Become Bilingual - Learn to Speak the Language of Security & IT
Posted on Thu, Dec 16, 2010
For Security Managers, knowing what is important for your overall security and how IT fits into the landscape is critical for a system to be successful. However, many times, security professionals have a hard time communicating their requirements to IT. Changing technology and upgrading components of your security network can make anyone crazy, but add in the often unintelligible language of the IT world, and you many feel like you are in a foreign country.
In order for your security systems to be successful, you need to be able to work with IT to identify the server hardware, networking essentials and ongoing systems support requirements. You also need to be able to discuss the security system’s operational and management aspects to your security groups. In other words, you need to speak two languages. But don’t worry. We’re here to help. Follow one or more of these three easy lessons and you’ll be on your way to becoming fluent in both Security and IT.
Lesson One: Learn Through Immersion
Perhaps the best way to learn how to speak a new language is to learn through immersion. Surround yourself with people who speak the language and you’ll soon find yourself picking up a thing or two. To make this easy for you, try attending events and seminars that address both Security and IT issues.
While these types of events can be rather scarce, one of the best is the ASG Security Summit & Expo. The Summit allows you to interact and speak with both IT and Security Leaders from the industry. At events like the Summit, you can learn what’s important to IT and compare that with what is important to you and your company. You’ll pick up some of the lingo and maybe you’ll even be able to learn the difference between a virtual server and an application server.
Lesson Two: Learn From a Tutor
Another way to learn a new language is with the help of a mentor or tutor. Find a person in your department who is technically savvy and understands IT and become a mentor to them. In return for your knowledge and experience in the Security world, your protégé can teach you about IT. This concept is often referred to as “Reverse Mentoring” where an established leader learns technology from the younger generation that has mostly grown up with it. This article in Network World gives a perfect example of this concept.
Lesson Three: Bring in an Interpreter
Finally, the easiest way to learn a new language is to not learn it at all. While this may seem counter-intuitive, sometimes it’s best to stick to your specialty and bring in a professional to do the heavy lifting for you. By selecting and partnering with a security integrator that speaks the language of both IT and Security, one that excels at Security Integration, you can leave this difficult job to the professionals. By sticking to your strength and being an advocate for Security, a good integrator can help you bridge the gap with IT by bringing your IT counterparts to the table.
Whether you decide to try to become bi-lingual by learning the language of IT (or perhaps vice versa) or bring in a professional to do it for you, being able to bridge the gap between Security and IT is essential for the success of any organization’s security efforts in today’s technologically driven world. Don’t let the strange manners, different culture, or funny words scare you off. As anyone who has ever been to a foreign county can tell you, getting out of your comfort zone and learning new things will make you a better person (or Security Manager in this case).
So, what will you do to break down the IT language barrier?
Does this barrier exist in your company now? How do you mitigate it? What has been successful? Share your story…