Assessing the Role of Governments in Securing E-Business: The Case of Jordan

Advances in Web technologies have brought about a massive increase in online businesses, but security has significantly lagged behind. We and others argue that governments can and should play a major role in providing a reliable and secure environment for online businesses because they have a major stake in growing the economy. Our finding from previous research indicates that security is usually overlooked; it comes as an afterthought or is perceived from a purely technical dimension. This study attempts to describe and analyze the current role of the government of Jordan in facilitating the security of e-business. Our starting premise is that governments should recognize the full range of socio-technical implications that security may have on the adoption of e-business. This can be achieved by understanding the real security needs and concerns of the various stakeholders at the different e-business stages and then aligning them to its policy and plans. Moreover, we argue that in order for the government to be an effective partner in developing a secure e-business environment, legislating laws and regulations is insufficient; instead, governments must increase security education and awareness, ensure compliance with security standards and regulations, and protect the country’s critical ICT infrastructure.