As an outsource security partner BAI provides managed security, managed firewall, managed ids, content filtering, internet security, network security, penetration testing, and vulnerability testing.

It stands to reason that a company or bank should audit its IT Security, but who should be in charge of this decision within the company. For most companies the people making this decision are the very people who are responsible for the IT environment. The decision to Audit the External and Internal computer environment for vulnerabilities should be made at the executive level with the results reported to the Audit committee for management and review with IT.

A firm specializing in IT Security Auditing should be retained by the company to conduct the audit. The decision to Audit the IT Department is fast becoming law with new requirements under the Gram-Leach-Biley Act and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 mandating corporate governance requirements and data protection of customer information. These laws coupled with new state laws, as well as SEC rules mandate certain activities in the careful stewardship of company assets. The discovery and remediation of risk to company assets necessitates an audit of the IT function.

The IT Audit is sometimes lumped-in with other Audit functions or with a firm that conducts the financial audit or conducts consulting projects for the company. In many cases, this “Audit” is nothing more than a cursory review of policy and procedures with little or no active scanning or Exploit testing of the technical environment. An Audit of IT Security is a highly technical activity which requires special skills in the detection of vulnerabilities within the computer environment. Security is a highly specialized function within IT which requires specialized training and course work to understand the complexities of the risk. A company that performs these test must have years of experience and should have performed hundreds of these risk assessments in order to accurately evaluate your IT environment.

The computer and the Internet have changed the way business is conducted for virtually every business in the world. These tools are valuable company assets and along with the individuals that manage these tools and require constant care and review to maintain their viability for the company. IT Executives should welcome the opportunity of an Audit of their IT environment. Any potential weakness should be viewed as an opportunity to save valuable company resources.