Know where you stand.

A cyber security assessment is an independent review of a business’s security controls, systems, and processes. It identifies vulnerabilities across your network, cloud environment, identity controls, and incident response capability and delivers a prioritised plan for closing the gaps. It’s typically the right starting point before a penetration test, before applying for cyber insurance, or before a compliance audit.

An NSP cyber security assessment includes a maturity review against a recognised security framework, a technical scan of your network and endpoints, a cloud configuration review (Microsoft 365, Azure, or AWS), an identity and access controls audit, and an assessment of your security monitoring capability. You receive an executive summary, a full risk register, and a prioritised remediation roadmap.

Most assessments take between 5 and 10 business days from the time we have the access we need. The exact timeframe depends on scope and the size of your environment. We’ll agree it upfront – no surprises.

Increasingly, yes. NZ insurers are asking for evidence of specific security controls before underwriting and some are declining applicants who can’t demonstrate them. An NSP assessment identifies the gaps your insurer is looking for so you can close them before you apply.

A cyber security assessment reviews your overall security posture – covering people, processes, and technology. A penetration test actively simulates an attack to see how far a threat actor could get into your systems. Most businesses benefit from starting with an assessment. If you’re not sure which you need, talk to us and we’ll give you an honest answer.

Cost depends on scope and the size of your business. We give you a clear quote before anything starts – no surprises. The short answer: it costs significantly less than the average NZ data breach, which typically includes incident response costs, regulatory notification, downtime, and reputational damage.

Yes. Smaller businesses are specifically targeted because attackers know they’re less likely to have controls in place. NSP scopes assessments to match the size and complexity of your business – you won’t be paying for an enterprise engagement when you don’t need one.

A cyber security audit checks whether you’re meeting a defined standard or compliance requirement – think of it as a pass/fail test against a rulebook. A cyber security assessment is broader: it evaluates your actual risk exposure, identifies threats specific to your business, and gives you a prioritised remediation roadmap. Most businesses need an assessment before they’re ready for a formal audit.

For a technical assessment, yes – we’ll need read-only access to specific environments. We’ll walk you through exactly what that means before we start. Nothing in your environment is changed without your explicit approval.

The NIST Cybersecurity Framework is a widely adopted security standard that organises controls into five functions: Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, and Recover. NSP’s assessments align with NIST and other recognised frameworks, which means your results map directly to a standard your board, insurer, or auditor will recognise.