An effective approach for dealing with the pressure to compromise security during systems development

Abstract

This study looks into (1) the frequency with which Australian IT professionals compromise security to meet deadlines; (2) the causes of unprofessional behavior in the IT work place; (3) the best approach for tackling unprofessional behavior; and the effectiveness of this approach. These issues were addressed using a mixed research methodology that involved three data collection stages with the input of each stage being the output of the earlier stage. In the first stage, we conducted a survey of 2,315 Australian IT professionals which the Australian Computer Society helped promote. In the second stage, we interviewed 43 Australian IT professionals from six different Australian state capitals to understand the causes of unprofessional behavior in the IT work place and the best approach for tackling unprofessional behavior. Following the research participants’ suggestions, I implemented the approach suggested by the majority of participants. I then shared the links of the approach I implemented with the Australian IT professionals via the Australian Computer Society. In the final stage, I interviewed 28 IT professionals to receive their feedback with regards to the effectiveness of this approach in enhancing young IT professionals’ abilities to recognize unprofessional behavior. This paper presents the results from the three stages of this study.