[BreachExchange] 5 Reasons Every Company Requires A Network Audit for Security Reasons

[Destry Winant]

https://latesthackingnews.com/2020/01/29/5-reasons-every-company-requires-a-network-audit-for-security-reasons/

The illusion of security in IT is as fragile as a spiders-web;
especially for a company that is built upon a shaky IT infrastructure.
Even if the infrastructure of a company has been built up over time,
as growth occurs, as does the need for added security and an increase
in infrastructure. To keep your IT systems running smoothly, the IT
team should always ensure that networks, security, access permissions,
and applications, are always working as they should. This is where an
IT network audit becomes paramount.  IT network audits assess the
overall IT infrastructure of a given company and determine where
exactly security risks and technical frailties lie. Easy and painless,
there are five key reasons why every company should utilize network
audits.

Discover Inefficiencies In Infrastructure

of the most important features of network auditing software is
discovering inefficiencies or areas in which your IT infrastructure
can improve. Odds are, there is at least one area of your
infrastructure where there is a need for improvement. Let’s say you
have a single computer on the network with lagging memory space.
Simply upgrading the memory would increase performance and give the
end-user a boost. Another discovery is incorrect system settings or
substandard security configurations. Each is a relatively inexpensive
fix that can boost network performance and ensure optimum security.

Protect Against Data Loss

For a company, loss of data can be a time-consuming hassle fraught
with worry. A simple IT audit can find simple upgrades that can help
to eliminate potential data loss and bring peace-of-mind. Without data
loss prevention in place, employees can lose the valuable work or data
that they have been investing time in for hours or even days.

Locate Outdated Hardware

 For many companies with large, IT infrastructures a standard standing
issue is that of outdated hardware. Outdated hardware can slow down
network speeds and frustrate users who are inundated with lagging
computers. The right IT network auditing software can locate outdated
hardware within the network. As a result, you can update the hardware
and integrate newer faster components. Auditing software can also find
discs that are close to full capacity and help to craft a big-picture
plan to upgrade IT infrastructure. This allows you to put focus on how
to continually improve the entire network.

Know Which Software Is In Use

Every employee has the capacity to install software on the network.
Unfortunately, this means that any number of programs can be taking up
valuable space. Moreover, employees have the potential to install
software that could be made for sharing illegal files or those that
aren’t relevant to the work at hand. A complete audit can help to
locate what software has been installed and how it is being used. You
can remove software that is unnecessary and increase space on the
network.

Increase in Company Productivity

Security aside, one of the most detrimental hits a company can take is
a downturn in overall productivity. While you can’t always control the
work ethic of staff, you can ascertain some degree of control over the
IT network itself. For example, if a network frequently goes down or
is unavailable, this effect’s a staff’s ability to work efficiently.
That’s the money going down the drain. An IT audit can help you be
proactive to potential IT issues before they occur, giving you a
proactive edge over those who run reactive IT infrastructure.