Since the steep rise in devastating cyberattacks, more and more businesses are have taken action to prepare for common network security threats. What if your business suffers a security breach, leaks valuable information, and has to pay thousands of dollars in settlement?
If you need a holistic viewpoint on what you could do be prepared, network support providers or managed service providers(MSPs) can help. As a crucial first step, most providers will offer a network assessment to evaluate your network and uncover any cybersecurity vulnerabilities.
Take Charge of Your IT With Customized Reports
Every organization should understand its weak spots, and where better efficiency and security can be achieved. In this way, network assessments can empower business leaders to take charge of their cybersecurity strategy and prioritize changes to be made.
Every business has a different set of needs and reasons to get a network assessment. Some may be looking for the answer as to why their network isn't running efficiently or has recurring issues. No matter the reason or issue, partnering with an MSP is a great way to get started.
To give an overview of what a network assessment will look like is tough because they might look different depending on the provider you choose. Despite this, we can give you an overview of what one might expect when getting a network assessment from Usherwood Office Technology.
What is a Network Assessment?
Usherwood refers to our network assessment process as "Odyssey Discovery". "Odyssey" is another word for a journey, which is how we treat our unique assessments as a member of your team.
The Odyssey Discovery process begins with a thorough evaluation of your network, finding any holes in cybersecurity or productivity.
Usherwood engineers make sure to carefully analyze every aspect of your IT environment, so they can produce an accurate and personalized report. This includes an on-site assessment of your network hardware.
The report resulting from the Discovery is then referred to as the Odyssey Navigator. Usherwood will use this document as a jumping off point to make recommendations for action steps. As a support for this consultation, Usherwood will present compliance standards to outline industry standards and minimum required cybersecurity practices.
After this step, Usherwood experts will go over any IT-related documents provided from you. This will allow them to fully understand any existing licensing, email or phone providers, and more.
How Much Does the Odyssey Discovery Assessment Cost?
Why does Usherwood charge for its network assessment when many other companies offer it for free? This is a frequent question, and it's essential our clients fully understand the costs associated with our network assessment. It may seem like the obvious choice to go with the free option, but is it truly the best choice for your company?
Usherwood's network assessment charges on a per-user basis. It's not a hard-set price that will be the same every time. It depends on the whole situation at hand. However, to help give you an idea, the typical cost is $100 per user.
Some Network Assessments are Free; Why isn't Usherwood's?
Rarely do we receive high-quality services or products for free. When a company is offering to do something for free, it's typically a self-serving service.
The organization providing free discovery may only do the bare minimum of work. They might assign their least experienced employee to conduct the research. This could mean that the quality of the research may not be as high as expected.
Suppose you're using one of your best assets, one of your highest-paid employees, during a free discovery. In that case, that will be a more considerable loss of money and productivity. If they can use their cheapest resource with minimal time to accomplish it, that's in their best interest.
High-Level Assessments and Relationship Building
At Usherwood, we will use the best resources to serve you to the highest level. We do this because the ultimate end goal is to help a business and potentially build a relationship with them as a client.
We take pride in the hard work we put into our services. Our network assessment is not just an overview of your environment; it is a deep dive into your network and physical IT systems. This takes hours of high-level engineers breaking down data.
What Do You Get with the Odyssey Discovery Network Assessment?
Usherwood has a team of engineers, solutions architects, and a vCIO (virtual chief information officer) These experts will perform the network assessment and provide you with a detailed roadmap of your network. This will directly help you create a customized solution for your business.
Our engineers will first man an on-site visit to install an intel device. This device will collect information and digital documentation, scan servers, and look for external and internal vulnerabilities when conducting a network assessment. You need not worry about giving too much access- our engineers only need to access software versions, configurations, and hardware.
Any sensitive information in the server and security devices are not looked at. In fact, for your comfort and security, our Discovery proposals include a Mutual Confidentiality Agreement.
When you receive the evaluation, you can expect to have your network audited, analyzed by a team of engineers, and explained to you utilizing a valuable developmental process. The assessment will also serve as an extensive roadmap to plan your network infrastructure for future success.
The Power of Third-Party Audits
Suppose there are security concerns with your current environment. In that case, your current provider likely does not know about them, as they most likely have already patched or fixed them. Getting a third party evaluation can give you unbiased feedback on your infrastructure and security measures.
How Much Time Will IT Experts Put Into This?
Usherwood engineers spend 25-40 hours behind the scenes analyzing hundreds of pages of readouts to identify current inefficiencies and security vulnerabilities.
Then, engineers, solution architects and the VCIO team will engage in high-level discussions with your C-level team to form a complete picture of your IT environment.
What If I Don't End Up Signing On With Usherwood?
As a part of the Odyssey Discovery, we provide a three-year plan to resolve all current issues and ensure they don't reemerge during your agreement with Usherwood.
Even if you decide not to partner with Usherwood after the Discovery, you will still have a new understanding of your vulnerabilities. You will also have an action plan to move forward and resolve them.
You'll also be better prepared to meet cybersecurity standards, and you'll have a checklist of things to do to get there. Usherwood will also provide budgeting guidance for IT hardware expenses, projects, and advanced security measures. This means you are fully aware of your expected costs in advance, allowing your company to plan and budget accordingly.
Think The Odyssey Discovery Is Right For You?
Network assessments are a vital component to keep your business running seamlessly. Unpredicted network crashes or security breaches can be costly, time-consuming, and could have serious legal consequences. They can also negatively impact your clients' trust in you to protect their information.
Don't just go with an assessment because it's free; the cost of accidentally choosing an inadequate service provider can leave you with an unstable IT infrastructure and can cost you much more in the long run.
If you're ready to jump into optimizing your network for better security and productiveness with an experienced network support company, click the button below to get started.
