Gartner: security is strategic, not technical.

• Author: Swartz, Nikki
• Position: UP FRONT: News, Trends & Analysis

According to Gartner, companies that allow their IT department to dictate how their organization secures itself are doing themselves no favors.

Speaking at this year's Gartner IT Security Summit in London, Jay Heiser, research vice president, said the fundamental problem with a purely technical approach is that IT security professionals do not understand the business. He called on organizations to mature and embrace strategic, rather than technical, thinking when it comes to security.

Heiser said a "risk management officer" is now more critical than the traditional security professional. He advised organizations to outsource some aspects of IT and security, such as firewall protection and management, and instead concentrate more on strategic security issues.

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Recognizing risks early, rather than fighting threats reactively, will result in a large return on investment, he said, adding that companies must look...