The headlines are littered with the names of businesses that have experienced serious IT failures. And it’s not pretty. Whether attributable to computer hardware or software issues, natural disasters, human error or external malicious behavior, any interruption of IT functionality can result in permanent business-altering repercussions that affect profitability, and in some cases, sustainability of the organization itself. Even the smallest interruptions can result in lost market share, lost brand reputation, lost shareholder confidence, and lost jobs.

The risks are high because the success of most organizations, regardless of industry, regardless of size, is now directly tied to IT. Every department, from sales and marketing to human resources and customer service, is dependent upon a fully functioning computing infrastructure to share information internally and externally, much of it extremely confidential. If an organization’s leaders don’t have an understanding of their IT investments, if they don’t realize the impact of IT risks, if they haven’t identified potential threats and put in place plans to protect against and recover from IT failures, there will be consequences.

The solution is to understand, address, and manage risk associated with the organization’s IT infrastructure. This is where InfoSec Advisors’ IT Risk Management can help.

IT failures are part of business

Think IT failures won’t occur in your organization? The truth is, half of all companies experience two hours of downtime each week. Two of five companies that have an IT disaster go out of business within five years. Yet nearly 50 percent of companies don’t have a disaster recovery plan. With the help of InfoSec Advisors, interruptions can be minimized or avoided.

Leading causes of IT disasters:

Power outages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72%
Computer hardware failures . . . . . . 52%
Telecommunications failure . . . . . . 46%
Software issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43%
Human error . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34%

–The Gartner Group

At last, a business approach to IT risk management

The role of IT has been elevated from an enabler of business to a strategic business driver. Still, many organizations struggle with bridging the gap between technology and core business imperatives. Investment in technology must be practical; it must advance not hinder an organization’s ability to succeed.

InfoSec Advisors recognizes the often unintentional, but all too real disconnects that can occur within an organization. That’s why we focus on aligning IT with our clients’ overall business goals and objectives and mitigating the risk of IT failures. We accomplish this by helping clients approach and leverage IT for what it is, a mission-critical business function.

And therein lies the significant difference of InfoSec Advisors and the results we achieve for our clients. InfoSec Advisors’ consultants are former business leaders and chief information officers from the public and private sector. We understand how IT works and should work to leverage hardware, software, and human resources thereby increasing the return on investment. Yet the results of our consulting engagements address far more than the organization’s technology. We take into account people, processes, threats and vulnerabilities; and provide actionable, measurable execution plans.

Finally, we speak the language of business so as we work with client management teams and present findings and recommendations, IT becomes relevant and leaders clearly see how to align, harness, and protect the power of their IT investments to the benefit of the organization at large.

An overview of IT risk management consulting services

IT security is an ongoing process that involves senior management ownership. InfoSec Advisors’ consulting engagements are structured to fulfill the individual requirements of the client, addressing immediate and long-term strategies. We take into account federal regulations and industry standards that dictate how an organization must conduct its business. Understanding new hardware and software applications as well as the latest tactics of those who seek to compromise technology also are top priorities. This knowledge enables us to develop and implement proactive strategies for our clients.

IT Protection With:

Information Security Audits

Audits provide an important point of reference prior to developing an IT security strategy. They identify the strengths, weakness, threats, and opportunities necessary to enhance protection. InfoSec Advisors reviews software licensing to ensure the organization is in compliance with licensing agreements and not at risk of fines. We also perform assessments of IT processes, policies and staffing to determine needed change. Once an audit is completed, InfoSec Advisors conducts a formal debriefing session with the management team and submits a comprehensive summary document in terms relevant to business.

Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Planning (BCDR)

Operating without a proven business continuity and disaster recovery plan is a risky practice. InfoSec Advisors focuses 80 percent of our efforts on disaster prevention, 20 percent on recovery, and 100 percent on testing. Yes, that adds up to 200 percent, making the point that organizations must go over and above accepted standards to ensure business continuance.

InfoSec Advisors’ BCDR plans address strategies to guard against natural and man-made disasters. We identify single points of failure that can include power, the environment, fire protection, access control, telecommunications infrastructure as well as human components. Our recommendations center on business continuance to ensure clients minimize interruptions and maintain full functionality of their systems and complete access to information.

IT Operational Risk Assessments

Other factors contribute to overall IT performance. InfoSec Advisors consultants can be engaged to evaluate physical infrastructure: email and other internet-based applications; communications and data resources such as networks, intranets and data warehouses; and facility management. We assess risk and make recommendations on management infrastructure to ensure optimal IT performance. This encompasses planning and budgeting, review of service agreements, architecture and standards, ongoing education and training, and research and development. The project document provides a clear picture of current status and recommendations for future performance enhancements.

What organizations must protect

Information is a company’s most important asset. Yet with increased reliance on the Internet as a means of sharing information within a multi-location organization as well as with customers, prospects, and business partners, information is vulnerable to unauthorized access and outright theft. Organizations should never underestimate what information is vulnerable to human error or malicious intent. Here are a few examples:

• Contract proposals and terms
• Balance sheets and other financial records
• Legal documents and agreements
• Patient information
• Identifiable customer information
• Proprietary designs
• Payroll information
• Email content

Interim CIO

Organizations that find themselves without a chief information officer (CIO) can engage InfoSec Advisors to perform this necessary function for as long as needed. InfoSec Advisors interim CIOs will conduct product or vendor evaluations, project recovery, security audits, operational risk assessments, strategic security planning and implementation. These services also are valuable for special projects where the client needs additional short-term IT support.

Secure Operations Center

InfoSec Advisors operates a state-of-the-art, 24/7, Secure Operations Center that offers remote network monitoring, secure networking and ongoing IT security support services.

InfoSec Advisors consultants are Certified Information Systems Security Professionals (CISSP), Certified Ethical Hackers (CEH) and Certified Information Security Auditors (CISA) who use a proven Methodology to guide client engagements.

Identify, understand and manage your risk

You can build a new building. You can buy more hardware. You can hire more people. But you can’t replace lost information. To make sure your IT system and your information is adequately protected from business interruptions, you must identify, understand and manage IT risk.

The best place to start is by talking with InfoSec Advisors.