Information security management in local government

Abstract

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has become so pervasive in most organizations, that business functions are almost completely dependent on it. ICT is the platform that enables most of the organization's information processing and storage. Within the context of local government, this is also the case as ICT plays a crucial role in achieving their goal of service delivery to their communities. Due to its high importance, the information and related ICT systems should be adequately protected by the process of information security management. However, the problem remains that the efforts of local government in addressing information security is unsatisfactory. In order to address this, the objective of this paper is to propose an architecture, combined with a process model, which aims to assist local government to improve their information security management. This architecture and process model was refined by engaging with practitioners within local government and is not only applicable to South Africa, but also the rest of Africa.