Where To Get The Best Network Seucrity Assessment in Houston?

A network security assessment is a structured review of your business network that finds weaknesses before attackers do. It typically inventories devices and systems, scans for vulnerabilities and misconfigurations, reviews firewalls, wireless, remote access and user permissions, checks patching and backups, and may include a penetration test. The result is a prioritized list of risks and fixes. Businesses in regulated industries, or those that have grown or changed systems, benefit most. IS&T provides network and security assessments for Houston businesses.

Want to know where your network stands? Ask IS&T about a network assessment.

Like most modern businesses, your business likely relies on your network to keep things operating day-to-day and to grow over time. You’re aware of how impactful your network is on the functionality of your business, but do you know what would happen to your organization in the event your network was breached by a cybersecurity attack? How many customer and employee records would be at risk? Would your organization be notified of a network breach? How much would it cost to fix the problem? Would your IT team be equipped to respond swiftly and get things back to normal?

Unfortunately, many business owners do not know the answers to these questions. And yet, cybersecurity breaches are on the rise, posing serious risks to businesses of all sizes and across all industries. In order to protect your business, a network security assessment can help measure the impact of a network cyber security attack and evaluate your business’s current response protocols to such an event.

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What is a network security assessment?

You cannot protect what you have not mapped, so every assessment starts with an inventory.

A network security assessment is an audit of your business’s network, its vulnerabilities, potential risks, and assets that may be compromised during a cybersecurity attack. In addition, a network assessment helps business owners understand how their business and systems would be affected in the event of a network security incident. By giving business owners a comprehensive view of their network and network security, network security assessments can help business owners make informed decisions on proactive measures and procedures to better protect their systems.

Network security assessments vary, from vulnerability assessments which help organizations understand where their network weaknesses are to penetration tests, in which a mock attack is enacted to see how systems react. The kind of assessment your business needs will depend on a variety of different factors unique to your circumstances and system. No matter what kind of network security assessment your business receives, you will get important details on the health and well-being of your systems in order to create a safer network.

Who benefits from a network security assessment?

An outside assessment sees what an in-house team has stopped noticing.

Every business, regardless of size, should prioritize network security. It is nearly impossible to know how much of a negative impact a cybersecurity breach would have on your business without a network security assessment. That said, these assessments are a must for businesses in all industries.

However, some businesses may find that they are in more dire need of an assessment than others. These businesses include those that are subject to industry regulations for client and customer privacy, such as legal, health care, and financial industries. In addition, assessments are beneficial for businesses that experience any of the following:

Sudden or recent growth since the last assessment
IT systems and/or networks have begun to fail more frequently
Network configurations have recently been made
Important business decisions are looming, such as investing in new technology, assessing budget for IT departments, etc.

How can your business get a network security assessment?

Generally, you want to get a network security assessment from a reliable, experienced IT provider. If your business already has an in-house IT department, you might be wondering if they are able to perform your network security assessment. Although most IT departments are capable, experts agree that having an unbiased, third-party perspective can be extremely helpful in locating weak spots in the network and identifying potential risks.

If your business does not currently have an IT staff, a third-party provider can be contracted to perform a network security assessment and provide recommendations and service quotes based on what the assessment reveals. Whether your business chooses to use that provider for further services or not is up to you.

No matter what, the most important part of your network security assessment is ensuring that the provider is well educated in their field, experienced in network security, and trusted by other local businesses.

What a network security assessment usually covers

Inventory of devices, servers, cloud services and users.
Vulnerability scanning for missing patches and misconfigurations.
Firewall, wireless and remote access review.
User accounts, permissions and multi-factor authentication.
Backup and recovery readiness.
Optional penetration testing to simulate an attack.
A written report with risks ranked and recommended fixes.

Learn more about IS&T’s IT network assessments, network security and cybersecurity services, or read our guides to cybersecurity risk assessments and network security best practices.

Tell IS&T about your network and your concerns, and we will explain what an assessment would cover.

Where To Get A Network Security Assessment In Houston

What is a network security assessment?

Who benefits from a network security assessment?

How can your business get a network security assessment?

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a vulnerability assessment and a penetration test?

How often should a business get a network security assessment?

What happens after a network security assessment?