Stop Losing Deals to Security Reviews.
A customer sends the questionnaire, asks for a pen test report, asks who owns security. The deal stops moving. We audit 20 NIST 800-53 domains across your live environment, close what is blocking you, and hand you the evidence they are asking for.
14 days from kickoff. Mapped to SOC 2, ISO 27001, NIST 800-171, CMMC and HIPAA, so the answers fit whichever framework they are asking about. Fixed price agreed in writing, and you read the full report before you pay a cent. 200+ audits across 14 countries.
Every IT Security Audit Is Led by Alexander Sverdlov
Former Microsoft Security Consulting team member. CISSP, CEH, CHFI and Mandiant certified. Secured nuclear energy infrastructure at Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation. Alexander has personally led 200+ security assessments across 14 countries since 2013. At Atlant Security, the senior consultant who scopes your IT security audit is the same person who reviews the controls and delivers your Information Security Program Plan - never handed to junior staff.
Connect on LinkedInAnyone Can Hand Your Team a Checklist
The question is what happens next. What happens when your team disagrees with it, works around the controls, or simply never makes the changes?
At Atlant Security your team should use every audit session to ask questions. Why are we checking this? What could actually go wrong here? How do we fix it without getting in the way of the business? Alexander brings more than twenty years of protecting banks and nuclear power plants to those conversations.
Your team learns the reasoning behind each control and how to make it work in your particular business. That is what reduces resistance, avoids workarounds, and stops your own people quietly undoing the security improvements you paid for. Clients consistently tell us it is the most useful part of the whole process.
Detailed findings
Every gap, ranked by what an attacker could actually reach.
Executive briefing
The version your board and your insurer can read.
12-month action plan
Prioritised, sequenced, and costed against your team.
Within fourteen days of kickoff you get all three of those, not just a report. The scope and the price are agreed in writing before any work starts.
Get the Deal Moving AgainMost Companies Don't Know How Exposed They Are - Until It's Too Late
The average data breach now costs $4.88 million globally and a record-breaking $9.36 million in the United States, according to IBM's Cost of a Data Breach Report. Most security failures are not sophisticated zero-day exploits - they are missed configurations, outdated policies, and weak access controls that a security audit would have caught.
Source: IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report
What Is a Cybersecurity Audit?
A cybersecurity audit is a systematic, top-to-bottom evaluation of your IT infrastructure, security policies, day-to-day procedures, and technical controls, measured against an established framework like NIST 800-53, SOC 2, ISO 27001, or CMMC. In plain terms, it is an honest answer to the question every leader eventually asks: how exposed are we, really?
A cybersecurity audit and an IT security audit are the same engagement. So are a cyber security audit, an information security audit and security audit services. Which term a firm uses says more about its marketing than its method. What is not interchangeable is the scope behind the label, so when you compare cybersecurity audit companies, compare three things: how many domains are examined, whether testing happens on your live environment or from a questionnaire, and what document you hold at the end.
The point is not to produce a scary report. It is to pinpoint the gap between where your security sits today and where it needs to be, then hand you a concrete, prioritized plan to close it.
Unlike a penetration test, which simulates one specific attack, a security audit looks at the full breadth of your security program: administrative controls, technical configurations, operational procedures, physical security, and compliance posture, across every domain that actually matters to your business.
IT Security Audit vs. Penetration Test vs. Vulnerability Assessment
These three services are frequently confused. They answer different questions, cover different scopes, and produce very different outputs. Here is the precise distinction.
| IT Security Audit | Penetration Test | Vulnerability Assessment | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core question | Are our security controls adequate and complete? | Can an attacker actually break in? | What known vulnerabilities exist right now? |
| Scope | Entire security program: policies, processes, technical, physical | Specific targets: network, application, or social engineering | Specific systems: servers, endpoints, network devices |
| Output | Information Security Program Plan + detailed findings | Exploit report with proof-of-concept | Vulnerability list with severity ratings |
| Duration | 2-4 weeks | 1-3 weeks | 1-5 days |
| Best for | Compliance, board reporting, M&A, baseline | Testing defenses after controls are in place | Ongoing monitoring, quick health checks |
| Atlant Security | Our core service | Available as add-on | Included within audit scope |
IT Security Audit
Are our security controls adequate and complete?
