In today’s fast-moving digital environment, cybersecurity audits aren’t a “nice to have”—they’re essential. Audits help small businesses understand where they’re strong, where they’re exposed, and what to fix first.
Why Audits Matter
Regular audits:
- Find vulnerabilities early before attackers do (misconfigurations, weak passwords, unpatched systems).
- Test real-world readiness by reviewing policies, controls, and response plans against current threats.
- Prioritise action so limited time and budget go to the highest-impact fixes.
What a Good Audit Covers
- Access & Identity: MFA use, privileged access controls, joiner/mover/leaver checks.
- Patching & Updates: operating system, apps, firmware, and third-party tools.
- Data Protection: classification, storage, sharing, and retention practices.
- Backups & Recovery: backup scope, frequency, isolation, and restore testing.
- Email & Web Security: phishing protections, safe browsing, attachment handling.
- Incident Response: roles, escalation paths, tabletop exercises, lessons learned.
- Third-Party Risk: vendor access reviews and contract/security assurances.
- User Awareness: training cadence, phishing simulations, reporting culture.
Compliance Without the Jargon
Many sectors require minimum security standards to protect sensitive data. Regular audits:
- Provide evidence that controls exist and work as intended.
- Reduce the risk of penalties and legal issues.
- Encourage consistent practices across the organisation.
How Often and When
- Baseline audit annually (or after major changes like cloud migrations or new systems).
- Targeted mini-audits quarterly for high-risk areas (e.g., access, backups, patching).
- Post-incident reviews to validate fixes and update playbooks.
Practical First Steps
- Define scope: choose systems, data types, and sites to review.
- Use a checklist: align with common frameworks (e.g., Essential Eight, NIST CSF) to avoid gaps.
- Collect evidence: settings, logs, screenshots, and test results.
- Rank findings: high/medium/low with owners and deadlines.
- Track progress: revisit items until closed; re-test critical fixes.
