Outstanding Paper (Donn B. Parker Award) information security abilities by e-learning

Citation

Merete Hagen, J. (2010), "Outstanding Paper (Donn B. Parker Award) information security abilities by e-learning", Information Management & Computer Security, Vol. 18 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/imcs.2010.46108eaa.001

Outstanding Paper (Donn B. Parker Award) information security abilities by e-learning

Article Type: 2010 Awards for Excellence From: Information Management & Computer Security, Volume 18, Issue 5

"Effects on employees' information security abilities by e-learning"

Janne Merete HagenGjøvik University College, Gjøvik, Norway Eirik AlbrechtsenSINTEF Technology and Society, Safety Research, Trondheim, Norway

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to measure and discuss the effects of an e-learning tool aiming at improving the information security knowledge, awareness, and behaviour of employees.Design/methodology/approach – The intervention study has a pre- and post-assessment of knowledge and attitudes among employees. In total, 1,897 employees responded to a survey before and after the intervention. The population is divided into an intervention group and a control group, where the only thing that separates the groups is participation in the intervention (i.e. the e-learning tool).Findings – The study documents significant short-time improvements in security knowledge, awareness, and behaviour of members of the intervention group.Research limitations/implications – The study looks at short-time effects of the intervention. The paper has done a follow-up study of the long-term effects, which is also submitted to Information Management & Computer Security.Practical implications – The study can document that software that support Information Security Awareness programs have a short-time effect on employees’ knowledge, behaviour, and awareness; more interventions studies, following the same principles as presented in this paper, of other user-directed measures are needed, to test and document the effects of different measures.Originality/value – The paper is innovative in the area of information security research as it shows how the effects of an information security intervention can be measured.

Keywords: Data security, E-learning, Employees, Individual behaviour, Training

www.emeraldinsight.com/10.1108/09685220911006687

This aricle originally appeared in Vol. 17 No. 5, 2009, pp. 388-407, of Information Management & Computer Security Editor: Professor Steven M. Furnell

Highly commended Papers

Information Management & Computer Security

"An integrated view of human, organizational, and technological challenges of IT security management"

Rodrigo Werlinger, Kirstie Hawkey and Konstantin BeznosovVol. 17 No. 1, 2009

"A canonical analysis of intentional information security breaches by insiders"

Jordan ShropshireVol. 17 No. 4, 2009

Outstanding Reviewer

Professor Socrates K. KatsikasUniversity of Piraeus, Greece

Dr Vasilios KatosDemocritus University of Thrace, Greece