What is a primary reason for conducting risk assessments?

Conducting risk assessments is fundamentally aimed at identifying vulnerabilities within a system and enhancing security measures. This process involves evaluating potential threats to sensitive information and understanding how those threats could exploit weaknesses in security controls. By identifying vulnerabilities, an organization can prioritize risks based on their potential impact, allowing for the implementation of effective security measures tailored to protect against specific threats and mitigate risks. This systematic approach to security not only helps safeguard sensitive data but also assures compliance with standards such as PCI DSS, which emphasizes the protection of cardholder information.

The other options focus on areas that, while important for overall business operations, do not directly relate to the core purpose of risk assessments within the context of security and compliance. User engagement, cost-cutting, and employee satisfaction are relevant in different contexts, but they do not address the critical necessity of identifying and managing security risks inherent to data protection.