As a small business owner or decision maker, cyber security should be an issue that is continually at the forefront of your mind. If it is not, then it’s time for that to change before an attack or incursion occurs that demonstrates in no uncertain terms why the security of your IT system is so crucial.
According to recent UK government statistics from the Department of Business, 74% of small businesses in the UK have recently experienced a cyber security breach, and the percentage increases to 90% for larger firms. Such is the prevalence of such attacks, in fact, that the government have also issued cyber security guidelines for businesses in order to help them to protect themselves.
It should be apparent now, therefore, that cyber security is not something that only other people need worry about. Instead, it is a topic and an area that you need to give your due attention if you want your business to avoid a disaster that could cost thousands or even tens of thousands of pounds to fix. A good place to start if you are concerned about the security of your business’s IT systems is with a security assessment.
What Exactly is a Security Assessment?
A security assessment, when referring to IT systems and networks, is a comprehensive study or review of an entire system in order to locate and identify any potential security vulnerabilities and risks. Such an assessment is a great place to start when it comes to improving or upgrading the security of any system, as if carried out properly it should provide a root and branch review of all aspects of a company’s IT activities.
Areas which a comprehensive assessment will encompass, include server and other hardware evaluation, checks of data encryption and other similar security measures and a review of company policies regarding cyber security. This broad array of different assessments is crucial as it is the only way to determine a system’s ability to withstand the now equally diverse kinds of cyber security threats which exist. Entirely different safeguards and defences, after all, are needed to combat potential ransomware incursions than are required to avoid email phishing scams for example.
Security assessments, therefore, typically provide businesses with documentation which outlines weaknesses in current security, determines the potential risk to the business which those weaknesses could pose and suggest possible remedies.
Why Should you Consider an Assessment?
As was stated at the outset, close to three quarters of all UK small businesses have already suffered a cyber security breach. If you are part of the lucky 25% who haven’t, it isn’t a case of if you will in the future, it is a case of when.
A security assessment, therefore, represents a forward thinking preparatory measure which can help you to ensure that any incursion which is aimed at you, is met with the required security solutions to successfully rebuff it. It is unlikely, after all, that your system was initially designed or implemented with all of the rapidly evolving cyber security threats that all businesses now face in mind.
It is not only in ensuring that your system can withstand a future attack, however, that a security assessment can prove beneficial, as it can also offer significant financial advantage. This is the case as a comprehensive review can also identify if and where you may be overspending on certain security solutions and suggest the most cost efficient alternatives available.
If all of the above has made you realise that your business could indeed benefit from a security assessment, your next step is quick and simple. Contact EC-MSP today and our security specialists can talk you through our very own IT security assessment process.
