It’s a common misunderstanding—and a risky one. Many organizations assume their managed IT provider also has their security fully covered. After all, the MSP manages firewalls, updates software, and keeps systems running. Isn’t that what “security” is?
Not quite.
While IT and Information Security (InfoSec) share a surface-level relationship, their goals, responsibilities, and required expertise are fundamentally different. Blurring the line between the two can leave organizations exposed—especially in an era of sophisticated cyber threats, strict compliance requirements, and complex IT environments.
Here’s a quick example: would you choose someone with a PHD in Physics deliver your baby or help you chose the right glasses?
Just like doctors, not all IT professionals are the same.
IT vs. Information Security: The Core Differences
IT is about making things work. Information security is about making sure things aren’t broken into. Both are essential—but they solve very different problems. Here’s a quick overview of some of the main differences:
| Category | Information Technology (IT) | Information Security (Infosec) |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Keep systems and users operational | Protect data and systems from threats |
| Focus | Uptime, efficiency, user support | Confidentiality, integrity, availability (CIA) of data |
| Typical Provider | MSP or in-house IT team | Internal security team or third-party security partner |
| Common Activities | System maintenance, user provisioning, backups, helpdesk support | Risk assessments, vulnerability management, access control, monitoring, incident response |
| Primary Metric | System uptime, ticket resolution time | Risk reduction, incident response time, threat detection |
Where the Misalignment Begins
Managed Service Providers (MSPs) are often laser-focused on uptime and user support. That’s their core value—and they do it well. But when businesses rely on their MSP for full-spectrum security, gaps emerge. Here’s why:
- IT teams aren’t threat hunters. Their expertise is in maintaining systems, not identifying indicators of compromise, running threat models, or analyzing malicious behavior.
- Security isn’t just patching. While applying updates is part of defense, true InfoSec involves layered controls, continuous monitoring, and adversarial thinking.
- Tooling isn’t strategy. An MSP might deploy antivirus or a basic firewall, but that’s no substitute for a tailored risk management plan or a security architecture aligned to frameworks like NIST or ISO 27001.
- Compliance is a shared responsibility. IT can assist with implementing technical controls, but ensuring those controls meet legal and regulatory requirements falls to InfoSec professionals.
Relying on IT to “handle security” is like asking your car mechanic to also manage your insurance policy and monitor for theft. It’s adjacent, not equivalent.
The Need for Specialization
Good IT teams are invaluable. They are 100000% worth their weight in gold; however, expecting them to also perform (or outsource through a vendor of their choosing) risk assessments, respond to incidents, perform penetration tests, and maintain compliance posture is unsustainable—and unfair to them.
The best organizations empower specialized teams to focus on their strengths:
- IT (or your MSP): Manage infrastructure, resolve user issues, handle backups, support productivity tools.
- Information Security: Assess threats, define policies, implement controls, hunt for anomalies, respond to breaches.
Both teams benefit when there’s clear delineation and open collaboration—especially when responding to real-world incidents.
Quick Wins:
- Map responsibilities. Define what your MSP or IT team owns versus what your security team is accountable for. Don’t assume; clarify.
- Implement role-based access controls (RBAC). Let IT provision accounts but let InfoSec define the access strategy and audit permissions regularly.
- Introduce a third-party security assessment. A one-time gap analysis can validate your security maturity and reveal blind spots.
- Create an incident response plan. Identify who does what during a breach—including the MSP. Practice tabletop exercises to reduce confusion during real incidents.
- Invest in security training—for IT too. Your IT staff is often the first to notice something unusual. Train them on escalation paths and basic threat indicators.
- Bring in a vCISO. A virtual Chief Information Security Officer can bridge the strategy gap between business, IT, and security without a full-time hire.
Closing Thoughts
Technology teams keep the lights on. Security teams make sure no one breaks in while you sleep. You need both—but expecting one to do the work of the other leads to burnout, oversights, and exposure.
If your organization is leaning too heavily on IT to manage security, it’s time to reassess. Build specialization. Define boundaries. And most importantly, treat security not as an add-on to IT—but as a discipline in its own right.
Are you in need of a purpose-built and qualified InfoSec team to test technical controls for your organization? Contact us today for a comprehensive assessment and discover how we can help you strengthen your security posture and address regulatory requirements.
