These days, convergence has become a new normal way of operating. Technological convergence now reflects a bigger change in the society. Security convergence is the merging of information security practices with physical security practices. What makes sense to converge varies by organization. It could be as simple as introducing a daily standing meeting between infosec and physical security personnel or a top-to-bottom infrastructure overhaul. 

In the last five years, a lot had treated the online world as a separate avenue from the physical world. However, as more mobile and wireless technologies made their way into the enterprise and consumer markets, this division disappeared. We are not in the midst of an Internet of Things (IoT) revolution that makes making convergence the new normal. Tools and threats are changing the way individuals and organizations conduct their operations. Although there are many things to think about to keep organizations secure, everyone must pay attention to what is on the horizon.  Below are the reasons convergence matters:

Make Integrated Responses

Originally, blended threats meant a network attack that exploited more than one IT infrastructure vulnerability. As more businesses run IoT infrastructure, blended attacks can include a combination of network and physical attacks. For instance, this can include skimming an access control proximity card with wireless hacking tools and using the credentials of employees to access a facility.

The perfect response to blended threats must be also blended. Some companies have included secure storage for data-carrying electronic assets and electronic access controls for assets that have physical vulnerabilities. 

Boost Security

Converging security practices creates a greater whole than the sum of its parts. Even companies that unify their security systems through a network-based management tool can expect powerful gains over the long run and during individual critical incidents. A unified management tool can automate logging and reporting from everything instead of managing several electronic and paper regulatory logging processes for every security system. 

Gain Competitive Edge

Converging security processes can align security operations with business goals. They can amplify how well an organization performs its most significant functions. In a tightly-secured business such as an electric utility, it can mean building blended defenses in depth around the combined digital and physical perimeter of a generating facility. In a public-facing business such as a resort, this could mean optimizing security to support visitors and customers within the facility as well as protecting them and the business assets while establishing a reputation for safety.