CYBER SECURITY AUDITS
Akita’s cyber security audits provide a professional and independent overview of the security of your IT security and systems.
Let Akita’s team of experienced IT security consultants conduct an cyber security audit of your network, devices and software, as well as ensure that business IT policies and procedures are in place.
WHY UNDERTAKE A CYBER SECURITY AUDIT?
Maintaining IT security is an ongoing battle, so with new viruses and threats emerging all the time, no organisation can afford to be complacent.
But IT security is about much more than simply checking that hardware, software and systems are secure (though this is important). Information from the ICO indicates that as many as 88% of UK data breaches are caused by human error. As such, when it comes to reviewing IT security, organisations need to adopt a holistic approach.
While in-house IT staff will offer a perspective on IT security, they are unlikely to have the experience of working on cyber security for hundreds of companies day-in, day-out.
This is why Akita’s customisable IT security audit service is valuable for examining all the ways that an organisation interacts with its IT.
PROCESS FOR IT SECURITY AUDITS
Our IT security audits are tailored to your organisation and its needs. The risk profile of a company involved in financial services, for example, will be different to a manufacturer, so we aim to tailor our approach in line both with our understanding of threats, and any specific requirements an organisation may have. We will then retest to check that issues are fixed.
Our security audits are undertaken by our experienced cybersecurity consultants, and though custom to each organisation, audits will typically cover:
Consultancy
Our IT security audits start by understanding your organisation, its operations, its goals and growth aims. We then review your IT systems, processes and policies to understand of your risks and specific areas to be investigated.
Vulnerability Checks
Using market-leading software we assess your IT infrastructure, devices and applications for errors, malware and security gaps. When gaps are identified we interrogate further to see the extent the risk poses to your organisation and data. We also undertake PCI scanning.
Procedural Review
This covers processes and internal policies. It covers the way that data is stored and backed up, and who has access to it. It can also be an assessment of existing staff training and procedures, and may even involve an exercise in testing staff awareness of protocol and best practice.
Reporting
Once our assessments are complete, we produce a report outlining findings across all areas. This establishes the severity of the risks uncovered and outlines recommended improvements that need to be made to your systems and processes.
Remediation & Retesting
Optional to your needs, Akita can assist with deploying the solutions to your security risks. This may be configuration, hardware or software upgrades, advice on staff training, policies or completion of programs such as Cyber Essentials.
WHEN SHOULD I UNDERTAKE AN IT SECURITY AUDIT?
Organisations should regularly review their cyber security, particularly after the following triggers:
- Following significant changes to systems or the addition of new software
- After taking on new staff
- On review of HR policies
- After an office move
- Following a business merger or acquisition
SOFTWARE AUDITS
Together with our partners, Akita can also offer software audits. As part of this, we can review custom apps, programs and systems from a security point of view and test for weaknesses.
Depending on your requirements, this can include reviewing both the software source code and the hosting/deployment solutions.