Information Technology Security: Governance, Strategy, and Practice in Higher Education

U.S. higher education institutions have historically enjoyed a culture of open access to information. The free flow of information faces increasing challenges as concerns about information security continue to mount. This study examines how higher education is coping with the growing cost of information technology security and with the tensions between preserving confidentiality, ensuring data integrity, and maintaining an academic environment in which information is easily available to authorized users. The study reports the results of a quantitative survey of 435 higher education institutions as well as interviews with 42 technology executives, managers, and faculty members at 18 institutions. Companion publications include case studies on incident management and information technology security at six institutions.