Why carry out a IT security risk assessment?

Risk assessment – the process of identifying, analysing and evaluating risk – is the only way to ensure that the IT security controls you choose are appropriate to the risks your organisation faces.

You require an IT risk assessment in order to apply appropriate and proportionate controls to risks in order to reduce the likelihood and impact to the business.

A IT security risk assessment identifies the various information assets that could be affected by a cyber attack (such as hardware, systems, laptops, customer data and intellectual property), and then identifies the various risks that could affect those assets.

It is important to continually monitor and review the risk environment to detect any changes in the context of the organisation, and to maintain an overview of the complete risk management process.