A proposal for a domain ontology about information security in organizations: description of the terminological stage

Abstract

The evolution of information technology has facilitated the dissemination of information in the organizational and inter-organizational context. The availability of information and today’s turbulent business environment has resulted in an increased focus on information security issues. While managers realize the need to implement security guidelines, they do not have a clear understanding of what must be protected and how they might go about it. This article presents a general overview of the field of security research, describes distinct related initiatives and highlights the significance of information classification in achieving security goals in the organizational environment. We advocate that organizations can benefit by adopting ontologies as an alternative means of classifying information. The current phase of the research effort has produced results regarding the terminological stage of a domain ontology about security information. We expect to further contribute to the development of other initiatives related to this aspect of Information Science, as well as found the work of the information professionals and managers who drive security projects.