How to Do a Business Connectivity (Network) Audit

How well do you know your business broadband network? For many business owners, the answer might be ‘not very,’ which could lead to problems for their business later on. 

Being online has never been more important for businesses. Indeed, many are now completely dependent on being online to be able to trade at all. Regardless of the proportion of your trade that comes in via your website, you also need to know about any cracks in your infrastructure. Data and security leaks can be ruinous, which is where a network audit comes into play. 

What is a Network Audit?

Network auditing refers to a range of measures adopted to gather, study, and analyse data about a network in order to ascertain its current health in relation to business requirements. It provides insight into the effectiveness of current network practices and control measures, especially the state of compliance with regulations and policies.

There are several different types of network audits. Network infrastructures are becoming increasingly complex as customer requirements grow and data volumes rapidly escalate. Regular audits will ensure that any bottlenecks can be identified and all assets are fully up to date. 

Infrastructure audits can cover both hardware and software. Hardware audits include checks of PCs, servers, mobile devices, routers, switches, and wireless access points. In modern networks, software usually consists of applications and the operating systems that host them, plus any software-designed networking components, which could include firewalls, for example. 

You can also perform other, more granular forms of audit. A network security audit, for example, will focus on how robust your network is against external threats, while performance and availability audits will look at how well your network traffic flows and ensure that networks can always be accessed by those who need them to complete tasks and responsibilities.

What is a Business Connectivity Audit? Is it the Same as a Network Audit?

A business connectivity audit isn’t quite the same as a network audit, and the phrase is now starting to fade from use. While a network audit is a comprehensive review of all your network protocols, a business connectivity audit will primarily be concerned with ongoing issues with network outages, latency problems, or connectivity to the Internet.

Key Components of a Connectivity (Network) Audit

Inventory of network devices

When auditing network infrastructure, start with the physical hardware. Identify all of the switches, routers, PCs, servers, mobile devices, and wireless access points on your network. Be sure, too, to distinguish between on-premises and remote hardware. Keep in mind that many devices (such as an employee’s personal phone) may be connected only intermittently to your network.

In a modern business environment, your employees will almost certainly bring their personal devices to work with them and connect to the network. This can lead to slower speeds, increased bandwidth demand, and increased vulnerability to potential security threats. As such, managing this practice carefully is essential. 

Network performance assessment

The demands on networks are increasing every day, and proper network performance measurement is now more important than ever. Effective network performance translates into improved user satisfaction, whether that be internal employee efficiency or customer-facing network components such as an e-commerce website.

Network performance measurement assessments can be defined as the overall set of processes and tools for quantitatively and qualitatively assessing network performance and providing actionable data to remediate any network performance issues.

Security vulnerabilities check

A penetration (or pen) test is when a security expert examines the network as a hacker would, looking for vulnerabilities and ways to exploit them. It’s best if the pen tester has little or no prior knowledge of how a company secures its network. Then, the information they have at the start of the exercise is as close as possible to a hacker’s.

Penetration tests can have various goals. For example, the tester may perform them from within the company, taking the position of a disgruntled employee. In other cases, everything happens off the organisation’s property, with the pen tester working remotely. The pen test is a helpful part of a network audit because it gives insight into what hackers could do if given the opportunity. This helps IT be more targeted and proactive and fix those weaknesses before a real-life hack occurs.

Compliance with standards and regulations

Network compliance refers to adhering to rules, regulations, and standards to ensure your organisation's network infrastructure operates securely and efficiently. Compliance is not merely a box to be checked; it is a strategic imperative that can impact your business reputation, financial stability, and even, in extreme cases, legal standing.

Steps to Conduct a Network Audit

Planning the audit

Before you start, you’ll need to set objectives and scope for your audit. What are you looking to test for, and how far do you intend to go? Much of the work will be done by software, so be careful to select the right network audit tools for the job you want to complete. 

Data Collection

Before you start, ensure that data collection tools are the right ones for the job (see below), and present the data captured in a way you can understand. 

