Now more than ever, businesses rely on fairly complex networks in order to stay operational. The digital age demands that companies adapt technologies in order to serve as many people as possible. While it has increased the reach toward larger audiences and accelerated operations, networks are difficult to maintain and have several nuances that must be taken care of.

For this, various codes and regulations for compliance have been established that businesses are required to follow. A network audit is the recommended service to keep networks functional. Here’s why you may need one:

Your Software Inventory May Be Outdated

Similar to hardware installations, software goes through a great deal of progress over an iterative phase of improvements. These cycles can often be rapid, especially in case any vulnerability or flaw is discovered.

It’s crucial that businesses stay up to date on the latest stable patch of each software. Obsolescence is a security risk first, and then a productivity risk. Network auditing involves the auditor going through the system to ensure that the compatible software is installed.

To Improve Productivity

Most networks are a cluster of various components, all interlinked with each other. If there’s a weak link in any part, it could be a potential bottleneck for your system. Network auditing allows the auditor to go through all the network connections that are keeping your system running, to make sure they are working properly.

They will make suggestions and recommendations if they spot a bottleneck as well, which can lead to better productivity for your service.

Meeting Regulatory & Compliance Standards

Different industries, including finance and medicine, require different standards such as HIPAA, FISMA and NIST, among many others, for regulatory and compliance. They have certain requirements and conditions, which involve the operation of an internal and external auditor to implement and confirm for them.

What Does a Network Audit Provide?

A network audit involves the following aspects:

Inventory Creation

The first task a network auditor has is to perform an analysis of your current network and its inventory. Apart from taking a physical tour of the facility to observe the conditions of the different installations, the network security audit service will also go through the virtual network for a proper analysis.

The back of a server observed during network audit.

Network Security Analysis

While network security analysis is a crucial step in the procedure, different clients may have different requirements regarding it. During the general inventory creation process, network security monitoring services are also performed briefly to spot any anomalies or risks that may be present. A competent auditor will let you know if there’s any flaw or threat that you are prone to.

Foris IT Management Services provides a host of solutions for businesses. Cloud backup and recovery solutions, IT consulting, network security and audit services. Our services ensure industry standards, regulations for different industries including but not limited to dental, veterinarian, and MD practices. To learn more about how we can help your business out, get in touch with us today.