“Conflicting goals” are pulling the security and network arms of the typical information technology department in separate directions, according to a technology expert.
Technology networking firm Cisco practice director at Softchoice David Vigna observed in a recent report that the nature of their jobs usually put security and network professionals at odds with each other, even as they work towards the common goal of providing efficient and secure connectivity to their firm.
He added that the general absence of a strategic communications program that facilitates coordination between these two teams even before a breach defeats their common purpose.
"It's more important to get these two teams on the same page than it has ever been in the past. Enterprise networks are becoming more complex, and at the same time security issues are more common," Vigna emphasized.
He further said teamwork between these two teams is stymied because their job directives contradict each other, and the lack of institutionalized communications protocols does not help this cause.
On the one hand, network professionals are expected to maintain high speed and efficient connectivity. On the other hand, security teams need to protect the infrastructure from potential risks and vulnerabilities, which often slows down processes. Thus, he said, these two often regard each other as opponents rather than allies in the achievement of their common goal.
"This becomes a problem when network professionals feel that security measures are red tape getting in the way of their processes, and security professionals feel that network team's expansion and development of complex architectures are opening up the system to potential attacks," Vigna observed.
Apart from a communications protocol, Vigna added that companies need to integrate the requirement in their hiring process. He said that in considering candidates for the job, they should look for individuals who are flexible, have the right people skills, and are able to work with a team and other teams outside their own departments.
