What is a Network Assessment and Why Do You Need One?

by Tashina

Have you ever considered a network assessment for your business but are not sure what exactly it does and how it benefits your business?

A network assessment is a detailed report and analysis of an organisation’s IT infrastructure, security, processes, management, and performance. The purpose of an assessment is to identify the areas that need improvement and to get a detailed overview of a network’s current state. Thus, helping companies in making informed business decisions.

A network assessment may be needed when either an organisation’s IT assets have grown and need regular monitoring, or when one or more of the IT components have started malfunctioning.

Network Assessment: Does My Business Need One?

Let’s have a look at how network assessments can benefit a business

1. In-Depth Analysis of IT Infrastructure

From topology maps to traffic patterns, it can help in making informed decisions about network upgrades and maintenance. The IT team can ensure that systems are working optimally by gaining insight into weaknesses and capabilities and maintenance of current network assets.

2. Creating a Strategic Roadmap

After gaining visibility into the current state, the IT team can consolidate, simplify and automate the network. It is easier to move forward with a  clear roadmap to a virtualised, modern and software-defined infrastructure. In turn, this saves time and the team can focus on other strategic activities.

3. Improvement in Security

Without having complete visibility into the network, it is not easy to defend against cyberattacks.  A Network assessment also uncovers how people and processes interact with the network. It helps design a preventive and proactive security strategy for the organisation.

4. Potential to Save Costs

In a conventional computing environment, capacity is provisioned on the basis of estimated resource requirements. Hence, it often often results in expensive resources being idle or in not having enough capacity. Furthermore, network assessments help design new network architectures including cloud computing. Thus, cloud allows the usage of as much or as little capacity as required and only paying for the resources you utilise.

5. Identification of Protocol Enhancements

A network assessment exposes vulnerabilities in current systems and uncovers opportunities to improve. For example, when accessing data on a flat network, a data breach can quickly spread. By segmenting the network, the attack has limited impact.

A third-party service partner that conducts a network assessment can provide objective unbiased recommendations. Thus helping to achieve improved security and capacity planning.

Network Pen Test Quote

If you are looking for a network penetration test quote, Aardwolf security can fulfil your requirement. Get in touch today to find out more or use our interactive pen test quote form.

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