If you’re in the position to ask about an IT audit (or, as we affectionately refer to them, a technology assessment), chances are you have enough on your mind without worrying about the size of the investment you’re about to make.
Well, dear reader, you’re in luck—I’m here to break down how much a quality technology assessment will probably cost you, and how much it absolutely should not cost.
What factors influence the cost of an IT audit?
As you may have guessed, there are quite a few factors that play into the cost of a technology assessment. The main three are:
1. The size and complexity of your environment
2. Your desired output
3. Your reason for seeking the assessment (business drivers)
In short, a 3-year comprehensive roadmap for a 100-person law firm with 20 servers (some physical and some virtual, mind you) will be a far greater investment than a surface-level gap analysis for a 20-person, regulation-free shop that’s working off of one file server.
Put another way, pricing will depend upon what problem you’re trying to solve: do you want a general impression of where your IT stands, or are you looking to find out where you are and how precisely to get where you need to be?
What is the average price range for an IT audit?
For the former (which looks something like a gap analysis without any sort of security assessment or written roadmap), you’re looking at $15-$25K.
For the latter (which digs into your network vulnerabilities and hands you a hefty analysis with detailed recommendations), expect a bill for $30K and up.
A truly robust technology assessment that sets your organization on the path to Total Tech Dominance will require a lot of time and resources on the part of the provider. This necessarily has a fairly high monetary investment associated with it. In fact, if you’re offered an IT audit at a price point much lower than these ballparks (or—I shudder to mention it—“free”), be leery of the provider, and take extra steps to vet them.
Just think: when’s the last time you got something of very high value for free? The unfortunate reality is that a free assessment is not a generous offer for your benefit—it’s almost always a way for the provider to find work for themselves.
I get it: resisting the urge to jump on those four tasty letters is difficult. But if you’re looking for real objectivity and real expertise, use the numbers above as your guide.
Value in, value out.