Switchfast Blog: The Future of IT
Technology and Security Auditing for Small Business
Friday, March 04, 2011 by Michael Lewis
During the last decade, small businesses across the United
States have rapidly deployed new technologies throughout their
business. Often these technologies were deployed haphazardly -
without anticipating potential problems, or associated long-term
costs.
In order to make systems run more efficiently, small businesses
have turned to IT consultant firms to perform technology audits.
During an IT audit, accredited professionals will evaluate every
aspect of a business's technology landscape. These audits have
become important for three reasons: assuring security, finding
inefficiencies, and regulatory compliance.
Assuring Security
You can never know when disaster is going to strike your
business, but having safeguards in place can give you peace of
mind. Think about it. What happens if there is a fire and your
on-site backups get burnt? Or your server gets hit with a virus? A
security audit would expose any flaws that would make your IT
infrastructure vulnerable to natural disasters or malicious
attacks.
An IT audit would recommend services and best practices that can
guide your business on a path to security. This minimizes the risk
of data loss or theft from your network.
Finding Inefficiencies
As an office expands, old technology and hardware are often
stretched beyond their usefulness. This can introduce unanticipated
inefficiencies and vulnerabilities. A technology auditor will be
able to identify processes or aging hardware that might stand in
the way of employees' productivity and network stability. By
reducing waste and errors, an audit can help a business focus on
growth -- instead of growing pains.
For example, a wireless router connecting three notebooks in a
small office might be sufficient. As the business scales up, each
additional computer or server operating in the environment
increases the probability of downtime, creating a bottleneck
capable of slowing down the whole business.
Regulatory Compliance
In recent years, new regulations have begun to require even
small businesses- formerly exempt from scrutiny- to meet compliance
standards set. An IT audit can collect and document all the
information necessary to meet these regulatory standards. Whether a
business is focused on GLBA, HIPAA, SOX, or PCI compliance, an
Information Technology audit will ensure the entire IT
infrastructure adheres to the latest standards.
If you would like more information about Switchfast
Technologies' IT and security
auditing services, please call (773) 241-3007.
Until next time -
Mike Lewis
Switchfast Technologies
Chicago IT Support &
Consulting
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