IT Assessments & Audits for Small Businesses
IT Assessments & Audits.
You do not always need to sign up for ongoing Managed IT Services to get a useful answer about your technology. Sometimes the first step is simply understanding what you actually have, how it is configured, what your business depends on and which areas need attention before you make another technology decision.
I offer standalone IT assessments and audits for small businesses that need a clearer picture of their technology, Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace environment, cybersecurity controls, cyber insurance readiness or use of AI. The right assessment depends on the question you are trying to answer, because reviewing Microsoft 365 is very different from reviewing an entire technology environment or helping a business verify the technical answers on a cyber insurance application.
Start With the Question You Are Trying to Answer
I do not believe every business needs the same assessment. A company that is concerned about Microsoft 365 security may need a focused review of its tenant. A business that has changed IT providers several times and no longer has a clear picture of its servers, computers, network, backups and applications may need a broader IT Baseline Assessment. Another business may simply have a cyber insurance questionnaire sitting on the owner's desk with technical questions nobody can confidently answer.
These assessments are designed to help establish what is actually happening in the environment before recommendations are made.
Microsoft 365 Audit
Are we actually managing Microsoft 365 correctly?
A Microsoft 365 Audit, also described as a Microsoft 365 Tenant Security Review, looks specifically at the Microsoft environment your business is using today. Depending on the environment and licensing, I may review areas such as licensing, identities, administrative access, authentication, Conditional Access, Microsoft Defender, device management, Intune, SharePoint, OneDrive, external access, vendor access, third party applications, email security, backup and recovery, and other controls that are relevant to the business.
The purpose is to understand what is actually configured instead of assuming that because Microsoft 365 is working, everything behind it is being appropriately managed.
IT Baseline Assessment
Do we really know what technology our business has and how it all fits together?
An IT Baseline Assessment takes a broader look at the technology environment. That can include computers, servers, user accounts, administrative access, business applications, networking, firewalls, WiFi, endpoint security, remote access, backups, cloud services and other technology the business depends on.
I use the assessment to understand the environment that actually exists and identify important dependencies before recommending major changes. This can be especially useful when a business has changed IT providers, inherited technology over time, lacks current documentation or simply wants an independent understanding of what it has before deciding what should happen next.
Cyber Insurance Readiness Assessment
Can we accurately answer the technical questions our cyber insurer is asking?
Cyber insurance applications increasingly ask detailed questions about the technology and security controls a business actually has in place. As part of a Cyber Insurance Readiness Assessment, I review the technical questions against the company's actual IT environment and document what I can verify.
Depending on the insurer's questionnaire, that may involve areas such as MFA, administrative accounts, endpoint security, encryption, backups, email security, remote access, Microsoft 365 security controls and incident response. If I find something that cannot be verified or a control that is not actually in place, the business knows that before submitting the application instead of guessing at the answer.
SNL-Tech Services does not provide insurance or legal advice. Questions about coverage, policy language or how an insurer wants a particular question interpreted should remain with the business's insurance professional.
AI Governance Assessment
How is AI already being used in our business, and what should we put around it?
Before I recommend an AI platform or start connecting AI more deeply into company systems, I want to understand how AI is already being used. An AI Governance Assessment can include reviewing which AI tools and accounts employees are using, whether personal or company managed accounts are involved, what company information is being used with AI, what systems those tools can access, what the business considers sensitive and what policies or controls should exist around that use.
Sometimes the assessment shows that the business is ready to move forward. Other times it uncovers a Microsoft 365 or broader IT issue that needs attention first. I would rather identify that before connecting another powerful technology to an environment the business does not fully understand.
Google Workspace Audit
Do we know how our Google Workspace environment is actually configured and secured?
A Google Workspace Audit provides a focused review of the Google Workspace environment and its security configuration. The purpose is to establish a clearer understanding of how the environment is currently configured, identify areas that deserve attention and give the business a better starting point for deciding what should happen next.
Incident Response Planning
Would our business know what to do if something actually happened?
Incident Response Planning is a related standalone service for businesses that need more than a generic cybersecurity checklist. I work with the business to understand its technology, people, vendors, insurance contacts, decision making authority, communication needs, recovery priorities and the types of incidents that could realistically interrupt operations.
The goal is to build an incident response plan around the actual business so employees and decision makers are not trying to determine responsibilities, contacts and response procedures for the first time while an incident is already happening.
Which IT Assessment Does My Business Need?
The easiest way to choose an assessment is to start with the question you are trying to answer.
If your concern is primarily Microsoft 365, start with the Microsoft 365 Audit.
If you need to understand the entire technology environment, start with the IT Baseline Assessment.
If your cyber insurance application or renewal is driving the questions, start with the Cyber Insurance Readiness Assessment.
If employees are already using AI or your business is considering broader AI adoption, start with the AI Governance Assessment.
If your business primarily operates in Google Workspace and you want a focused review of that environment, start with the Google Workspace Audit.
If the bigger concern is whether your business knows what to do during a cybersecurity or technology incident, Incident Response Planning may be the appropriate starting point.
Sometimes one assessment uncovers a reason to look more closely at another area. That does not mean every business needs every assessment. My goal is to understand the question you are trying to answer and use the assessment that actually fits it.
An Assessment Should Give You a Clearer Picture, Not Just Another Checklist
I do not want to review a business's technology simply to produce a list of technical findings that an owner does not understand. The value of an assessment is establishing what exists, what can actually be verified, where there are gaps or unanswered questions and which issues deserve attention first.
The exact scope and documentation depend on the assessment and the environment being reviewed. An assessment may also identify remediation work that should be considered afterward, but identifying a problem does not mean you are automatically committing to an ongoing Managed IT agreement or a large technology project.
An IT assessment also should not be confused with a certification, formal compliance assessment or guarantee that a business is secure, compliant or eligible for insurance coverage. Where outside assessors, insurance professionals, compliance consultants, attorneys or other specialists are required, I keep their role separate from the technical work and documentation I provide.
Not Sure Where to Start?
You do not need to know which products you need or have all of the technical answers before contacting me. In many cases, figuring out what exists and what needs attention is the reason for doing an assessment in the first place.
Tell me what prompted you to start looking at your IT environment, whether that is a cyber insurance renewal, Microsoft 365 concerns, AI adoption, a change in IT providers, missing documentation or simply the feeling that nobody has looked at the whole environment in a while. From there, we can determine which assessment makes sense as a starting point.