Welcome to the InfoSci Platform
Reference Hub40
Do Information Security Policies Reduce the Incidence of Security Breaches: An Exploratory Analysis

Do Information Security Policies Reduce the Incidence of Security Breaches: An Exploratory Analysis

Neil F. Doherty, Heather Fulford
Copyright: © 2005 |Volume: 18 |Issue: 4 |Pages: 19
ISSN: 1040-1628|EISSN: 1533-7979|ISSN: 1040-1628|EISBN13: 9781615200146|EISSN: 1533-7979|DOI: 10.4018/irmj.2005100102
Cite Article Cite Article

MLA

Doherty, Neil F., and Heather Fulford. "Do Information Security Policies Reduce the Incidence of Security Breaches: An Exploratory Analysis." IRMJ vol.18, no.4 2005: pp.21-39. http://doi.org/10.4018/irmj.2005100102

APA

Doherty, N. F. & Fulford, H. (2005). Do Information Security Policies Reduce the Incidence of Security Breaches: An Exploratory Analysis. Information Resources Management Journal (IRMJ), 18(4), 21-39. http://doi.org/10.4018/irmj.2005100102

Chicago

Doherty, Neil F., and Heather Fulford. "Do Information Security Policies Reduce the Incidence of Security Breaches: An Exploratory Analysis," Information Resources Management Journal (IRMJ) 18, no.4: 21-39. http://doi.org/10.4018/irmj.2005100102

Export Reference

Mendeley
Favorite Full-Issue Download

Abstract

Information is a critical corporate asset that has become increasingly vulnerable to attacks from viruses, hackers, criminals, and human error. Consequently, organizations are having to prioritize the security of their computer systems in order to ensure that their information assets retain their accuracy, confidentiality, and availability. While the importance of the information security policy (InSPy) in ensuring the security of information is acknowledged widely, to date there has been little empirical analysis of its impact or effectiveness in this role. To help fill this gap, an exploratory study was initiated that sought to investigate the relationship between the uptake and application of information security policies and the accompanying levels of security breaches. To this end, a questionnaire was designed, validated, and then targeted at IT managers within large organizations in the UK. The findings presented in this paper are somewhat surprising, as they show no statistically significant relationships between the adoption of information security policies and the incidence or severity of security breaches. The paper concludes by exploring the possible interpretations of this unexpected finding and its implications for the practice of information security management.

Request Access

You do not own this content. Please login to recommend this title to your institution's librarian or purchase it from the IGI Global bookstore.