Scope: Entire security program: policies, processes, technical, physical
Output: Information Security Program Plan + detailed findings
Duration: 2-4 weeks
Best for: Compliance, board reporting, M&A, baseline
Our core service
Penetration Test
Can an attacker actually break in?
Scope: Specific targets: network, application, or social engineering
Output: Exploit report with proof-of-concept
Duration: 1-3 weeks
Best for: Testing defenses after controls are in place
Available as add-on
Vulnerability Assessment
What known vulnerabilities exist right now?
Scope: Specific systems: servers, endpoints, network devices
Output: Vulnerability list with severity ratings
Duration: 1-5 days
Best for: Ongoing monitoring, quick health checks
Included within audit scope
Most organizations need all three at different stages. An IT security audit should come first - it establishes your baseline and creates the improvement plan that makes penetration tests and vulnerability assessments meaningful.
20 Security Domains We Audit
Every Atlant Security IT audit covers all 20 NIST 800-53 security domains - the same framework used by US federal agencies and Fortune 500 organizations. No shortcuts. No skipped domains.
Access Control
Who can access what - and whether former employees still have keys
Identification & Authentication
MFA, passwordless auth, privileged access management
Audit & Accountability
Logging, monitoring, and evidence trail for every critical action
Configuration Management
Baseline configurations, change control, and hardening standards
Incident Response
Detection, containment, eradication, and recovery procedures
Media Protection
Data at rest encryption, removable media controls, secure disposal
Personnel Security
Background screening, onboarding/offboarding, separation of duties
Physical Protection
Facility access, environmental controls, visitor management
Risk Assessment
Threat identification, vulnerability analysis, risk determination
Security Assessment
Control testing, continuous monitoring, remediation tracking
System & Communications Protection
Network segmentation, encryption in transit, boundary defense
System & Information Integrity
Malware protection, patch management, integrity verification
Awareness & Training
Role-specific security training, phishing simulations, culture building
Maintenance
Controlled maintenance, remote maintenance security, maintenance tools
Planning
Security planning, system security plans, rules of behavior
Program Management
Security program leadership, resource allocation, risk management strategy
Cloud Security
M365 (280+ settings), AWS, Azure, Entra ID, and GCP configurations
Secure Software Development
SSDLC practices, code review, dependency management, secrets handling, OWASP compliance
DevSecOps Pipeline
CI/CD security - SAST, DAST, SCA, container scanning, infrastructure as code review
Supply Chain Risk Management
Vendor security, third-party risk, supply chain integrity controls
How the IT Security Audit Works
A structured four-phase process - from first call to signed-off remediation roadmap in 14 days.
Scoping Call
Free, no-obligation 30-minute call. We understand your infrastructure, compliance requirements, and risk priorities. You receive a fixed-price scope document within 24 hours.
- Define audit scope and frameworks
- Identify compliance targets
- Agree evidence collection method
Evidence Collection
We conduct structured interviews with key personnel, review documentation and policies, collect technical configuration evidence, and run automated scans across your environment.
- Personnel interviews
- Documentation review
- Configuration evidence
- Automated vulnerability scans
Analysis & Mapping
Each finding is rated Critical/High/Medium/Low, mapped to your target framework(s), and cross-referenced with remediation complexity. We build the priority sequence for your 12-month roadmap.
- Risk-rated findings
- Framework gap mapping
- Remediation prioritization
- 12-month roadmap sequencing
Report Delivery
All deliverables delivered within 14 days. We walk you through every finding in a live review session, answer questions from your IT team and leadership, and confirm your next steps.
- All deliverables within 14 days
- Live findings walkthrough
- Executive briefing session
- 30-day follow-up Q&A included
Read It First, Then Pay
Every audit is scoped and priced before work begins. No hourly billing, no scope creep, no surprises. You know the exact price and timeline before committing, and you read the full report before you pay.
