In the digital age, cybercriminals prey on the unprepared. However, it's difficult to mitigate cyber threats if you're not an IT expert because attack methods become more sophisticated every day.
That's where IT services come into play. Initially, service providers will offer IT assessments to uncover specific details about your IT environment. Some assessments are free, and others come at a cost. If you're wondering why that is, here is an overview of paid vs free IT audits and what to expect for each.
Are Free IT Audits On Par With Paid Audits?
A free assessment likely won't be as thorough as a paid assessment, as they are designed to be a snippet to entice you to upgrade to a paid service.
IT companies have little to gain from offering assessments to prospects who only want free services and might not convert into clients. Because of this, it is unlikely that they'll use the best tools for these IT audits.
In addition, due to the low-risk, low-reward nature of free assessments, their most experienced engineers likely won't be the ones performing them. It is a common practice to delegate these sales-focused free services to less experienced employees at the IT firm.
Why Do Businesses Pay for Network Assessments?
Everyone has at one point hired a service for things that come up in everyday life. Be it plumbing services, electricians, hair stylists, or mechanics, you most likely didn't receive these services for free.
You probably didn't have the knowledge or tools to do it yourself, and these services usually take a lot of time you didn't have to devote to it either. In this way, you were paying for the years of expertise and hours of labor the service brought to the table.
Just like any other service experience, hiring a company to perform a network assessment requires skill and effort. The price will commonly reflect the results.
How Do Paid IT Audit Services Work?
The process of paid network assessments is a detailed and thorough journey. For example, this is why Usherwood has named our network assessment the "Odyssey Discovery", which reflects a journey in discovering key details about your IT environment.
These advanced evaluations will unveil everything you need to know about your network's efficiency and security. To start, an IT engineer will go on-site to collect information and digital documentation, scan servers, and look for external and internal vulnerabilities.
Following this, your MSP will have a team to do an in-depth evaluation of their findings. An all-hands-on-deck IT team collaboration will help ensure nothing is overlooked during the evaluation process.
IT engineers paired with solution architects and the VCIO team (virtual chief information officers) will engage in high-level discussions with your C-level team for a full picture of your IT environment. This process will leave you with a list of top priorities and actionable items to secure your organization.
How Much Time Do Engineers Typically Devote to Paid Assessments?
A highly trained team of engineers, solutions architects, and a VCIO (virtual chief information officer) will analyze and propose a plan to fix current vulnerabilities.
IT audits / risk assessments will involve 25-40 hours behind the scenes pouring over hundreds of pages of readouts to identify any gaps in efficiency and cybersecurity.
Network assessments should not be a quick turnaround. A thorough network assessment should be at least 2-3 weeks if they are properly analyzing your network, i.e. not cutting corners.
Your MSP should take their time on this process and go through a thorough IT security audit checklist. This will ensure they don't miss any potential security threats or important details about your IT environment.
After assessing, your MSP will create a deliverable containing information on the efficiency of your network, ease of user activity, and security. From there, they'll advise you on their recommended changes and an ideal timeline for completing them.
What Happens After A Paid Assessment?
We can't speak for all MSPs, but we can outline the next steps in our process following network assessments. After you complete an Odyssey Discovery, Usherwood delivers a three-year plan to resolve all current issues. This will include a model to ensure these vulnerabilities do not reemerge during your agreement with Usherwood.
Even if your organization doesn't choose to partner with Usherwood after an Odyssey Discovery, you won't walk away empty-handed. You will have a detailed audit report of your cybersecurity posture, and have a plan laid out to achieve a more optimized IT infrastructure.
How Network Security Audits Can Transform Your IT Strategy
Network assessments are a vital component to keep your business running seamlessly. IT audits can elevate your business by aiding in compliance, mitigating cyber threats, and ensuring productivity for future growth.
Comply With Regulatory Requirements
Paying for a network assessment will help your organization know whether you are currently meeting the standards you expect for your IT security. If you aren’t, then it will illustrate the methodology to get your business to the necessary state of compliance.
Ensure Productivity & Reduce Downtime From Network Issues
Experiencing a sudden network crash or security breach can be expensive, time-consuming, and lead to financial losses. Outages can quickly grind all operations to a halt, resulting in lost business and revenue.
Along with the ramifications of downtime, employees can become frustrated with faulty IT which makes it harder for them to do their jobs. This is bad for morale, employee retention, and overall productivity.
Identify Hidden Cyber Threats
Debilitating cyberattacks can lead to data breaches which can spiral into lengthy legal headaches with angry customers.
Even if you have a managed service provider (MSP) or managed security service provider (MSSP), they could be unaware of certain security issues, or they would already be patched or fixed. A third-party cybersecurity assessment will yield objective results about the current state of your infrastructure and security protocols.
Ready to Invest in Quality IT Security Audit Services?
When you're researching IT audit companies, ensure they have a fully staffed and well-versed team to deliver the most thorough results. The auditing process should uncover:
- Any security risks or blind spots that could lead to successful cyber attacks
- Security practices needed to ensure compliance and meet recommended security standards
- Efficiency issues within your operating system
If you're ready to uncover these details about your business network, click the button below to learn more about our Odyssey Discovery cybersecurity audits.
