If you’ve been thinking about getting a network security audit for your business but you’re not sure what it costs — or what you actually get for your money — this article is for you.

What Is a Network Security Audit?

A network security audit is a structured assessment of your business’s IT infrastructure. An engineer examines your network, identifies vulnerabilities, tests your defences, and produces a report that tells you exactly what’s at risk and what to do about it.

It’s not a sales exercise. A good audit tells you the truth — even if the truth is “your setup is mostly fine, here are three small things to fix.”

How Much Does It Cost in the UK?

Pricing varies considerably depending on the size of your business and who you use. Here’s a realistic breakdown:

Large IT firms and enterprise security companies: £2,000–£10,000+. These firms typically work with larger businesses (50+ staff) and include extensive documentation, compliance reporting, and multi-day assessments.

Freelance IT consultants: £300–£800. Variable quality, often limited scope, and rarely backed by professional indemnity insurance.

Specialist small business consultancies like Onixed Ltd: £500–£1,500. Fixed price, full network scan, written report, and a follow-up call to walk you through the findings. Designed specifically for businesses under 50 staff.

What Should a Network Security Audit Include?

At minimum, a proper audit should cover:

Network scanning: Every device on your network is identified and assessed. This includes computers, servers, printers, routers, switches, NVRs, and any IoT devices.

Vulnerability assessment: Each device and system is checked for known vulnerabilities — outdated firmware, open ports, weak configurations.

Access control review: Who has access to what, and should they? Are there old accounts still active? Are admin privileges given out too broadly?

Password and authentication check: Are default passwords in use? Is multi-factor authentication enabled where it should be?

Network segmentation review: Is your guest WiFi properly separated from your internal network? Can devices that shouldn’t communicate with each other do so?

Written report: Everything above documented in plain English, with a risk rating for each finding and a prioritised list of recommended actions.

Follow-up call: A good auditor walks you through the report and answers your questions. You should leave the process understanding exactly what was found and what to do next.

What’s Not Included (And When You Might Need It)

A standard network security audit covers your internal network and connected devices. It doesn’t typically include:

These are separate services — relevant for some businesses but not necessary for most small businesses getting their first audit.

Is It Worth It?

The average cost of a data breach for a UK small business is over £8,000 — and that’s before legal costs, ICO fines, and reputational damage.

A network security audit at £500 identifies the gaps that lead to breaches. The maths is straightforward.

More practically: many business insurance providers now require evidence of basic IT security measures as a condition of cyber insurance. An audit report is exactly that evidence.

How Onixed Ltd Approaches Network Security Audits

We provide fixed-price network security audits for small businesses across West Yorkshire — from £500 for businesses under 20 staff.

The process takes a few hours, is carried out remotely in most cases, and ends with a plain-English written report and a follow-up call to walk you through the findings.

We don’t upsell. If your network is in good shape, we’ll tell you. If there are gaps, we’ll tell you what they are and what it would cost to fix them — with no obligation to use us for the remediation work.

Book a free 30-minute consultation at calendly.com/onixed-support or contact us at support@onixed.co.uk.

Onixed Ltd — IT Security & Infrastructure for Small Business
onixed.co.uk | West Yorkshire & Remote UK Wide