Ongoing risk assessment is one of the most powerful tools that you can leverage in your cybersecurity strategy. Beyond creating a general awareness of the state of affairs in your business or enterprise, you will also be able to catch risks before they fully root in your network — and you’ll be able to create a culture of cybersecurity at every level of your organization and team.
Below, we’re exploring what cybersecurity risk assessment is, and the different areas of value this process can add to your organization.
What is cybersecurity risk assessment?
Cybersecurity risk assessments may look different by individual case, depending on the unique needs of your organization. However, all risk assessments have the shared goal of summarizing the organization’s risk profile and suggesting actions to take to counteract your risks. This is best done preventatively, keeping you and your business on guard before risks actually begin to play out.
How do I perform a cybersecurity risk assessment?
Every solid risk assessment begins with a single question: What are the risks that I want to reduce? When you can answer this, you can determine the size, scale and inclusion level of your risk assessment process.
After you determine what the scope of your risk assessment will cover, you can begin your auditing process. Questions to ask yourself here include:
- How am I documenting my findings? Your data collection won’t be nearly as impactful if there isn’t a way to document what you find (and the steps you need to mitigate your risks.)
- How am I communicating the next right steps? Identifying your process of delegation and execution can help you to have a more streamlined audit and response process.
- How long do we keep this data? Determining a cycle lifespan will keep you armed with the latest and more accurate cybersecurity information to limit your profile of risk.
The next step includes listing all of the assets that you want to cover. Common areas of focus can include:
- IT security policies
- Network functionality
- Informational flow
- Security controls (such as physical and technical)
- User experience
- Data collection
- Hardware and software elements
Finally, you’ll begin your audit process. We recommend identifying any possible threats as if you were trying to commit a breach, and working backward from there to determine the best possible preventative solution. Or, you can outsource to a qualified cybersecurity company that can do this for you — potentially saving you time and resources.
Make a safer tomorrow with proprietary technology that works for you
Stay on top of your industry with the top cybersecurity strategies and failsafe from the team at CHIPS. We’ve had years of experience creating custom technology-driven solutions to keep your network as safe as possible, giving us the foundation we need to create an innovative scope of support for your specific risk profile. For more information and to get started today, please give us a call at 651.407.8555.
