What comes to mind when you hear that a security audit is underway? Nervousness? Trepidation? It would be surprising if you found the news exhilarating, but must we associate a security audit purely with negativity?
We are all human and the fear of “being found out” is one that haunts us our whole lives. When a security audit is announced, our minds immediately go to our past failures, the mountain of work in front of us, and intimate knowledge of where we could have done better. However, the purpose of an audit is not to cast judgement or find fault, but instead to put aside that task list, discuss those mistakes, and bring weaknesses to the forefront.
In school, exams were always a stressful time. Would you pass or would you fail? The exam was the focus and we were perhaps myopic to the real purpose of those tests: to find where your weaknesses were and train those skills further. In football, cricket, or any sport, to succeed and dominate the competition, discovering where you could improve is always the key differentiator.
Audits are a chance for us to reflect on our progress, our strategy, and our prowess. Yes, they can bring on stress and anxiety, but if we are brave enough to face the threats and competition in the market that we do on a daily basis, we can face our opportunities for growth and maturity with the same confidence.
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