A Cybersecurity Gap Assessment is essential even if you’ve got Internal IT. What is a cybersecurity gap assessment? It’s a tool that identifies critical issues and security risks in your organization and is the first step in the business journey to cybersecurity. Let’s learn more!
What is A Cybersecurity Gap Assessment?
Most people in the business world are familiar with SWOT analysis. A cybersecurity gap assessment is similar. Considering specific industry standards, the evaluation will examine your company’s IT environment for security gaps.
The assessment will analyze the organization, from current systems and tools to staff and employee security processes, including how the business handles access for new hires and terminations.
It’s important to remember that there’s a difference between a cybersecurity gap assessment and a risk assessment. The gap assessment will point out system shortfalls concerning industry standards, while the risk assessment will tell you what attacks can happen and which controls are best to implement to defend against those attacks.
ONE2 ONE uses the NIST framework to identify where your business falls short. Then we create solutions to put into place to defend against attacks.
But What is NIST Gap Analysis?
The U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework establishes and continually updates recommended cybersecurity best practices. ONE 2 ONE uses the NIST framework as a guide to assess and implement cybersecurity plans, so you’re always getting the most up-to-date protection around the clock.
The NIST Framework is based on five critical functions engineered around prevention and reaction to cybersecurity events. It’s designed to be easily understood and define the desired outcomes of managing and reducing cybersecurity risk. The framework is segmented into five key areas.
5 Key Functions of NIST
- Identify = This first key function will help you understand how to manage cybersecurity risks to systems, assets, data, and capabilities.
- Protect = In this second function, you’ll learn how to implement safeguards to ensure the delivery of critical services.
- Detect = Function three consists of developing methods to identify a cybersecurity event.
- Respond = In the Respond function, you define what actions to take when a cybersecurity event is detected.
- Recover = The Recover function identifies which services should focus on resilience and restore any capabilities or services impaired due to a cybersecurity incident.
Why is a Cybersecurity Gap Assessment Important?
Completing a NIST assessment is critical to your business’s success in preventing cybersecurity incidents. This powerful tool allows you to come away with actionable items to address gaps in your current IT environment.
The NIST assessment aims to provide results that are accessible to anyone, regardless of their technical expertise, so anyone on your team can understand the actions needed to address cybersecurity gaps. Your business will come away with a living document highlighting the gaps and the services required to address those gaps.
Another essential feature of the NIST is its adaptability to many technologies, business sectors, and uses. Many perspectives guide the assessment, including private, academic, and public sectors. Once you complete the assessment, you’ll know how your business compares to others in your industry.
How ONE 2 ONE Can Help
At ONE 2 ONE, we understand that, as a business executive, you’re concerned about cybersecurity but don’t always have a plan. The first step in developing a security strategy is a gap assessment. This assessment will determine the “gaps” or holes in your company’s security posture and explain what you need to do to fill those gaps.
ONE 2 ONE wants to ensure you are compliant, so you can show your clients that you take data security seriously.
The ONE 2 ONE Process
Assess
The first step is conducting a ONE 2 ONE NIST Assessment to identify critical issues and security risks. This self-assessment walks you through technical, procedural, and organizational questions to document your risk areas so we can assess and create a plan to eliminate the threats.
Plan
Using your ONE 2 ONE NIST Assessment, we create a customized plan to address the critical and high-risk areas to optimize your cybersecurity. Your plan lays a practical roadmap for immediately reducing risk and developing a long-term risk management program.
Implement
Using your customized plan as our guide, we implement best-in-class technology services and solutions to eliminate and mitigate cybersecurity risks in your organization. During the initial implementation phase, we aim to cut your cybersecurity risks in half, and it only keeps improving.