Data Analysis

Bandwidth, latency, jitter, packet loss, throughput, and availability are all important performance data points that can help system administrators identify and resolve network issues, improve network performance, and plan for future network needs, but what does this jargon mean? 

Bandwidth measures the amount of data that can be transferred over a network in a given time.

Latency measures the time a data packet travels from one point to another in a network. 

Jitter is the variation in latency between different data packets in a network. 

Packet loss is the percentage of data packets that are lost or discarded in a network due to errors, congestion, or interference. 

Throughput is the rate of successful data transfer over a network. 

Availability is the percentage of time that a network is operational and accessible.

Reporting

Once you’ve got all your data together, you’ll need to compile so that you understand your findings and can use them to make recommendations to other decision-makers within your organisation. Make sure that your findings and recommendations are clear. It is far from guaranteed that anyone you show your findings to will understand their implications as well as you do. 

Essential Audit Tools

It's vital to ensure that the most appropriate networking tools are being used, as the previous solution may not be the most suitable for an upcoming project. 

N-able N-sight

N-able N-sight is a cloud-based remote monitoring and risk management tool that enables a central IT department to manage several sites simultaneously. Many businesses need to track data used for data security standards compliance, and getting data access tracking built into a monitoring tool is a great help. N-able N-sight has network security auditing tools built in to make your system compliant with standards such as PCI-DSS.

SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager

SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager is a device configuration and auditing tool for managing network device configurations. It allows you to deploy configurations to devices inside your network and view unauthorised or incorrect configurations.

Intruder

Intruder is a vulnerability scanner delivered from the cloud. The basic function of the service is to perform a monthly scan of each customer’s system and launch intermediate scans if a new threat is added to the service’s threat intelligence database.

ManageEngine Vulnerability Manager Plus

ManageEngine Vulnerability Manager Plus is a security system that scans a system for weaknesses, documents them, and then implements measures to remove them. The system looks at installed software and device settings to identify weaknesses that hackers are known to exploit. These checks extend to endpoints and network appliances.

Atera

Atera is a package of services and monitoring and management tools for remote systems. The Software as a Service (SaaS) platform also has a section of utilities designed for use by the management team of a managed service provider. Among all of the tools in this bundle is a reporting facility that can generate a range of system audit reports.

Netwrix Auditor

Netwrix Auditor is network security auditing software that monitors configuration changes in your environment. Through the dashboard, you can view information on system changes, including Action, Who, What, When, and Where. This information provides everything you need to know about the nature of the changes and what happened.

The key to picking the right software tools is to know what you are auditing for and then tailor your search to that end. 

How to Audit Network Infrastructure

1. Define the scope

The first step in the auditing process is to define the scope of your audit. To do this you must make a list of all your assets. For this audit, you should include all devices that may handle or secure data (both on-site and off-site). This would include computers, firewalls, servers, mobile devices, and more. Next, consider things that would require time and/or money to fix, such as data, equipment, and facilities. Give yourself ample time to compile this list, and consider bringing in another team member to help you avoid overlooking anything important. Once you have your list, you must decide on the actual scope of the audit. It is unreasonable to expect you to audit all of these things at once. Create two more lists: things you will audit and things you won’t. Choose your most valuable assets to put into the audit list. These items will receive your focus for the remainder of the audit.

2. Assess threats

Next, take your audit list – the list of valuable assets you decided on in Step 1 – and begin making a corresponding list of threats and potential threats. You may have multiple threats for each asset item on the list, and some threats may be duplicated. The important thing is to be thorough.

3. Evaluate security performance

Now that you have your lists of assets and corresponding threats, it is time to think about how your security performs. Look at each threat on the list and consider your current cybersecurity setup. You need to evaluate your company’s ability to respond to each of these threats. This is where some external help can be very helpful. Bringing in an outside provider to do penetration testing or otherwise assess your security performance is highly recommended to give you an honest, unbiased assessment of the state of your network security.