What Your IT Security Audit Delivers
Every audit produces five implementation-ready deliverables. This is not a checkbox exercise - every finding includes a specific remediation action, assigned priority, and implementation month.
Comprehensive Security Control Review
We audit the complete set of security controls across all 20 NIST 800-53 domains. Each control is evaluated for design effectiveness and operational effectiveness - including interviews, documentation review, and technical evidence collection across on-prem, cloud (Azure, Entra ID, M365, AWS), and DevSecOps environments.
Information Security Program Plan
The primary deliverable: a step-by-step, month-by-month improvement roadmap spanning 12 months. Findings are organized by security domain and criticality (Critical/High/Medium/Low). Each finding includes a specific remediation action, assigned priority, and implementation month.
Executive Summary Report
A separate report designed for senior leadership, board members, and investors. Focuses on business risk, compliance posture, and financial impact - not technical jargon. Perfect for board presentations, due diligence packages, and regulatory submissions.
Technical Findings Report
The detailed technical report with every finding, evidence screenshots, severity ratings, and step-by-step remediation instructions. Split into Critical/High/Medium/Low criticality with clear prioritization.
Compliance Gap Matrix
A mapping of your current state to your target framework (SOC 2, NIST, ISO, CMMC, HIPAA). Each control is rated as Implemented, Partially Implemented, or Not Implemented - becoming your compliance tracking tool going forward.
Cybersecurity Audit Frameworks We Map To
Your cybersecurity audit is mapped to every framework relevant to your industry, clients, and regulators, simultaneously. One audit, multiple compliance requirements satisfied.
We typically map findings against all frameworks relevant to your organization simultaneously - so you receive one audit that satisfies multiple compliance requirements rather than paying for separate audits per framework.
The mapping is not the end of it. Once the findings are agreed, we work through them at the desk with your own engineers, so the fix lands in your environment rather than in a document you have to translate first.
Who Needs a Cybersecurity Audit?
If your organization handles sensitive data, serves regulated industries, or needs to demonstrate security posture to clients, investors, or regulators - you need an IT security audit.
Fintech & Financial Services
SEC, GLBA, PCI-DSS, and SOC 2 Type II compliance required for regulated financial institutions. We understand the unique security demands of payment processors, neobanks, lending platforms, and insurance technology providers.
Healthcare & Life Sciences
HIPAA Security Rule audits for organizations handling protected health information. With average healthcare breach costs at $7.42M, a comprehensive audit is essential for hospitals, medical device companies, health tech startups, and pharmaceutical firms.
SaaS & Software Companies
Cloud-native audits covering AWS, Azure, M365, DevSecOps practices, and Secure SDLC controls. Designed for SaaS platforms scaling to enterprise customers who require SOC 2 reports, security questionnaire responses, and mature security programs.
Government Contractors
CMMC Level 1-3 readiness assessments, NIST 800-171 compliance across all 110 requirements, and SPRS score validation. Essential for defense contractors, federal subcontractors, and any organization handling Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI).
Private Equity & VC Portfolio Companies
Cybersecurity due diligence assessments for acquisitions, board-ready reporting on portfolio company security posture, and standardized risk evaluation across multiple investments. Perfect for pre-acquisition diligence and ongoing portfolio oversight.
Family Offices & Wealth Management
Financial institution-grade security rigor for high-net-worth family offices and wealth management firms. Protecting sensitive financial data, estate information, and investment strategies with the same controls required of regulated financial institutions.
What Triggers an IT Security Audit
Almost nobody buys an audit because they woke up curious. Something forces it: a customer’s procurement team, a question about what is reachable from the internet, or a board that wants an answer it can act on. Each one needs a different emphasis, and the scope is set accordingly.
Vendor Risk Assessment Audits
Your customer’s third-party risk team has sent a questionnaire, and the answers decide whether the contract moves. The work is to answer it truthfully, close the items that would fail review, and give you evidence their assessor will accept rather than a document that restates your intentions.
