IT (Information Technology)
Systems and infrastructure for storing, processing, and transmitting information. Traditional security tools were designed for IT environments and lack coverage of IoT, OT, and IoMT devices.
What is IT (Information Technology)?
Systems and infrastructure for storing, processing, and transmitting information. Traditional security tools were designed for IT environments and lack coverage of IoT, OT, and IoMT devices.
Information Technology (IT) encompasses the systems, infrastructure, and software used to store, process, and transmit information in organizational contexts: servers, workstations, networking equipment, enterprise applications, databases, and cloud services. IT security — the practice of protecting these systems — has been the primary focus of enterprise security programs for decades and is the context in which most security tools, frameworks, and practices were developed.
The limitation of this IT-centric foundation becomes apparent when the full connected device estate is considered. Traditional IT security tools assume managed endpoints: devices running Windows or Linux, enrolled in directory services, running security agents, and patched on regular cycles. These assumptions exclude the majority of devices on modern enterprise networks. IoT, OT, and IoMT devices are structurally different from IT endpoints in ways that make direct application of IT security tools not just ineffective but sometimes harmful.
The convergence of IT with OT and IoT has forced IT security programs to expand their scope and adapt their methods. Frameworks that were written entirely in IT terms — NIST CSF, CIS Controls, ISO 27001 — are being updated or supplemented with IoT and OT-specific guidance. Security tools that assumed agent-based coverage are being integrated with agentless network monitoring to extend visibility. The IT security foundation remains relevant and valuable; it simply must be extended, not replaced.
Key Facts
- IT security tools cover 30–40% of devices in enterprise networks with significant IoT/OT deployments
- Traditional IT security assumptions (agents, directory enrollment, regular patching) apply to fewer than half of enterprise devices
- IT/OT convergence has been identified by CISA as the primary factor expanding enterprise attack surfaces since 2015
- IT security spending in 2024 exceeds $215B globally, but much of it covers only the managed IT subset of the environment
How ORDR Addresses IT (Information Technology)
ORDR extends IT security coverage to the full connected device estate. IT security tools handle managed endpoints; ORDR handles IoT, OT, and IoMT. The two operate as complementary layers: IT security tools provide deep endpoint visibility for managed assets, ORDR provides network-level visibility across all assets including those IT tools cannot reach.
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Complete visibility across your entire attack surface.
ORDR unifies IT, IoT, and OT asset intelligence so your team can see—and act on—what matters most.