IT Security VS Cybersecurity
Michel Martin, CISA, CISM, CGEIT
Principal Administrator at European Commission
IT security and cybersecurity share common goals of protecting data and are fundamental components of any organisation’s security plans. Although used interchangeably, there are differences between how these terms are defined and what they involve.
IT security refers to protecting data and information systems in the full spectrum of confidentiality, integrity and availability security dimensions. Cybersecurity can be considered as a subset of IT security and focuses more narrowly on protecting computer systems, digital devices, and data from unauthorized access on the internet.
While cybersecurity focuses on preventing hackers from gaining digital access to data on networks, on computers, or within programs., IT security is the overarching process that covers how organisation’s data is protected daily.
When cybersecurity focuses usually on protecting digital information from unauthorized access, IT security is a global umbrella targeting information protection from all potential threats regardless of their nature or origin. As so many documents are now of digital origin, IT security is often called information security. However, information security covers even a broader security scope encompassing paper based classified information and personal data protection regulations.
Both IT security and cybersecurity are focused on mitigating the risks that your organisation data might be exposed to. Please note that to be really efficient, the security process should be managed in the framework of a risk-based approach supported by well-known standards as the ones published by NIST or ISO.?