While nobody likes conducting audits, everyone understands the benefits regular assessments can provide your organization concerning information governance, assessing risk, managing compliance issues, identifying weaknesses and shoring up your defenses. However, many organizations prefer to keep this in-house, rather than looking for an external partner to assist in conducting the audit. Though understandable, it would be far more beneficial to bring in an outside partner. Here are three reasons why:

Reason #1 – You get the entire picture

Today, specialization exists within the many lines of business that make up an enterprise organization, as workers generally only work within their own departments—marketing, HR, sales and many others. And while this specialization is a vital part of the modern economy, it has some drawbacks—specifically, workers end up having a much less holistic view of an organization, since they are only involved with one aspect of it.
It falls on senior leadership to understand how all of the individual parts fit together, but this is often a challenge for a variety of reasons. Often, needed and necessary information is siloed within a specific department or group within the organization, impeding the decision-making process. Personal biases and office politics can rear their ugly head, getting in the way of making the right business decisions. And many leaders often feel a sense of ownership over departments or projects they oversee, which can—even unconsciously—affect the results of an audit.
Bringing in an external partner means you get a wholly unbiased and fair look at your entire organization. Their intent is to help you achieve your business goals and improve the business—and because they do not have skin in the game, you can trust that their recommendations are in line with those goals.

Reason 2 – They have the expertise

While your staff are more than capable in their current roles, chances are they may not be nearly as familiar with the in’s and out’s of conducting a proper security audit – or many have never conducted one before at all. Problems may also be downplayed as less important than they really are, or even swept under the rug entirely.
With an external assessment, you remove that element of the equation. The team you bring in does this sort of thing every single day and have likely seen things in other organizations that may help solve problems within your own. Plus, they have seen the implementation of best practices inside other businesses—invaluable knowledge that they can bring to your organization.

You may be tempted to rely on an audit by internal staff. Don’t be. Keeping up with patches, making sure OSes and applications are securely configured, and monitoring your defense systems is already more than a full-time job. And no matter how diligent you are, outsiders may well spot problems you’ve missed.

Reason 3 – The stakes are higher

Data breaches are not the only threat to your organization. Risk and compliance is also a huge potential vulnerability that could cost you millions. If your organization isn’t up to date on all of the regulatory and compliance updates, you could find yourself on the wrong side of the law. The potential results: significant fines, a big loss of brand equity and company reputation.
Maintaining a strong security posture has never been more important, and you cannot afford to leave it to chance. The right partner can provide you the peace of mind that your data security strategy is sound, your potential risk is low, and that you’re in compliance with all applicable regulations—and you just can’t put a price on that.
The best time to conduct a security assessment is right now. Find out how you can better protect your organization from these threats by booking a security assessment today.

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