Information security management frameworks and strategies in higher education institutions: a systematic review

Abstract

Effective information security management (ISM) practices to protect the information assets of organizations from security intrusions and attacks is imperative. In that sense, a systematic literature review of academic articles focused on ISM in higher education institutions (HEIs) is conducted. For this purpose, an empirical study was performed. Studies carried out from 2012 onward reporting results from HEIs data that perform the ISM through various means, such as a set of framework functions, implementation phases, infrastructure services, and securities to their assets, have been explored. The articles found were then analyzed following a methodological procedure consisting of a systematic mapping study with their research questions, inclusion and exclusion criteria, selection of digital libraries, and analysis of the respective search strings. A set of competencies, resources, directives, and strategies that contribute to designing and to developing an ISM framework (ISMF) for HEIs is identified based on standards such as ISO 27000, COBIT, ITIL, NIST, and EDUCAUSE. This study introduces a strategic reference that guides HEIs on the development of an ISMF and provides recommendations that should be considered for its implementation in an era of ever-evolving security threats.