- Questionnaire answered against what is actually configured
- Findings ranked by which ones block the contract
- Evidence pack their assessor can verify
- The same answers reusable for the next customer
External and Internal Network Security Audits
Two different questions that are often sold as one. The external audit asks what an attacker can reach from the internet without any access at all. The internal audit asks what they reach after the first laptop falls, which is where most real damage happens and where flat networks show up.
- External: exposed services, forgotten hosts, stale DNS records
- Internal: segmentation, lateral movement, privilege paths
- Identity treated as network, because in cloud estates it is
- A finding is only reported with the route that produced it
Board-Ready Security Audit Reports
A board does not need a scanner export. It needs to know what could stop the business, what it costs to fix, what you are choosing not to fix, and who owns each decision. That is a different document from the technical findings report, and you get both.
- Executive summary written for people who are not engineers
- Risks expressed as business impact, not CVSS scores
- Named owner and effort estimate against every item
- Usable in investor due diligence and audit committee packs
All three run off the same 20 NIST 800-53 domain review. What changes is which findings are pulled forward and how the report is written. If you are not sure which one you need, say what prompted the question and we will tell you.
Results Our Clients See After an IT Security Audit
IT Security Audit Pricing
Fixed-price, scope-defined proposals within 24 hours of the free scoping call. No hourly billing, no scope creep.
Essentials Audit
Focused audit for startups and small teams.
- Up to 50 employees
- Single compliance framework
- Cloud or on-prem (single environment)
- Executive summary report
- Remediation priority list
- 14-day delivery
Comprehensive Audit
Full-scope audit for growing companies.
- Up to 500 employees
- Multi-framework mapping (NIST, SOC 2, ISO)
- Cloud + on-prem environments
- M365 / Google Workspace / AWS security review
- Secure Software Development (SSDLC) review
- DevSecOps pipeline audit (CI/CD, SAST, DAST, SCA)
- Executive & technical reports
- Information Security Program Plan
- Interactive consulting sessions
- 30-day follow-up Q&A
Enterprise Audit
Multi-entity, multi-country audit programs.
- 500+ employees, multiple locations
- All applicable frameworks simultaneously
- Hybrid cloud + on-prem + remote workforce
- M365 / Google Workspace / AWS / Azure / GCP security review
- Secure Software Development (SSDLC) review
- DevSecOps pipeline audit (CI/CD, SAST, DAST, SCA)
- Board-ready executive presentation
- Full Information Security Program Plan
- Vendor & supply chain risk review
- Dedicated engagement manager
- 60-day follow-up support
What Clients Say About Our IT Security Audits
From SaaS companies to financial institutions - here is what working with Atlant Security actually looks like.
"Alexander is professional, reliable and available. He is clearly an expert in his field. Building trust in cybersecurity is obviously essential and Alexander has constantly demonstrated that my trust is well-placed."
Helen Cook
Principal, GNE Advisory
"The assessment was really imposing and remarkable. It was beyond my expectations, very detailed, and things were very closely inspected and discussed. It was a great experience working with you."
Syed Haris Ahmed
Manager IT Infrastructure, Qordata
Non-public, signed and stamped references from clients who prefer not to be published are available upon request.
For small projects and ad-hoc work outside our pre-agreed packages or retainers, our standard hourly rate is $460.
Frequently Asked Questions About IT Security Audits
Everything security managers, CTOs, and CEOs ask before commissioning an IT security audit.
Find Out Exactly Where Your Security Gaps Are - in 14 Days
Get Your Scope and Price. We discuss your environment, compliance requirements, and risk priorities. You receive a fixed-price proposal within 24 hours. The audit itself takes 14 days. No fluff, no filler - just the clearest picture of your security posture you have ever had.
Free scoping call - Fixed-price proposal in 24 hours - 14-day delivery - 30-day follow-up included
US: 650 457 0551 - UK: 020 3807 6459
Get Your Answer in 14 Days
30 minutes. We understand your environment, compliance requirements, and risk priorities. You receive a fixed-price proposal within 24 hours.
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