E-government security readiness assessment for developing countries: Case study: Nepal Govt. organizations

Since the beginning of research on E-government security problems, many facts have proved that the construction of e-government security assurance system can guarantee the running of the whole e-government system in a safe, reliable and effective mode. In Nepal, government organizations are already using few of these technologies to increase efficiency and effectiveness in service delivery and provide easier interaction between the citizens and the government. However, these benefits do not come without risks for information being misused, service disrupted or any other attacks interrupting the normal operation of computer based information systems. Problems with existing E-government systems security can be identified and taken care of by conducting regular audits. The goal of the paper is to investigate and understand the current E-government security audit readiness situation of Nepalese government organizations and suggest an approach to solve the existing situation. To meet this goal, government organizations that are intended to offer e-service has been purposely selected and assessed using questionnaire as a method of data collection. Security management domains in ISO audit checklist and ICT security readiness checklist are used to design the questionnaire to assess the security audit readiness of Nepal government organizations and suggest a framework for improvement.