IT and cybersecurity often seem like they are at odds. They have different objectives and cultures, yet they both play critical roles in keeping your organization safe. IT must ensure that the technology works and that people can use it effectively.

Security needs to keep the bad guys out so that IT can do its job effectively. Ideally, these two teams would work together as partners who understand each other’s goals and constraints. But we don’t live in a perfect world; there will always be obstacles keeping these teams from collaborating as much as they should be– or even at all! As Dallas’s leading IT services provider, we’ve seen some of those obstacles firsthand, and we have solutions!

Start at the Top

You can begin by having the C-suite buy into your message. They’re the ones with power and influence, after all, and they will be the ones who can help you define your problem and its solution.

To get started, you need to make sure that everyone understands what they are trying to solve; this means defining your business goals and identifying which problems need solving first.

Get IT and IT security in the Same Room

Get everyone in the same room! When working on projects together—whether upgrading software or fixing security flaws—it’s best if people can talk face-to-face while doing their jobs rather than having offsite meetings or communicating via email or phone calls only when necessary (or worse yet: never).

Remember, it’s about what is right for the organization

IT and IT security are both important in an organization. For example, suppose you want your company to be successful. In that case, IT needs to be able to do its job and support end users with technology solutions that enable them to do their jobs better and more efficiently.

Meanwhile, IT security needs to protect assets from malicious activity by hackers and cyber criminals through effective network security controls (which include monitoring).

Prioritize security efforts for user

Prioritizing security efforts for user experience and business needs is a must. You can outsource to IT services providers in Dallas to help you prioritize these efforts and find the right balance between the two objectives. It’s all about prioritizing security efforts that align with your company’s goals, so hiring an external service provider can be very beneficial.

Allow IT to Preach the Message of Cybersecurity

Here are a few ways you can help IT deliver the message of cybersecurity to the organization instead of simply delivering facts and then taking questions.

• Provide training for IT staff on how to communicate with non-technical people about security and risk
• Make sure that someone in your organization has a strong understanding of how information technology works and what it does for the business.
• Ensure that IT’s communications are aligned with your overall messaging so they don’t contradict each other.

Have a clear reporting structure

The first step to getting your IT and security teams to collaborate is to have a clear reporting structure. This is key because if you don’t have it written down, the people on your team won’t know who they need to report to or how they should communicate with one another.

And if there are any questions about this reporting structure, it can cause confusion and miscommunication between departments—which in turn can lead to delayed projects, missed deadlines, and unhappy clients.

At Technagy, we can help with both roles

We are a Dallas-based IT services provider with highly trained and experienced IT professionals to help you with your IT and security needs. We have the tools, knowledge, and experience needed to solve any problem you may face in your organization. Contact us today so that we can start working together!