Network vs Cybersecurity: Can’t We All Just Get Along?
Network and cybersecurity professionals are struggling to collaborate, and everyone is feeling the consequences. We explore what exactly is bothering them.
Key takeawaysThis key takeaway was generated through LLMs crawling the page and coming up with an overview of the content.The article examines survey findings from IDG about dysfunctional relationships between network and cybersecurity teams and the operational risks that result. It highlights that 86% of organizations experienced negative consequences—such as security breaches, data loss, slower security event response, and service downtime—because of poor collaboration and unclear responsibilities. The piece emphasizes visibility and trust as critical remedies, notes that only 37% of cybersecurity respondents report complete visibility, and promotes an upcoming September 27 webinar with IDG and BlueCat speakers to discuss fixes and best practices.
What are the main operational impacts reported when network and cybersecurity teams fail to collaborate?
According to the article, poor collaboration between network and cybersecurity teams leads to several tangible operational impacts. The most common outcomes include increased security breaches and data loss, a slower response to security events reported by 34% of respondents, and service downtime affecting 27% of organizations. The article also describes a broader vicious cycle where unclear responsibilities and finger pointing result in missed threats and reactive scrambling to resolve incidents, further degrading organizational resilience and operational continuity.
How prevalent is awareness that inter-team conflict is harmful, and does cooperation yield measurable benefits?
The article reports high awareness that conflict is counterproductive: 82% of network professionals and 92% of cybersecurity professionals acknowledge that fighting is getting them nowhere. It also notes measurable benefits in organizations where teams cooperate, including improved network visibility for cybersecurity staff and higher mutual trust. These cooperative environments lead to greater confidence that teams are well-equipped to protect the network, indicating that resolving internal dysfunction can materially improve security posture and operational effectiveness.
What role does visibility play in reducing risk, and how common is complete visibility for cybersecurity teams?
Visibility is highlighted as a key component for reducing organizational risk: when cybersecurity staff have complete visibility into the network, organizations report a higher level of confidence in their ability to defend against threats. However, the article indicates that full visibility is uncommon—only 37% of cybersecurity respondents said they have this level of visibility. Improving visibility is therefore framed as an important priority to increase preparedness, trust between teams, and the effectiveness of security operations.
In our latest cinematic endeavor, we dive into the minds of two seriously fed up network and cybersecurity professionals.
If the video below triggered something in you, then we apologize. Perhaps your organization could benefit from a little therapy as well? When network and cybersecurity teams struggle to work together, then everybody suffers.
Won’t somebody think of the coworkers?
In a recent report from IDG, the complex dynamics between network and cybersecurity teams were thoroughly explored. One large finding was that an astounding 86% of surveyed organizations have suffered repercussions due to lack of collaboration between the two groups.
Two major consequences of this clash are increased security breaches and data loss, and it goes even deeper than that: these teams also report a slow response to security events (34%), service downtime (27%) and more.
How can we ensure that organizations feel prepared to protect the network against future threats when the folks in charge can’t seem to agree? Increasing trust and understanding is a huge must. There’s a tug of war over responsibilities, and this leads to a vicious cycle of missed threats, finger pointing and an inevitable scramble to fix the issue. This might sound like an incredibly daunting undertaking – but there’s hope.
While a business’ network teams may be struggling to get along, 82% of network and 92% of cybersecurity professionals understand that fighting is getting them nowhere, fast. This is highlighted by the fact that in organizations that do have cooperating teams, there are loads of benefits, including better network visibility for the cybersecurity team, and an overall higher level of mutual trust.
The key component to note here is visibility: our survey showed that organizations that provide complete visibility to cybersecurity staff end up with a higher level of confidence that they are very well-equipped when protecting the network when the need arises.
Unfortunately, only 37% of cybersecurity respondents mentioned that they have this level of visibility. In order to get this change underway, we need to understand what these teams are feeling and going through.
Unsure of where to start? Our upcoming webinar on September 27, How Internal Dysfunction Is Putting Your Network At Risk, is a great option. This webinar will feature IDG’s Bob Bragdon, and BlueCat’s Director of Product Marketing Darren McPhee, in a discussion on the findings of the report, and what organizations can do to help bring network and cybersecurity teams together.
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Hilary has worked as a copywriter in digital advertising and the FinTech startup world. She is now working as a Digital Copywriter at BlueCat and learning more every day.
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