If you’re tasked with conducting a cybersecurity audit, or if your insurance company or board of directors has requested one, understanding the difference between a cybersecurity audit and a cybersecurity assessment is crucial. Though they may sound similar, they provide distinct types of information and outcomes, that can significantly impact your organisation’s security posture.

In essence, a compliance audit, in Information Security also known as an external audit, is a comprehensive review of a company’s adherence to regulatory guidelines. These audits help to identify weaknesses in compliance processes, providing recommendations for remediation and improvements that ultimately enable your business to leverage compliance as a competitive advantage.

ICS’s Audit Services

Cyber Essentials a First Step in Foundation Compliance

At ICS, we believe that getting the basics right is the cornerstone of successful security audits. Cyber Essentials, the government-backed scheme, enables businesses just starting out to leverage this compliance framework to establish good basic processes and cyber hygiene. This paves the way for a baseline security posture ahead of progressing to more comprehensive compliance and security audits.

As certified IASME assessors for Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials, we offer expert guidance and comprehensive consultancy services at every step of certification process.

Cyber Essentials Certified

The base level self-assessment and questionnaire, that gives you protection against the most common cyber threats.

Find out more about Cyber Essentials

Cyber Essentials Plus Certified

This is a more advanced programme. The protections you need to put in place are the same, but the assessment process includes technical verification by an ICS Assessor.

Find out more about Cyber Essentials Plus

Benefits of Security Audits

Our assessors offer a variety of compliance assessments and security auditing services to help your business maintain and benefit from compliance. In addition to gaining a competitive advantage, your business will benefit in several ways, including:

Enhanced Business Strategies:  Regulatory compliance creates peace of mind, providing a process driven roadmap that supports business growth.

Improved Reputation: Because an audit is carried out by an external third party, it provides customers, clients and business partners with a level of assurance about your organisations regulatory and security posture.

Risk Mitigation: Security audits help to mitigate risks by identifying vulnerabilities and weaknesses in systems and processes. By assessing and addressing these issues, the audit helps to improve security measures, reducing the business impact of a potential breach.