Checklist for Your Network Security

A network security audit is a comprehensive evaluation of a company’s computer and data security. It helps identify potential weaknesses that hackers could exploit and offers recommendations to fix those weaknesses.

Importance of Network Security Audit

Every time your company grows, whether by hiring new employees, launching new products or acquiring another company, it increases your vulnerability to hacking attacks. When this happens, it’s time to implement a security audit. As the years go by and your company builds more valuable information on computer systems, you need to stay up-to-date with the latest best practices in Information Technology.

A network security audit is far from being an easy task. However, it does not require much technical skills and knowledge to be set up and completed quickly. The first step is to design an effective and comprehensive security audit checklist, so you can ensure your business stays protected, and you are fulfilling the obligations of any industry or government regulations.

Checklist for Audit Report

There are many factors involved when performing a network security audit; from the size of your company to the nature of its business operations, there is no single “correct” way to exactly perform the task. However, the basic lines of a network security audit are as follows:

• Gathering and analyzing documentation;
• Comparing the current network environment to established policies and controls;
• Running vulnerability scans on business-critical systems;
• Gaining access to the internal network via multiple points of contact (i.e. network ports, wireless access points, etc.);
• Testing network security controls and settings;
• Performing traffic analysis on the network;
• Performing operational security analysis;
• Gathering user information and performing user awareness training;
• Assessing password strength and setting expiration policies for passwords.

Completing the Report

In the end, a security audit report should include recommendations to manage and mitigate risks posed to the network. The report should also contain an action plan to implement the recommendations given by the auditor.

One of the most critical components in performing a network security audit is including the right people in the project. When hiring an IT security professional to conduct the audit, you want your next hire to be skilled and knowledgeable in all areas of IT security.

It’s also important to define how much detail you want on each checkbox item in your network security checklist. Ideally, you want a detailed report that will include recommendations to improve your security posture.

If you want help with setting up your digital business or need to secure it from hackers, contact Foris IT Management. Our managed network security services and network security audit will let you know if your system has any vulnerabilities. Get in touch with us to book our services.