A compliance based framework for information security in e-government in Oman
Creators: name: Al-Kalbani, Ahmed
Publisher: name: RMIT University
Year: 2024
Subjects: classificationCode: 460407
subject: System and network security
classificationCode: 460908
subject: Information systems organisation and management

description: The development of electronic government (e-government) in Oman has created new means for public organizations to deliver services, engage citizens, and improve workflows between public organizations. Such a development has opened the possibility that critical information in e-government systems can be exposed. This directly affects the confidence and trust of e-government stakeholders. Such confidence and trust are important to the continued development of e-government in Oman. As a result, the security of information has become a critical issue that needs to be adequately addressed in e-government development.<br><br>This research aims to develop a compliance-based framework for information security in public organizations in e-government development in Oman. Specifically it aims to (a) identify the critical factors for effective information security compliance in public organizations in Oman, (b) develop a framework for information security compliance, and (c) provide the Omani government with some recommendations for effective information security compliance in public organizations for e-government development. To fulfill these research aims, a mixed-methods methodology is used. A conceptual framework is developed by hypothesizing the critical factors for effective information security compliance in organizations. With the use of survey data collected from public organizations in Oman, the conceptual framework is tested and validated using structural equation modeling. To further validate the identified critical factors, thematic analysis is carried out on the semi-structured interview data collected simultaneously. The quantitative findings and the qualitative findings are triangulated for better understanding information security compliance in public organizations for e-government development in Oman.<br><br>The study reveals that management commitment, awareness and training, accountability, organizational loyalty, audit and monitoring, process integration, technology capability, technology compatibility, technology reliability, legal pressures, and social pressures are critical for effective information security compliance in public organizations for e-government development in Oman. Based on the critical factors identified, a new framework for information security compliance is developed. Such a framework consists of four main dimensions including (a) organizational security culture, (b) information security processes, (c) security technologies, and (d) environment pressures.<br><br><br>This research contributes to the e-government and information security compliance research from both the theoretical and practical perspectives. From the theoretical perspective, this research demonstrates the applicability of socio-organizational factors for influencing information security compliance in public organizations for e-government development. From the practical perspective, this research provides an in-depth investigation of the critical factors for information security compliance, which provides the Omani government with useful guidelines on how to ensure information security in public organizations for e-government development. Such guidelines are also useful for other developing countries in their e-government development endeavors.