Cybersecurity and information security often get used synonymously more than we can count. Although they’re both used to secure and protect your IT systems from cyber-related threats, which inevitably lead to data loss, cybersecurity and information security deal with entirely different aspects of your IT security solutions.
It’s critical that you, as a decision maker, understand these differences since this plays a crucial part in your security and risk management solution.
In this article, you’ll explore the difference between cyber security and information security, their role in protecting your computer systems, and their overlaps.
What is Cybersecurity?
In the 21st century, we store almost everything digitally. And without the proper precautions, your computer systems will be vulnerable to cyber threats, which can bring your business to its knees. Cyber security professionals are responsible for keeping your data safe against hackers.
The role of cybersecurity is to protect your data from cyber threats, prevent cyber-related damages, and restore data and operations if you fall victim to a cyber attack. It is the responsibility of a cybersecurity professional to establish this in your computer systems and networks.
Cybersecurity is one of the most critical aspects you need to implement in your business. It plays a role in information security in protecting confidential data from getting compromised by malware attacks or phishing scams. Cybersecurity can also involve securing your computers, mobile and electronic devices, servers, and programs from threats and malware attacks.
Importance of cybersecurity
Cybersecurity can do various things for your business aside from keeping your data secure from cyber threats. It makes you up to date with the advancements in cyberattacks and prevents hackers from wreaking havoc in your business, such as data loss and system downtime.
Our favourite is it helps in creating and updating security policies that can teach you and your employees good security practices. And this will impact how you face these threats if they attack your computer network.
What is Information Security?
Let’s explore information security in an easy-breezy way.
Information security is the process that protects your data whenever you transfer and store your data on a server. The information can be medical records, social media profiles, biometrics, online history, bank records, etc., covering various industry sectors and business types.
Information security has three objectives known as the CIA, which stands for confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
With data confidentiality, you need to block any unauthorised access to it.
To maintain your data integrity, you must organise and store it accordingly so any unsanctioned modification or access can be detected and actioned ASAP.
And with availability, your data should be accessible by those with the appropriate access.
Compared to cybersecurity, information security is a broad field that encompasses many other security-related facets. But the idea is to protect data and all the other elements that require it.
Importance of information security
Information security can do so much for your business as a whole.
The most significant ones are:
- it gives your business the ability to function seamlessly since it’s programmed for your constant uptime;
- store and protect your business data;
- execute programs seamlessly in your computer systems;
- and protect your overall IT infrastructure.
Difference between cybersecurity and information security
Information security and cybersecurity have similar goals but with a big gap of differences. So, let’s clear out some of the differences between cybersecurity and information security in this section.
First, cyber security is only one part of information security. There’s a lot more to securing data than you can imagine. So much so that it goes beyond cybersecurity and requires different kinds of expertise to establish.
Information security is a broad term that covers a range of solutions aside from cybersecurity. Protecting data in cyberspace is one part of it. Information security also involves protecting digital, physical, and intellectual data, as well as creating and maintaining systems and everything else that goes with it.
When you’re working with security professionals, keep in mind that information security will focus on protecting your data from threats and establishing solutions to maintain data CIA. And with cybersecurity, you focus on preventing cyber-related attacks such as ransomware and phishing.
Overlaps between cybersecurity and information security
Cybersecurity and information security are fundamentally related to one another. So, there will be some overlaps between the two that would confuse decision-makers and even IT professionals.
Physical security
Security risks can either be physical or in cyberspace. And it’s critical to get to grips with both.
Back when businesses used to keep physical copies of confidential documents, they needed physical security to prevent unauthorised access to those documents. That’s why physical controls such as locks and safety vaults get used frequently to prevent anyone outside the business from gaining access to information they aren’t allowed to see.
But now that data is stored in cyberspace, protecting it from hackers will require you to equip more advanced IT security solutions. So aside from locking up your computers, you need to lock up your server room (which can either be a biometric scanner or a good padlock) to prevent any deliberate sabotage or data theft.
Just because your data is in the cloud doesn’t mean you can rest easy with your physical security. Establish the appropriate physical controls to prevent unauthorised people from accessing your confidential data.
Security risks
Digital storage, although one of the best things in the 21st century, comes with its fair share of cyber security threats. And the best way to prevent them is to implement the appropriate security solutions, such as data encryption and access control.
One critical overlap between cybersecurity and information security is the digital data stored in physical devices like external hard drives, USB flash drives, or office computers.
When you store digital data in these physical devices, you need to implement the right security policies to lower your risks as much as you can. For example, you don’t leave your computer unattended in a public location for everyone to look at. Another one is you don’t use removable storage devices for personal and professional purposes simultaneously.
But the precautions shouldn’t stop there.
To have tighter file security, implement access controls and data encryption to your data. They are ideal for maintaining data confidentiality if and when your data gets accessed by hackers. As a business, you need to have policies and processes regarding encryption or accessing devices remotely (especially if it’s lost).
There are many other instances of security risks you and your team will need to sort out. The key is to always look out for these instances to maintain data CIA.
Establish your digital fortress with Office Solutions IT
As the world of technology continues to grow and expand, so does the risk of cyber-attacks and other malicious activities. Businesses must take proactive measures to protect their information from security breaches and ensure they are prepared for any potential threats now that they understand what is the difference between cybersecurity and information security.
Cybersecurity focuses on protecting your network’s data from external threats such as hackers or malware, while information security focuses on protecting internal records from unauthorized access or alteration.
When it comes to protecting your business, there is no better way than by establishing a security solution with Office Solutions IT. And with our experience in developing comprehensive security strategies for businesses, we can help you create a custom plan that keeps your data secure against potential risks.
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