There is no doubt that cybersecurity concerns are one of the most important threats facing organizations throughout the world. Any company that has any reliance on computer systems is a potential target. We know from our role in tech and security consulting that this uptick in reported ransomware attacks and data breaches demonstrates a clear and present danger.

Addressing security concerns in a fast-moving, ever-changing security landscape is a difficult challenge. As a result, many businesses are choosing to outsource this responsibility to a Technology Consulting firm. We will discuss the advantages of this approach and help you better understand the corrective actions necessary to remediate security issues.

What Is a Security Risk Assessment?

The first task to complete after outsourcing to a tech consulting firm is to conduct a detailed security risk assessment. This is a top-to-bottom review of the operations, systems, protocols and processes used in-house. It is a review of all technical, physical and administrative processes concerning cyber security that aims to identify, assess, mitigate and prevent existing and future risk.

Security consulting evaluates the current security landscape, with a goal set to identify the cybersecurity flaws and weaknesses of the business. Outsourcing provides an unbiased, independent appraisal of the organization’s security posture.

When a security assessment is performed, all in-scope technology is evaluated to identify any security-gaps. Additional scans and reviews will help assess the exposure of existing technologies, and can even reveal compromised usernames, passwords, and emails affiliated with the organization. A plan is created with this data to mitigate and prevent future exposure, and ultimately reduce risk.

What Is Remediation?

The corrective actions taken after a security risk is identified help businesses plan for the unexpected. With tech consulting, remediation is an ongoing initiative that dictates how to monitor and detect cybersecurity risks, as well as incident response planning for handling a cybersecurity attack should the worst happen.

The remediation process also determines if the existing and proposed security solutions are capable of repelling cyberattacks. This process happens during the initial phases (scanning/data collection) typically, and not during remediation. Technology experts conduct internal and external vulnerability scans using the tools necessary to discover any vulnerabilities and exploitable services. 

Vulnerability scans assist in determining the plan that can be drawn up to harden your company’s infrastructure, determine where sensitive data is stored, what encryption methods are needed and how to recover services in a disaster recovery situation. Technical audits and reporting are often recommended. These remediation activities allow you to measure the success of newly introduced security processes, track progress and technology upgrades and plan future activities. 

What Are the Advantages to Security Consulting?

There are many distinct advantages to security consulting and outsourcing. It instantly connects you to a team of dedicated technology consultants, around-the-clock support and the ability to bridge the skills gap of your employees. The ability to educate and train company employees about the latest threats in cybersecurity helps to close potentially significant weaknesses in-house. This greatly reduces the risk of harm to business operations in the short and long term. 

Cyber security requires extensive monitoring and logging to build awareness of new and existing threats. As a Tech Consulting Firm, Afidence takes this burden away from internal IT teams and can provide a fresh unbiased perspective to the organization’s security posture.

We help to promote a proactive approach to security and reduce the risk of making mistakes. Contact us to perform a security assessment for your business.