Network Audit with PRTG

A network audit is a systematic examination of a computer network's infrastructure, operations, and performance. It involves evaluating various aspects of the network to ensure that it is operating efficiently, securely, and is meeting regulatory compliance. Network audits can be conducted internally by an organization's IT team or externally by a third-party auditor.

Network monitoring tools like Paessler PRTG can help you with your network audits as follows:

• Inventory assessment: Document all network devices (e.g., routers, switches, firewalls, servers).
• Network mapping: Map out the network topology to understand the connections and interactions between devices.
• Security evaluation: Assess the implementation of security measures (e.g., firewalls, intrusion detection systems), check for vulnerabilities and potential points of attack and unauthorized access, and review user access controls and permissions.
• Performance analysis: Monitor network traffic and usage patterns, identify bandwidth bottlenecks and areas of poor performance, and evaluate the capacity and scalability of the network.
• Configuration review: Examine the configuration settings of network devices and ensure that network configurations follow best practices and security guidelines.
• Recommendations and reporting: Use historical data reports to provide actionable recommendations for improving network security, performance, and compliance.

PRTG does help to make your network more secure, but it is technically no cybersecurity software. It monitors firewalls, servers, ports, and more, and will alert you to unusual traffic as well as needed security updates to identify potential security vulnerabilities or even security threats proactively. If a critical error occurs or a cyberattack happens, PRTG helps you troubleshoot and mitigate the consequences.

However, PRTG is unable to actively protect your network from attacks the same way as security software. What’s more, a security or IT security audit has its own standards, guidelines, and procedures.

While both a network audit and a network assessment aim to evaluate the state of a network, they differ in scope, focus, and objectives.

• Network audit: A network audit is typically more comprehensive and detailed. It involves a thorough examination of the network's infrastructure, configurations, security measures, and compliance with standards and regulations. Audits are often conducted periodically, such as annually or bi-annually, or triggered by specific events like regulatory requirements or security breaches. Their outcome are usually detailed network audit reports.
• Network assessment: A network assessment is usually less detailed than an audit. It provides an overview or high-level evaluation of the network's performance, security, and capacity. The primary focus is on identifying areas for improvement in performance, scalability, and overall network health. It is often used to inform strategic decisions about network upgrades or expansions.

In PRTG, “sensors” are the basic monitoring elements. One sensor usually monitors one measured value in your network, for example the traffic of a switch port, the CPU load of a server, or the free space on a disk drive. On average, you need about 5-10 sensors per device or one sensor per switch port.