4. Prioritise risks

Once you know where your network’s weaknesses are and what the biggest threats are to your infrastructure, you need to prioritise the risks. This is a crucial step. Take your list of threats and any information gleaned from your security performance assessment and consider how much damage each item can cause, as well as the likelihood of occurrence and the cost of recovery. Using this risk information, re-prioritise your list. Consider your organisation’s history, industry trends, compliance requirements, customer relationships, and staff needs.

5. Formulate solutions

The final step is the most straightforward. Now that you have the critical details, direct insight and a list of priorities, it is time to act on that information. Starting at the top of your priority list, work through what security adjustments or improvements you need to address the assessed risks. Don’t overlook the value of “basic” fixes like employee education, strong password policies, and regularly backing up your files.

Understanding Network Security Audits

A network security audit comprehensively assesses a business’s network infrastructure and security posture. Its primary goal is identifying vulnerabilities, weaknesses, and potential security risks that cybercriminals could exploit. 

Organisations can enhance their overall security by conducting regular audits, safeguarding critical assets (such as data, systems, and devices), and proactively addressing potential threats. To perform a network security audit, follow these steps: 

1. Define the Scope: Clearly outline the audit’s boundaries, including which systems, devices, and networks will be assessed.

2. Review Existing Policies and Procedures: Evaluate security policies, access controls, and incident response plans. Ensure alignment with industry standards and best practices.

3. Create an Inventory and Classify Assets: Create an inventory of network assets (servers, routers, switches, etc.) and classify them based on their criticality and sensitivity.

4. Evaluate Risk: Identify potential risks and threats. Assess the impact and likelihood of each risk.

5. Conduct Vulnerability Scans: Use automated tools to scan for vulnerabilities. Address identified weaknesses promptly.

6. Review Access Controls: Verify user access rights and Remove unnecessary privileges.

7. Evaluate Incident Response Plans: Assess your business readiness to handle security incidents. Review incident response playbooks.

8. Test Security Measures: Perform penetration testing (ethical hacking) to identify exploitable vulnerabilities and validate the effectiveness of security controls.

Common Challenges in Network and Connectivity Audits and How to Overcome Them

Misconfigurations

Misconfigurations in software, cloud services, or network settings can create security gaps. Mitigation: Use tools to automate configuration processes and reduce human error. Conduct regular security audits to identify and rectify misconfigurations.

Unsecured APIs

Attackers can exploit insecure application programming interfaces (APIs). Mitigation: Secure APIs by implementing proper authentication, authorisation, and encryption. Continuously assess API security.

Zero-Day Vulnerabilities

Zero-day vulnerabilities are unknown flaws that can be exploited before available patches. To mitigate them, security patches should be applied promptly, and vulnerability databases should be monitored for emerging threats.

Unpatched Software

Outdated software with known vulnerabilities poses a risk. Mitigation: Regularly update software to address known security issues. Focus on critical patches first.

Weak Authentication

Weak passwords or default credentials can lead to unauthorised access. Mitigation: Enforce complex password requirements and implement MFA (Multi-Factor Authorisation) to enhance authentication security.

Insufficient Network Segmentation

A lack of isolation between network segments can allow lateral movement for attackers. Mitigation: Divide networks based on sensitivity, restrict lateral access, and limit communication between segments.

Lack of Encryption

Unencrypted data transmission exposes sensitive information. Mitigation: Employ TLS/SSL encryption protocols for data in transit and encrypt stored data.

Your business can proactively strengthen its security position and protect critical assets by addressing these vulnerabilities proactively.  

Whether ensuring the quality of your customer experience or protecting your business from bad actors, network audits are a key part of your armoury. This era of hyper-connectivity brings enormous opportunities for businesses to penetrate marketplaces they’d never have thought possible. 

This comes with risks, but with vigilance and care, your business can take advantage of the benefits of this brave new world while minimising the risks. There’s no doubt about the importance of having the right business broadband package, but you also need to look after it once it’s up and running if you’re ever going to get the most out of it!