For any business function, the ability to audit and report results is critical. But that's especially true within IT departments confronting increasing cyber threats and pressures to perform more securely and efficiently. 

Only that which is monitored and measured can be improved. As such, your remote IT support software must have best-in-class auditing and reporting features, so you have full visibility into the data you need to ensure cybersecurity, compliance, and improved IT performance.

Cybersecurity threats are evolving. Are you ready?

Malicious actors have never been busier and more innovative than in the last few years. Sophisticated phishing attempts, for example, were up 356% in 2022. More than 2 out of 3 organizations (67%) cited increases in ransomware and malware as significant concerns, according to a 2022 Dell survey. 

Even worse, most IT security professionals don’t believe they’re ready for the continuing cybersecurity onslaught: 61% of Chief Information Security Officers/CISOs believe their organizations are unprepared to cope with a targeted cyberattack, while 63% of CISOs consider human risk to be their biggest vulnerability, according to the 2023 Voice of the CISO Report.

Improving the performance and compliance of your team

Auditing and reporting features give admins the timely, relevant insights they need to make smarter decisions, especially around security, compliance, and performance improvement. They enable admins to: 

• Monitor individual and team performance and compliance in real-time by tracking every tool a technician uses while in-session
• Gain general insights into IT support activities
• Receive real-time notifications/alerts when particular events like unsuccessful logins occur, giving admins full account visibility when they need it most.

For example, a master admin could instantly be alerted if an admin signs in and tries to change permissions without prior authorization. Such an internal person, acting with malicious intent, could potentially steal personal information from customers and do a lot of damage. That’s why admin permissions, notifications, and audits are so vital for ongoing security efforts.

Essential use cases for auditing and reporting features

Here are two common use cases that any IT support team might confront around security, with suggestions on what to do about each:

Use Case #1: Lack of internal visibility

As an IT leader, you need the ability to see anything and everything that is happening within your account and with the IT people/reps using the account. With detailed audits, you get full visibility that leads to accountability.

For example, if you’re told that customer data (like credit card info) is being stolen from IT support sessions, you’ll need to find out exactly what happened in your account to allow this. You’ll need auditing capability in order to see what permissions were given to what reps, and then be able to capture screenshots of sessions in order to track down your malicious internal actor.

Solution to problem #1:

Your IT leaders and admins must have easy access to reports, including Login Reports, Audit Reports, and Chat Log Reports. These reports allow you to track every tool a technician uses and quickly get to the bottom of internal security threats so you can stop them from happening and/or mitigate cyber risks such as data breaches. Without these forensic capabilities, you may never find malicious actors and their cyberattacks.

Use Case #2: Unauthorized access to your tools

Malicious external actors are constantly trying to access your remote support solution in order to steal sensitive data. As such, you need to be alerted instantly whenever those attempts happen so you can respond with immediate action. For example, if your system notices an IP address from a country that you know your technicians are not working in, you’d want to be instantly alerted so you can block this potentially malicious intruder.

Solution to problem #2:

Master account holders (MAHs), such as an admin, must have the ability to set up email alerts when certain suspicious events occur. MAH notifications could include: 

• Unsuccessful login attempts
• Contact information modifications
• Billing information modifications
• Password(s) changed
• Admin information changed
• Admin(s) deleted
• And others

Once a suspicious event occurs, you're immediately alerted and can begin investigating the causes.

Enhancing security with other essential features

To further bolster your security posture, consider the following technical components:

• In-session data protection: This ensures that sensitive data viewed during a session isn't stored, offering an added layer of security during remote support sessions.
• Detailed session histories: This feature provides a comprehensive review of all actions taken during a session, which is crucial for auditing and understanding any potential security breaches or issues.
• 256-bit SSL encryption: All data transferred during a session is safeguarded, making it challenging for malicious actors to intercept or decode the information.
• Identity confirmation: Before a session kicks off, the identity of both the technician and the end user is verified, ensuring that only authorized individuals are participating.
• Customizable security settings: This feature allows organizations to tailor their security settings based on their unique needs, ensuring they strike the right balance of accessibility and security.

Get and stay on the front foot

When it comes to mitigating cybersecurity threats and improving the performance of your IT support team, you can’t afford to be reactive. Cyberthreats are evolving too quickly for that defensive stance to work. Instead, you need to set up auditing and reporting features that allow you to proactively resolve security and performance issues before they escalate into significant damage (financial and reputational).

Rescue’s enterprise-grade security measures, including auditing and reporting features, work overtime to keep your business secure. The industry-leading remote support solution includes all of the features covered in this article, and much more. Learn more about how we can help you improve your security and IT team performance.