IT security, which is short for information technology security, is the practice of protecting an organization’s IT assets—computer systems, networks, digital devices, data—from unauthorized access, data breaches, cyberattacks and other malicious activity.
The scope of IT security is broad and often involves a mix of technologies and security solutions. These work together to address vulnerabilities in digital devices, computer networks, servers, databases and software applications.
The most commonly cited examples of IT security include digital security disciplines such as endpoint security, cloud security, network security and application security. But IT security also includes physical security measures—for example, locks, ID cards, surveillance cameras—required to protect buildings and devices that house data and IT assets.
IT security is often confused with cybersecurity, a narrower discipline that is technically a subset of IT security. Cybersecurity focuses primarily on protecting organizations from digital attacks, like ransomware, malware and phishing scams. Whereas IT security services an organization’s entire technical infrastructure, including hardware systems, software applications and endpoints, like laptops and mobile devices. IT security also protects the company network and its various components, like physical and cloud-based data centers.