Digital Divide: Is It War Between Information Managers And Users?

The digital divide is deep and gaping between security professionals and users. Researchers have studied the differing points of views in an attempt to bridge the great divide. But do prejudices on both sides make the chasm too wide and jagged to seal?

bridgegapA digital divide exists between information security managers and users. IT/IS managers mainly regard users as an information security threat, while users regard themselves as an untapped resource for security work. Research suggests these greatly differing points of view tend to make management approaches to security that do not line up well with the dynamics of the users’ working day.

Different work situations and rationalities may explain the digital divide in organizations. The security professional operates at a distance from the everyday work tasks and vulnerabilities in the company, but put toe to the line in a digital attack when vulnerabilities require crisis management. Users, however, step up to the plate every day as required to keep the company going forward as productive and profitable. For users, it is often a case of feeling like all their rights and privileges are unjustly controlled.

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