How to establish security systems auditing processes

For pretty much all businesses, security systems will play a central role in protecting employees, customers, premises, and all sorts of valuable assets. Ensuring that the systems you’ve chosen remain effective in the face of constantly evolving and emerging threats is no simple task, and will require you to conduct regular, in-depth systems audits. 

Below, we outline the general stages that will need to be included in this process, from an assessment of vulnerabilities to choosing and implementing solutions that cater to the security gaps you manage to identify. 

Assess security vulnerabilities

One of the first steps in the security systems auditing process is to assess your security vulnerabilities. 

Using this as a foundation will allow you to properly determine whether or not the systems you have are actually effective, preventing a more abstract analysis that would likely provide very few insights into whether your current system works or not. 

Assess vulnerabilities across the board, breaking it down into small sections. These should cover everything from data management practices to building access, and just because a vulnerability hasn’t yet been exploited, don’t fall into a false sense of security. 

Review your existing systems

Next, you can review the efficacy of your existing security systems in light of those security risks.

Depending on how long it has been since you implemented those solutions, it is very possible that entirely new threats have emerged in the interim period, such as hacking techniques that have been facilitated by advances in AI.

It can sometimes help to bring in an external party to carry out this review, so that you don’t inadvertently overlook vulnerabilities that you have misplaced faith in.

Look for gaps

As you review your existing system, you should be able to identify a range of security gaps. Obviously, the fewer, the better, but you need to be honest with yourselves.

You can categorise those security gaps and their related risks by determining both the damage they could cause to your business and the probability that they will occur. Threats that are particularly damaging and have a high probability of occurrence should obviously be prioritised. 

Implement solutions

Based on the gaps you identify between the threats you’re facing and your current security systems, you can look for and then implement security solutions as necessary. 

For example, if your existing strategy for key management is to throw them all in a single cabinet that’s locked with an old padlock, you might determine that investing in a smart key cabinet from somewhere like Traka would be an effective solution. 

Starting your search for solutions after having carried out those prior steps will make it much easier and increase the chances that you’re actually directing your efforts in the right place. 

Carrying out regular security system audits will make it less likely that massive security issues are able to emerge unnoticed, while also reducing the number of changes you have to implement after each audit. Come up with a defined process, and then repeat and adapt that process at regular intervals to keep your business as safe as possible.

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