The midyear point is the perfect opportunity to step back and assess your IT infrastructure. An audit evaluates your system’s performance, uncovers potential risks, and helps align your IT strategy with your business goals. But where do you start?
In this article, we’ll walk you through the importance of regular IT infrastructure audits and the key areas to assess during your midyear review.
Why audit your IT infrastructure specifically?
IT infrastructure drives your core operations, from enabling team collaboration and running business applications to handling customer data and processing transactions. Over time, small issues can snowball: outdated software may open security gaps, slow servers can affect productivity, and overextended cloud resources can drive up costs.
A midyear audit helps you spot these and other issues early. You can identify unpatched systems, review access controls, evaluate storage and bandwidth usage, and make sure backup and disaster recovery plans are still effective. It’s also a chance to assess whether your current setup can support upcoming projects or growth targets for the second half of the year.
What to review in your midyear IT infrastructure audit
Every business operates differently, making each audit unique, but there are key areas that every IT audit should address.
Network performance
Your network keeps communication and data flowing smoothly throughout your organization. When it slows down, it can impact everything from how your team works to the experience your customers receive. To audit your network performance, examine:
- Bandwidth usage: Monitor for periods of congestion or unexpected spikes in bandwidth consumption, which can cause slowdowns. Aim to identify when bandwidth usage exceeds normal limits or peaks during specific times.
- Latency: Measure response times for applications, particularly for real-time services such as VoIP or video conferencing. Latency issues are typically noticeable when response times exceed 100 milliseconds.
- Packet loss: Check for signs of data disruptions, such as choppy audio, video lag, or slow data transfer speeds. Packet loss over just 1% can significantly affect application performance, especially for voice and video services.
- Error rate: Track transmission errors such as dropped packets or corrupted data. A higher-than-normal error rate may indicate issues needing immediate attention, such as poor cable connections, faulty hardware, or network congestion.
- Security protocols: Confirm that firewalls, VPNs, and network monitoring tools are configured correctly and up to date. Regularly check for software patches and vulnerability fixes to prevent security breaches.
Data security and backup systems
With data breaches becoming more common, you need to keep your security and backup systems strong and up to date. Start by making sure your anti-malware tools are running the latest versions. Then, test your backup systems to see how quickly and reliably they can replicate and restore your data. Finally, review access controls to verify that only authorized personnel can retrieve sensitive information.
Cloud services and subscriptions
If you use cloud services, determine if they deliver enough value to justify the cost by examining:
- Usage vs. cost: Are you utilizing all the cloud storage and features you’re paying for? Adjust computing resources and payment plans as needed to avoid overspending.
- Integration: Poor integration can lead to inefficiencies, so make sure your cloud services work well together.
- Security settings: Check whether your cloud provider complies with industry security standards, such as end-to-end encryption and access controls, to safeguard your sensitive data from breaches or unauthorized access.
Hardware
While cloud services are prevalent, many businesses still rely on physical hardware, housed either on premises or at a colocation center. Make sure to review:
- Hardware performance: Identify failing components, such as outdated processors or overheating servers, to determine whether they need repair or replacement.
- Inventory tracking: Create or update records of your hardware’s age, warranties, and condition to plan replacements proactively.
- Physical security: Check that your on-premises infrastructure is protected against theft and natural disasters.
Software and systems updates
Outdated software not only slows down performance but also poses a significant cybersecurity risk to businesses. As part of your audit, check that all critical applications have the latest security patches and updates installed. Uninstall or replace outdated programs that are no longer supported by the manufacturer with updates. Also, confirm that all devices and teams are using approved, authorized software.
Compliance and legal requirements
Failure to comply with cybersecurity and data privacy regulations can put you in legal jeopardy. During your audit, ensure:
- Regulatory alignment: Check compliance with standards such as HIPAA, PCI DSS, or other regulations relevant to your industry.
- Updated documentation: Verify that all your IT policies, recovery plans, and procedures are current to the latest regulation updates.
- Audit trails: Maintain clear, well-documented records of your compliance measures to present during inspections.
Key tips for a successful audit
Now that you know what to cover, here are a few tips to simplify the audit process:
- Set clear objectives: Define the purpose of your audit. Whether it’s to assess security, performance, compliance, or all of the above, clear goals help focus your efforts and prevent wasted time and resources.
- Collaborate with departments: Work with team leads to understand how their departments interact with IT systems to uncover bottlenecks and pain points.
- Document findings: Keep clear, detailed records of your observations throughout the audit. These notes serve as important reference points for future audits.
- Automate where possible: Leverage tools such as system monitoring dashboards and vulnerability scanners to reduce manual effort. Automation saves time and minimizes the risk of human error during audits.
Stay ahead — don’t wait for a crisis
An IT crisis shouldn’t be the moment you discover weaknesses in your infrastructure. By conducting a midyear audit, you can catch issues early, reduce risk, and proactively prepare your systems for the challenges ahead.For expert advice on auditing your IT infrastructure, especially if you use cloud or colocated servers, contact us today at Liberty Center One.