Convergence in Information Technology Security
IT and Physical Security Systems Evolve Together
Feb 20, 2009
Based on Karen Kroll’s article, "IT & Security: Joining Forces," in Building Operating Management, organizational security is a combination of physical and information-based technologies for five specific reasons. These reasons have to do with a relatively new security industry concept known as convergence. According to Kroll’s article, convergence can be defined as the interdependence of traditional and information technology security.
The Five Factors of Security Convergence
Convergence, in Kroll’s view, connotes the realization that “steps to address risks should address both areas”—to the extent that they encompass all of the organization’s operations. Kroll’s research has uncovered five “factors driving security convergence” that appear to emanate from the evolution of real estate facilities systems alongside IT systems to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving information society.
- Companies need to exchange information;
- Organizations must safeguard the tangible containers of intangible assets;
- It is essential that companies implement controls and policies sensitive to the dual nature of this kind of security;
- They must cope with new regulations that emphasize personal identity data and other private records; and
- All of this must be accomplished within the constraints of a sensible budget.
With these factors in mind, Kroll and other leading experts stress the significance of assigning a wider range of uses “such as physical and logical access control” to extant data networks. Such practices are clearly more cost-effective than independent security systems with dedicated hardware. Moreover, the driving concept behind convergence is one of integration—i.e. that physical and non-physical security resources offer increased organizational access and efficiency on all levels.
A New Area of Professional Specialization
Experts like Kevin Anderson, the managing director of Network Risk LLC, maintain that “security is multidimensional, requiring a variety of skills” (Anderson, SCMagazine, 2006), making it easy to see that many in the field think convergence has finally come into its own—as a professional specialization perhaps even more complex than the sum of its various parts.
This multidimensionality includes non-technical, interpersonal skills that, according to Anderson, “require everything from proficiency in communicating complex issues with non-technical executives, to demonstrating the expertise required to interview suspects and witnesses.” Moreover, risk analysis has now developed far beyond the boundaries of non-physical, technical components.
Drawbacks to Convergence
Despite the clear benefits afforded by convergence, greater accessibility and integration also brings greater risks in some areas. Ray O’Hara, the senior vice president of Vance, an organization specializing in consulting, investigation and security services, claims that corporations that have taken convergence to heart, “creating robust computer networks—linking their suppliers, business partners and, in some cases, customers—are able to compete more effectively and efficiently than those who do not.
At the same time, they create tremendous risks in those sprawling, always-available systems”—problems that cannot be easily solved, given the intense and often atavistic environment associated with industrial competition. According to O’Hara, outsourcing necessitates global connectivity, which also implies global vulnerability, especially where “product strategies, plans and other highly competitive and confidential information be shared.”
A New Specialization
Ultimately, the notion of convergence between security and data systems may characterize the future of all commerce whether local or global. This might be why Karen Kroll says that security is no longer just physical or informational. It’s as varied and complex as the enterprise it seeks to safeguard. In today’s lean economic times, specializing in such a interdisciplinary, multifaceted role may be tantamount to ensuring job security for years to come.
References:
Anderson, Kent. “IT Security Professionals Must Evolve for Changing Market.” SC Magazine (2006): Online. Internet. 12 October 2006. Available: http://www.scmagazineus.com/IT-security-professionals-must-evolve-for-changing-market/article/33990/
Kroll, Karen. “IT & Security: Joining Forces.” Building Operating Management 53 (2006): 58-62.
O’Hara, Ray. “A New Vision For Enterprise Security Convergence.” Directory M (2008): Online. Internet. Available: http://articles.directorym.net/A_New_Vision_For_Enterprise_Security_Convergence-a910155.html
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