F E A T U R E
THE DIGITAL DIVIDE:
BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN SECURITY AND IT TEAMS
David Shepherd, SVP EMEA, Ivanti, explores how security and IT teams, despite sharing the same ultimate goal of protecting the organisation, often operate in silos. This communication breakdown can create tension and leave companies vulnerable to cyberthreats.
Security and IT teams share the same ultimate goal – protecting the organisation. Yet when it comes to execution, their priorities( very often!) diverge in ways that create tension and weaken overall defences.
No need to take my word for it. Statistics from a recent research report highlight just how widespread this problem has become. Let’ s take a quick look.
Different priorities create workplace tension
Nearly half of security professionals – 46 % – say IT teams lack urgency when it comes to cybersecurity issues. Given the inevitable crossover between IT efforts and cybersecurity posture, that’ s a problem. At the very least, it can cause resentment and frustration among security teams, and it also serves as a petri dish for vulnerability growth.
That’ s not to put all the blame on IT. Much of it appears to stem from a broader disconnect and miscommunication on both sides. Forty percent of security professionals report that IT teams don’ t understand the organisation’ s risk tolerance, so these groups are essentially operating with incompatible decision-making frameworks. IT focuses on system stability and user experience, whilst security emphasises threat mitigation
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