Network Security v/s Cyber Security – What’s the Difference

In today’s time, mentioning how the Internet has entirely revolutionised our working pattern would be nothing less than a cliché!

While Google has made the process of finding information on the go a whole lot easier and social media channels have given us a platform to stay in touch with our loved ones from anywhere in the world, eCommerce giants like Amazon have transformed the way we shop!

Nonetheless, with the Internet developing at a swift speed, we’re persistently uncovering vulnerabilities. Put simply, many people have begun to exploit the resources at hand.

Additionally, while the good guys are trying to stop this, the bad guys keep discovering various ways to take complete advantage of the networks and systems. This is the reason why the requests for developing robust and secure technologies like network management and cloud computing are on the rise!

On top of this, with the development of various technologies, the request for several security services have also increased – Cyber Security and Network Security being the most in-demand solutions.

Now, before we dive right into the core topic, let’s understand what is ‘Information Security’ is all about.

What is Information Security?

Your data is the most valuable asset of your business and this is what makes it important for you to secure it from damage or theft.

This is where Information Security can make all the difference!

Information security is a process specifically intended to safeguard all your sensitive and confidential data, be it in electronic or print form, from outside sources and/or unauthorised access.

Top Security Solutions

Although there are many security solutions for businesses that you can choose from, the two most crucial ones (as mentioned above) are Cyber and Network Security.

That said, here we’ll help you understand the basic difference between them.

What’s the Difference Between Network Security and Cyber Security?

What is Network Security?

When it comes to Information security, it’s vital that you know the basic difference between network and cyber security.

To make it easier for you, let’s understand this through an example:

Let’s assume that an organisation is a castle that’s fortified against potential attacks that are likely to come from the outside world. When you think of a business from this perspective, then network security becomes its shire reeve accountable for maintaining peace and calm within the castle’s (your business’) walls. 

In other words, although it’s focus is to sustain all the fortifications, the main aim of network security is to safeguard your castle from potential attacks that it might face within its walls.

With that said, if your organisation has a network security team, then they’ll exclusively focus on securing your company’s internal information by vigilantly monitoring your employee behaviour, servers and networks.

The network security team focuses on:

• Passwords and IDs – The team will make sure your IDs, passwords and other crucial information are regularly updated and protected from all possible vulnerabilities.
• Internet Access – The team will keep tabs on the sites visited by your staff through your business’ servers and systems.
• Backup and Data Recovery – The team will regularly backup your mission-critical data and constantly update your business continuity plan so that you’re quickly back on the driver’s seat should your business face an inside threat or system failure.

Benefits of Network Security

1. Develops Trust
   Security for bigger systems and networks can easily translate into protection for all your employees.
   With robust network security, you not only boost the confidence of your customers and clients but also safeguard your organisation from legal, financial and reputational fallouts that are usually an end result of security breaches.
2. Reduces Potential Threats
   Leveraging a network security solution that’s right for your company can help you remain compliant with both the government and business regulations. Additionally, it will also help you mitigate the financial impact that your business is likely to endure should it face a network breach or cyber attack.
3. Secures Proprietary Data
   Your customers and clients always depend on your business when it comes to safeguarding their confidential information. What’s more, your company also depends on the same security solutions.
   When you have robust network security in place, you can make sure all the mission-critical data and information that’s shared on various servers and networks are safe at all times!

What is Cyber Security?

Cyber security, on the other hand, aims at protecting your castle from potential attacks that you may endure from outside its walls.

Put simply, while network security is more about investigating what’s happening inside your castle, cyber security watches and stops those trying to get past your castle’s parapet.

Furthermore, the cyber security team is the castle’s crusading knight safeguarding your kingdom. Nonetheless, it focuses on not only the barbarians outside your castle’s gate but also on how you’re connected with the outside world!

The cyber security team will focus on:

• Intelligence – The team will dig deep and figure out the root cause of a cyber attack and secure your company against it.
• Network Protection – The team will detect as well as protect your business from outside attacks and data and network breach.
• Applications – The team will vigilantly monitor the way your apps are being leveraged in order to keep unintended breaches at bay!

Benefits of Cyber Security

1. Safeguards Your Organisation
   One of the biggest benefits of leveraging the best in class cyber security solution is that it can offer all-inclusive digital protection to your organisation. It also enables your staff to browse the Internet whenever required and makes sure potential threats are kept at bay!
2. Fortifies Personal Data
   Your personal data is another valuable asset of your business. That said, if you were to experience a data breach that could wipe out all your sensitive personal data regarding your customers and staff, then it could be either sold to someone else or used against your business for a ransom.
   This is why it’s essential that you have a strong cyber security solution in place!
3. Creates a Safe Working Environment
   With the right cyber security solution, your business can easily create a safe working environment for the staff while keeping preventing potential threats.

The Bottom Line

Even though network and cyber security are two completely different areas, there’s a lot that’s common between them.

However, for both security solutions, the areas of concern are entirely different. That said, regardless of whether you’re a small-scale printing company or an established eCommerce giant, it’s crucial that you completely comprehend these terms before you choose one (or both of them) for your organisation!