There is growing evidence of a harmonic convergence of Infrastructure and Operations (I&O) with Security and it is hardly an accident. We often view them as separate worlds, but it’s obvious that they have more in common than they have differences. I live in the I&O team here at Forrester, but I get pulled into many discussions that would be classified as “security” topics. Examples include compliance analysis of configuration data and process discipline to prevent mistakes. Similarly, our Security analysts get pulled into process discussions and other topics that encroach into Operations territory. This is as it should be.

Some examples of where common DNA between I&O and Security can benefit you and your organization are:

• Gain economic benefit by cross-pollinating skills, tools, and organizational entities
• Improve service quality AND security with the same actions and strategies
• Learn where the two SHOULD remain separate
• Combine operational NOC and security SOC monitoring into a unified command center
• Develop a plan and the economic and political justifications for intelligent combinations

I will be co-presenting on this very topic next month with my good friend and brilliant Security analyst John Kindervag at Forrester’s Infrastructure and Operations Forum and Security & Risk Forum. The events will be held in the same place at the same time from November 9-10 in Miami, which for us northerners, isn’t a bad place to be in November!

We’d love to see you there to help you manage through your own challenges with building, operating and securing your business technology. We have a lot of other great content focused on how to apply a more “customer-centric” focus to your Infrastructure and Operations and also to your Security and Risk strategies. After all, our customers are what keep us relevant. If we’re not relevant to them, we’re not relevant at all!

I hope to see you in sunny Miami next month, just as the snows start blowing into the north!