Are You Using Technology The Way You Should?

What if you found out that your employees were sending private and confidential patient data over email? Or if you were paying for three different Internet services and wasting money every month? When we run technology audits, these are the types of things we find happening in Las Vegas businesses.

Why Are Technology Audits So Important?

If you run a law practice, accounting or financial services firm or any professional service, you must comply with industry and government regulations. And if you don’t know what’s going on in your IT network, noncompliance could ruin your business.

Unfortunately, many organizations don’t know that they’re compromised until a breach occurs. A technology audit plays a vital role to evaluate your business’s information security and strategies, and to determine if you need to improve your level of protection and monitoring.

What about the money you’re spending on duplicate services? Do you even know what you’re paying for? Is the technology you use aligned to your strategic goals?

For these reasons and others, you need regular IT Audits.

What’s Involved In Technology Audits?

It’s a thorough examination and evaluation of your company’s technology infrastructure, operations, and policies. They determine whether you have the proper IT controls in place to protect your assets and ensure data security. Is your technology is aligned with your overall business goals?

Technology audits provide you with a comprehensive report outlining what components of your IT system could malfunction, be at risk, potentially cause disruptions and downtime, or be losing you money and productivity.

These Are A Few Examples Of Questions That We’ll Ask During Your IT Audit

Business Continuity

• Do you have a proper Business Continuity and Disaster Preparedness Plan in place?

Mobile Device Management

• Are your mobile devices monitored and protected from security breaches and data loss?

The Cloud

• How is your data handled and stored in the Cloud?
• Is there any legal or regulatory risk in how information is handled in the Cloud?
• Has a business impact assessment been conducted for the services you move to the Cloud?
• Does your organization have secure authentication protocols for users working in the Cloud?
• Have the right safeguards been contractually established with your Cloud Service Provider?

Business Needs

• Is technology aligned with your business strategy?
• Are you using technology in a cost-effective way?
• Are the right IT processes being used so your staff can work productively?
• Do you use technology in a way that delivers projects on time and within budget?
• Are IT assets and software contracts being managed and monitored effectively?

Sensitive/Confidential Data

• What sensitive data does your business retain?
• Where do you use and store confidential data?
• How do you transmit confidential data?
• Where do you send it?

IT Security

• How comprehensive is your existing IT security program?
• Is it set up to mitigate threats?
• How comprehensive is your existing Threat, Management & Vulnerability (TVM) program?
• Are processes in place to ensure the issues you identify are adequately addressed and remediated?
• Are you providing Security Awareness Training for your employees?
• Do you have risk assessments performed regularly to identify all IT risks? Information technology audits evaluate your organization’s information security program. They consider strategies that could improve your security posture. An audit should include a risk assessment to determine if your IT infrastructure is vulnerable to security breaches like:
• Unauthorized access.
• Data breaches.
• Computer viruses and malware.
• Email hacking and spamming.
• Accidental deletions and human error.

There’s much more to learn and know. But when armed with answers to the right questions, and by leveraging best practices in the use of information technology, your business can prosper and thrive.

For more information about technology audits, contact the team at Epic IT Group.

In the meantime, stay up-to-date about technology and what you need to know to use it to the benefit of your business in Las Vegas. Here are some examples of what you’ll find in our Resource Library:

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Are IT Issues Ruining Your Workplace Productivity?

Studies conducted by CareerBuilder Harris Poll in the US showed that at least 22 minutes a day are wasted by an average worker dealing with IT-related issues.