Google Workspace Vulnerability Risk Assessment

Have you or your company considered going through a Google Workspace vulnerability risk assessment? You wouldn’t be the first to search for security gaps in your environment: Cyber criminals may already be trolling your business for available entry points where they can harvest data, install malware, initiate ransomware or do serious damage to your business in other numerous ways. 

In this article, we look at what a risk assessment is, why you should have a Google Workspace vulnerability risk assessment performed and what steps are involved. 

So, What Is a Cyber Security Risk Assessment?

A cyber security risk assessment is an evaluation of an organization or business’s ability to safeguard or protect its information and information systems from cyber threats. Some of the elements we look at include: 

• General email flow. 
• Basic security configurations. 
• Good password hygiene. 
• Use of multi-factor authentication. 

We also review more advanced settings specific to the Google platform. There are baselines we follow based on our experience with Google Workspace, and we also look at industry standards for best practices.

By default, cloud platforms like Google Workspace are focused on collaboration. This focus may result in settings that could introduce risk, which your company may or may not want to accept. Our goal is to ensure the  Workspace settings meet your needs. 

A thorough assessment helps organizations seek out potential areas for improvement in their current cyber security infrastructure. It also helps organizations effectively communicate their risks to stakeholders and make informed decisions about how to reduce those risks through proper resource allocation.

There are many cyber security risk assessment methodologies and frameworks available, but they all share a common goal.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework is commonly utilized and, as a result, is one of the most popular risk assessment frameworks. It provides a flexible and structured approach for businesses to assess their cyber security risks and prioritize actions to reduce said risks.

Another popular risk assessment framework is the ISO 27001:2013 standard. This standard provides a detailed approach to pertinent information security management, including risk assessment and risk treatment requirements.

Companies can also develop their own customized risk assessment frameworks and methodologies internally, or outsource them to trusted managed IT service providers. 

Why Should I Carry Out a Cyber Security Risk Assessment?

Once you know where the gaps are in your Google Workplace environment, you can take steps to reduce or mitigate them. The findings can help you develop an incident response plan and assist in recovering from any potential cyberattacks.

Businesses should conduct cyber security risk assessments regularly to keep their risk profiles up to date, ensuring no new threats have emerged internally or externally. Additionally, if there are changes to a company’s computer networks or systems, a new risk assessment should be conducted. You want to be sure there aren’t any knowledge gaps or potential hazards, like passwords floating around in a Google doc.

What Does a Google Workspace Cyber Security Risk Assessment Include?

Risk estimation and evaluation are performed first, followed by the selection of pertinent controls to treat the risks identified in the evaluation stage.

It is important to continually monitor and review the risk environment to detect any changes in the context of the organization. Maintaining an overview of the complete risk management process effectively prevents and mitigates any future risks that may occur.

Next Steps

If you’d like to learn more about risk assessments or would like to schedule one for your business, contact us or schedule a meeting.