When carrying out IT network audits, there is certain information that the auditor must obtain in order to successfully carry out his mandate. In most cases, they follow a number of steps to discover exactly what they need. It follows this sequence.
First, its extent has to be established. In most cases, there is a diagram that indicates just how large and interconnected it actually is. However, they are not usually very accurate in several situations. This is because the business environment is a dynamic one, and the various changes that take place during the expansion process often lead to various changes to networks.
The next step is to find out what the main assets within the network are. This involves finding what the proper services, systems and assets are, and security them properly. If they are not well shielded, they remain vulnerable to attacks that could cripple the system. The important things to secure are mail servers, internal applications and ERPs.
They also have to know all the parties that have any level of access to the system. Every network is accessed differently by different parties. A customer has his own level of access, different from the level given to an employee of the firm. Administrators also have different levels of access. To avoid issues where the source of a glitch is unknown, every person and the level of access has to be noted.
Although it is often done when studying the diagram, it is very important to find the right connections to external networks. Treating this separately is vital because external access to a system is the leading cause of system glitches and security threats. Most basic networks have the internet as their primary external link.
Protection mechanisms must also be identified and adjusted to suit all the needs of the business. When all these elements are combined, they can be used to create good networks. IT network audits help to save the firm from potential losses, so they must not be take lightly.
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