The illusion of security in IT is as fragile as a spiders-web; especially for a company that is built upon a shaky IT infrastructure. Even if the infrastructure of a company has been built up over time, as growth occurs, as does the need for added security and an increase in infrastructure. To keep your IT systems running smoothly, the IT team should always ensure that networks, security, access permissions, and applications, are always working as they should. This is where an IT network audit becomes paramount. IT network audits assess the overall IT infrastructure of a given company and determine where exactly security risks and technical frailties lie. Easy and painless, there are five key reasons why every company should utilize network audits.
Discover Inefficiencies In Infrastructure
One of the most important features of network auditing software is discovering inefficiencies or areas in which your IT infrastructure can improve. Odds are, there is at least one area of your infrastructure where there is a need for improvement. Let’s say you have a single computer on the network with lagging memory space. Simply upgrading the memory would increase performance and give the end-user a boost. Another discovery is incorrect system settings or substandard security configurations. Each is a relatively inexpensive fix that can boost network performance and ensure optimum security.
Protect Against Data Loss
For a company, loss of data can be a time-consuming hassle fraught with worry. A simple IT audit can find simple upgrades that can help to eliminate potential data loss and bring peace-of-mind. Without data loss prevention in place, employees can lose the valuable work or data that they have been investing time in for hours or even days.
Locate Outdated Hardware
For many companies with large, IT infrastructures a standard standing issue is that of outdated hardware. Outdated hardware can slow down network speeds and frustrate users who are inundated with lagging computers. The right IT network auditing software can locate outdated hardware within the network. As a result, you can update the hardware and integrate newer faster components. Auditing software can also find discs that are close to full capacity and help to craft a big-picture plan to upgrade IT infrastructure. This allows you to put focus on how to continually improve the entire network.
Know Which Software Is In Use
Every employee has the capacity to install software on the network. Unfortunately, this means that any number of programs can be taking up valuable space. Moreover, employees have the potential to install software that could be made for sharing illegal files or those that aren’t relevant to the work at hand. A complete audit can help to locate what software has been installed and how it is being used. You can remove software that is unnecessary and increase space on the network.
Increase in Company Productivity
Security aside, one of the most detrimental hits a company can take is a downturn in overall productivity. While you can’t always control the work ethic of staff, you can ascertain some degree of control over the IT network itself. For example, if a network frequently goes down or is unavailable, this effect’s a staff’s ability to work efficiently. That’s the money going down the drain. An IT audit can help you be proactive to potential IT issues before they occur, giving you a proactive edge over those who run reactive IT infrastructure.
