The Power of an IT Vulnerability Assessment

A few months ago, we sat down with a business owner from the northwest suburbs. Mid-sized accounting firm. Sharp guy. Said to me, “We’ve never had a data breach, our antivirus is solid, and our backups run every night, we’re good.”

So we offered a risk assessment.

Guess what we found?

• His backups were running… but they hadn’t been tested in months.
• His Microsoft 365 accounts? A few still had shared passwords and no MFA (multi-factor authentication).
• Firewall? Set up back in 2018 and hadn’t been touched since.
• And no one had trained the staff on phishing emails. One click away from disaster.

Here’s the truth: Most small businesses think their IT is fine, until they see what’s under the hood.

Why a Vulnerability Assessment Matters More Than You Think

An IT vulnerability assessment isn’t just a “tech checkup.” It’s your early warning system. It’s the flashlight in the dark corner of your tech stack, showing you what you’ve missed.

Here’s what it looks at and why each one matters:

• Backups – You might have them, but are they actually restoring when needed?
• Accounts – Who has access to what? Are former employees still hanging out in your systems?
• Microsoft 365 – So many hidden risks here. Unsecured inboxes. File sharing wide open. Admin rights given out like candy.
• Patches – One unpatched system is like leaving the backdoor wide open to hackers.
• Antivirus – Running doesn’t mean protecting. Is it current? Is it detecting? Is it alerting?
• Firewalls – Most were set once and forgotten. That’s not defense, that’s decoration.
• Employee Education – Your staff is your first line of defense. If they don’t know how to spot a scam, you’re exposed.
• Encryption – Sensitive data needs to be locked down, at rest and in motion.
• Surveillance – Not Big Brother stuff. But do you know if something weird is happening on your network at 3 a.m.?

“But I Have an IT Guy…”

Great. But who audits your IT guy?

We all need a second set of eyes, especially when it comes to security. Even the best internal teams or IT vendors can miss things. A third-party assessment brings objectivity. It removes the assumptions. It validates that what you think is happening… actually is.

You Might Be Fine… But What If You’re Not?

Most breaches don’t start with a dramatic hack. They start with a missed update, a reused password, a sleepy staffer clicking a bad link.

A good vulnerability assessment helps you sleep better. It shines a light in every dark corner, exposes the blind spots, and gives you a clear roadmap to fix them.

It’s not about selling you new tools. It’s about helping you not become a cautionary tale.

Curious What You’re Missing?

If it’s been more than a year or you’ve never had a third-party assessment, let’s talk.

Reach out to us at LeadingIT. No pressure, just real insight that could save your business from a really bad day.

Call us at 815-788-6041 or book a quick discovery session.

Because in IT, what you don’t know really can hurt you. Let’s make sure you’re covered.