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IT architecture defines the components that make up an information system for an organization. It outlines the overall plan that the IT team should follow in order to create and maintain a successful system. Good IT architecture supports more efficient operation through lower development, support, and maintenance costs, improved interoperability, and streamlined component swapping. It also leads to reduced IT infrastructure complexity, which makes it cheaper to implement and maintain, and cheaper procurement through having a better idea of what is needed where (The Open Group).

Security architecture takes a larger view and looks at risks and vulnerabilities inherent in an organization’s systems and operating environment. From this, it also dictates security controls to use to mitigate these risks and vulnerabilities. Benefits of security architecture come from its reliance on using controls to mitigate risks. Because the controls are standardized through NIST documentation, security architecture is easy and affordable to implement.

They are not one and the same, however both should be implemented fully in any organization. Incorporating a security architecture and an IT architecture together, from the ground up, allows security to be considered at all stages of development. This is important in keeping systems secure and information safe from malicious individuals. Additionally, incorporating them together allows for a streamlined process, as you don’t first need to do one and then the other before implementing something.

Patricia

 

The Open Group. (n.d.). The Business Executive's Guide to IT Architecture. Retrieved from The Open Group: http://www.opengroup.org/public/arch/p1/oview/

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