How to Audit a Corporate Network
A network audit gives you an honest picture of what you actually run, where the risks are, and what to fix first. This guide walks through a practical audit process you can apply to any corporate environment.
1. Build a complete asset inventory
You cannot secure or optimise what you cannot see. Start by discovering every device on the network: routers, switches, firewalls, access points, servers, printers, IP cameras, and endpoints. Use a combination of your DHCP leases, switch MAC address tables, and an active scanner to build a single source of truth.
For each asset, record the make and model, firmware version, physical location, owner, and role. This inventory becomes the backbone of every later stage of the audit.
2. Map the topology and traffic flows
Document how traffic moves through the network — from the edge and WAN links, through the core and distribution layers, down to the access layer. Identify single points of failure, oversubscribed uplinks, and any undocumented paths.
A clear topology map makes it far easier to reason about redundancy, segmentation, and where a fault will have the biggest blast radius.
3. Baseline performance
Capture throughput, latency, jitter, packet loss, and error counters over a representative period — ideally a full business week. This baseline tells you what "normal" looks like so you can spot congestion, failing optics, or duplex mismatches.
4. Review security posture
Check firewall rules for stale or overly permissive entries, confirm firmware is patched, verify that management interfaces are not exposed, and ensure segmentation isolates sensitive systems. Review who has administrative access and whether multi-factor authentication is enforced.
5. Document findings and prioritise
Summarise findings by risk and business impact. A good audit ends with a prioritised remediation plan — quick wins first, then structural improvements — so leadership can make informed decisions about investment.
Key Takeaways
- Start with a complete, accurate asset inventory.
- Baseline performance before you try to improve it.
- Prioritise remediation by risk and business impact.
- Treat the audit as a living document, not a one-off report.
Need help with your network?
Cosplanet designs, deploys, and manages enterprise networks across Africa. Talk to our team about your requirements.