Information Technology And Information Security- How They Differ From Each Other

There have been many instances where the terms Information Technology and Information security have been mentioned in the same context. They have often been used interchangeably, often to complement each other. But it must be noted that that there are noteworthy differences between them that have the ability to outweigh the numerous similarities between them. The two professions imperatively share a strong relationship so that the proper technology and its corresponding security is facilitated. Let us dig a bit deep ad understand the significance of both the terms and the subtle yet ominous differences between them.

What exactly is Information technology?

The job description of an IT professional requires him or her to continuously research and hence implement newer technologies to the concerned business. Obviously, the main objective here is to help the business expand efficiently. IT technicians research various aspects of your company and how your business operates. Next, these engineers strive to design a solution that is best suited for your business. There are a few major factors, including user-friendliness and budget, that affect the implementation of the technology. The main objectives of an IT professional can be listed as maximizing performance, minimizing downtime, facilitating sharing of information, enhance communicating systems and support efficient processing.

What does Information security mean?

The term security can be perfectly described as being free from any kind of threat or danger. So a specialist in Information Security has the responsibility to protect all the confidential and secure information related to the business. A security attack for any business is similar to a disaster and would provide a catastrophic blow to both customers as well as the company. A good security professional would be able to identify any potential threat, understand its consequences and hence resolve any vulnerabilities before they can be exploited by any attacks. A secure organization must be able to respond effectively and quickly to any potential breaches of information. Every efficient Information security program would involve such a thorough feature.

What are Information Security specialists responsible for?

Specialists in Information Security should be responsible for Network security as well as communication security. Communication security is that part of Information security that is responsible for the protection of the company's communication content, media and technology. On the other hand, network security concerns the protection of the business' connections and security regarding networking. This was essential because keeping all data confidential is heavily critical in Information Security.

How are they both different?

Any professional currently operating in Information security since the past 5 years will be familiar with a combined and unrelated objective on the basis of some overlapping skills. Due to this, most businesses combine Information security and IT. This is especially because both the jobs focus on ensuring that everything related to the company's business keeps working effectively, from the network infrastructure to HVAC. Yet both the terms apply very different working principles to attain separate objectives. These objectives are so distinguishable that their focuses have to be segregated by the business efficiently so that they can deliver perfectly and hence make sense. 

How does the conflict of Interest arise?

Presently that it has been confirmed that both Information Technology and Information Security are different specializations, let us get to the aspect of conflict of interest. IT professionals are responsible for ensuring that all things work while security professionals ensure that all things are secure. Hence there is bound to be a conflict of perspectives and interests. The key to solving this conflict is finding the perfect balance between security and accessibility. Both professionals must be careful that their perspective does not squelch each other.

How do we solve this conflict?

If the information security becomes excessive, then the technology might lose most of its functionality hence disabling its primary focus. However, If the focus on functionality and accessibility overpowers information security, then the technology becomes vulnerable to breaches and attacks. Therefore, every business must strive to attain the right balance between IT and security so that neither side becomes prone to errors that can devastate the organization. Having said that we must also prioritize Information security to some extent. The business must adhere to an inherent structure that provides optimum security to the company and its IT. At this age of internet penetration, we must understand that Information security doesn't concern IT risk but rather the entire existential business risk. Hence security expertise must be brought to the board level of every organization before they run the risk of a catastrophic breach.

Conclusion

Information technology and Information security are two concepts that go hand in hand. Yet we should be smart enough to not confuse one hand for the other. Both aspects need to segregate perfectly in order to make the business run efficiently.

Author -

Shashank R. Shandilya

Director IT - OTSI