IT Security: What is it?

The first self-propagating computer worm was created in 1989, computer viruses appeared in the 1990s, and by the late 2000s, cybercriminals were targeting credit cards. For decades, security teams have been battling to keep computer networks and end-users safe from cyber threats, but for many, the term IT security can still be a little confusing. 

IT security defined 

In our hyper-connected, online world, the phrase IT security is often used interchangeably with cybersecurity and information security (infosec).

While there are similarities and occasions where one term can be used in place of the other, there are also marked differences between them. The first step to understanding what IT security is and why it’s important is to recognize these differences.

Cybersecurity measures protect digital data from third-party attacks by cybercriminals via the internet.

Infosec, at a base level, is the protection of both physical and electronic data, but the term is often expanded to cover other security concerns too. For example, infosec can also be used to describe the measures a company might take to protect its legal and financial interests by ensuring compliance with data protection laws, such as the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). 

IT security incorporates both cybersecurity and infosec but refers specifically to the protection of digital data and the security maintenance of the computer systems and networks that store it. 

The term IT security covers internal and external threats and is commonly used to describe the strategies deployed to safeguard digital data from attack at every point of an organization’s IT infrastructure, from company databases to end-user email accounts