How to Perform an IT Assessment

Every 40 seconds, a new cyber attack attempt is made, and ransomware attacks have increased astronomically in the past few years alone. Your company cannot afford to take security lightly. (The University System of Georgia and the University of North Georgia, 2022)

The goal of an IT security risk assessment is to identify potential threats to your information systems, networks, and data and to evaluate the potential fallout from those threats. Annual risk assessments are recommended, and they should also be performed after any significant organisational changes.

If you have 10 or more computers, ASG will conduct an IT assessment at no cost to you, which is valued at R6500. We will search for vulnerabilities in your network’s defences as well as viruses and spyware that could be responsible for performance issues, data loss, or even system failure.

Our skilled technician will conduct the following steps to help your business develop a solid IT foundation to ensure success and growth.

Step-by-Step Guide to Performing an IT Assessment:

Step 1: Check

To see if your network is protected from intruders and malware, we will run a scan. The discovery phase aims to understand your current situation, the problem you’re solving, and your audience. What this means is everything from the people, systems, and processes that make up the interconnectedness of those systems to the solutions that are actually being used today.

Step 2: Diagnose

Next we will find and isolate the source of any computer, network, or server problems you’re experiencing. You should know that not all threats are created equal. There is a possibility that some are more probable than others. Some could be relatively minor, while others could be catastrophic for your company. Once we have determined the nature of the threats that your company faces, we will evaluate the extent of those risks.

Step 3: Back up

The next step is to check that your backups are functioning properly and saving the right data. We’ll assess controls in existence or in preparation to reduce or eliminate system vulnerability exploits. Technical controls include computer hardware or software, encryption, intrusion detection, and identity and authentication subsystems. Security policies, administrative measures, and physical and environmental controls are nontechnical controls.

Step 4: Assess and evaluate bottlenecks

The network audit will help us determine which programmes are underperforming and where the bottlenecks are in the system. During this stage we want to determine the likelihood of and areas of concern where the identified cyber risks can occur and the potential impact if they do. Then we will use these inputs to calculate the cost of mitigating each of the identified cyber risks.

Step 5: Report and recommend

The current status of your IT infrastructure will be detailed in a report that we will create and present to you. The report will aid management in settling on viable policy, procedure, and expenditure options. By analysing the results of your risk assessment, you can pinpoint the most important measures to take to mitigate multiple threats simultaneously. For instance, regular backups taken and stored offsite can protect against disasters like floods and the loss of data due to accidental deletion.

To ensure that you have access to as much information and choice as possible before making an investment in a system that is more effective, the technician who is assisting you will also offer an alternative to the plan. The assessment will not cost you anything, and doing so will not obligate you in any way.

Keep in mind at all times that the procedures of information security risk assessment and enterprise risk management are at the very core of cybersecurity. These processes are what set the rules and principles for the complete information security management system. They also provide answers to the questions of what threats and vulnerabilities can bring financial harm to your company and how that impact should be mitigated.