client data and assets are safe – thus improving the company’s reputation.
Better return on investment
Investing in security is crucial because it protects the company's assets and the employees from financial harm. A comprehensive security audit can reveal areas of your security system that are superfluous or redundant. By re-allocating funding to more relevant cyber security concerns, businesses maximize their data protection and avoid unnecessary costs. As a result, companies can mitigate the potential financial, legal, and reputational costs that may result from data breaches and cyber threats.
Although it is often overlooked, a comprehensive security audit is an essential aspect of effective business security. It can help identify vulnerabilities, ensure legal compliance, guarantee the protection of precious company assets, and enhance customer trust. A recurring audit will ultimately lead to the implementation of better and more effective safety measures, which support a business’s ongoing growth and success. Businesses should take their responsibility for implementing a comprehensive security audit plan seriously.
Empower your business and stay protected with audits, compliance, and intelligent staffing from the Baran Agency. The Baran Agency are meticulously vetted experts in military-grade cybersecurity, auditing, risk management, and rapid data breach responses. Get in touch with us today for the best digital protection available.
