Cybersecurity is a vital concern for all businesses, and as more firms cede a degree of control over their data by embracing cloud technology, the risks grow. It’s been predicted that cloud service providers could be the next big target for hacking in the next year, so all businesses need to take a closer look and assess the security of their cloud solutions.
That's where a full security audit comes in. This activity is an essential step in making sure you have an objective, qualitative and quantitative overview of the risks and security implications of your system.
Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) is one of the most familiar types of cloud computing, with some estimates suggesting it's used by 99% of firms. But this can be a problem in itself.
With the tools so ubiquitous and easy to access, you'll need to make sure the solutions you've chosen meet your security needs. In many cases, large organizations may not even be aware of how many SaaS services they're running or have evaluated their suitability for enterprise use, so an audit is vital in identifying any risks such as shadow IT.
Auditing your solutions helps you develop a full understanding of your tools and identify any weaknesses before they become a problem. But it goes beyond that - a security audit also helps build confidence in your business and ensures you’re complying with required security protocols.
A good audit will show your relative strengths and weaknesses, security policies, user access control systems and can help prevent security issues before they happen.
So what are the steps you need to take to conduct a successful SaaS security audit? Here are five key things to be aware of.
An early step is whether you're going to conduct an internal or an external audit. Internal audits offer a quicker and cheaper way to get started. External auditors, meanwhile, may be an expensive option, but the unbiased eye and deep expertise they provide is often invaluable.
You should also decide whether to do a manual or automated audit. With manual processes, the auditor will interview employees, conduct security and vulnerability scans, evaluate physical access to systems and analyze your applications. It's lengthy, but typically very thorough. Automated tools, on the other hand, use software to analyze your infrastructure, and can give you a better idea of where any technical weaknesses lie.