If you have seen the movie Along Came Polly, chances are you are familiar with the term “Risk Assessment”. Risk assessment, however, is much more than avoiding manholes, opting out of skydiving adventures, or staying away from overly spicy foods. Rather, it’s a combination of many different factors that can potentially affect a company’s health and well being.
In technological terms…risk is a function of the probability of a threat capitalizing on the vulnerability of a system and impacting the system adversely.
The first process in evaluating risk is taking a look at the method in which a company manages risk. Yes, whether or not the CEO goes skydiving on a regular basis is an issue, but determining the extent of the potential threat and the risk associated with the threat to an IT system is the primary reason a company uses risk assessment. People trying to hack into your system is a far bigger issue than your operations manager eating spicy Indonesian cuisine(even if he is in the cubicle next to you). Identifying potential IT problems allows the company to implement appropriate controls for minimizing or eliminating the potential problem.
Each potential risk must be assessed and controls put in place to avoid a major problem. Any problem could critically harm an IT system within a company and negatively impact the company’s business performance and continuity.
Some managed IT services companies departments offer a solution that will help to protect your network and business assets from relentless threats, attacks and intrusions. One company that offers such a solution is Bay Pointe Technology in Richfield, Ohio.
With their customized Secure Pointe program, Bay Pointe assesses a company’s current situation and implements a security solution tailored to meet the company’s specific needs.
By contracting with an IT solutions provider, a company can operate with the confidence of knowing potential threats will be proactively monitored. The reduction of threat potential improves operational efficiency and reduces overall IT cost. And yes, it’s a lot more reliable and much safer than dodging manhole covers all day!
