IT management and cybersecurity go hand in hand. There are few companies in 2022 that can be successful without high-level performance on both fronts. For most small and medium-sized businesses, these may not even be treated as separate functions or departments, but rather lumped together into the “technology” bucket (which isn’t exactly wrong, either). But, there are important distinctions between the two disciplines that have wide-ranging implications for how you run your business most efficiently as well as how you protect that business and its bottom line.

In this post, we’ll walk you through the differences between the two disciplines, where they overlap and how you can attend to both to the betterment of your bottom line.

IT management

At the base level, IT management is concerned with the smooth operation of your technology stack. How your network is constructed and maintained; making sure speeds within the company intranet and connections outside the building are operating at maximum throughput; are file sharing and backup systems operational and seamless; are your mobile apps, website and all other customer or client-facing systems performing at their absolute best? There are 100 different functions like this that roll up to the IT manager (whatever title that person might hold at your company). But, at the most basic level, your IT manager must remain first and foremost focused on your company’s network efficiency, making sure that computerized systems and online resources are functioning properly. A cybersecurity specialist, on the other hand, primarily seeks out weaknesses and vulnerabilities within a network’s security system.

Cybersecurity management

An IT manager is most concerned with technological operational efficiency — are systems up and running, providing the fewest headaches for your users and employees. Cybersecurity managers on the other hand are concerned with the protection and security of that network and those systems. The question for a cybersecurity manager is less “does this cause a headache for my employees or clients” but rather, “is this the safest way to operate?”

No one ever accused multi-factor authentication as being convenient, but its an immutable bedrock of 21st century cybersecurity. An IT manager makes sure the systems work, the cybersecurity manager makes sure they’re as safe as can possibly be.

Of course, both functions are concerned with technological operational excellence, and they overlap quite frequently. An optimized modern company needs both to work in harmony. But, the IT manager’s first thought is about uptime, speed and efficiency, whereas the cybersecurity manager’s first thought is “how could this provide an opening for threat vectors and how do I prevent any openings in the first place.”

For most small and medium-sized companies, these disciplines might fall to the same person to maintain. For other companies, cybersecurity is an afterthought to operations (which we can certainly understand, despite it being short-sighted). The problem, though, is that you can’t afford to do one without the other any more. And considering their primary mindsets are often in conflict with one another, it’s really hard to do both well.

That’s where we come in.

If you’re a Fortune 500 company, you probably have departments dedicated to both of these. But, if you’re a small or medium-sized business, you probably have neither the time nor the inclination to tackle both with dedicated internal resources. A managed service provider like Leverage can not only keep your tech stack in tip-top shape, we can also ensure you’re protected from threat vectors. We have subject matter experts on both fronts who do the thinking for you. They’re thinking through operational efficiency and protection — in parallel — to make sure you have what you need on both fronts to be the best company you can be.

Give us a call today so we can show you how we can help your business thrive in 2022.