Work for better information security with a focus on research data

– The Swedish National Audit Office's report will be a good support for us as a higher education institution to be able to continue working and develop our information security work. Among other things, it is about improving support for researchers and continuing internal training on information security issues, says Helena Wallskog, Head of Department for INFRA.

The Swedish NAO's audit covered 24 higher education institutions, three of which were selected for in-depth examples. The background to the review is, among other things, regulatory requirements for government agencies to conduct systematic information security work, but also that the number of cyber attacks has increased and intelligence activities against higher education institutions have intensified in recent years.

The Swedish National Audit Office's report recommends that the Government instruct the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency to carry out competence-enhancing initiatives for the management of higher education institutions. Efforts should be tailored to the needs of higher education institutions.

– At the central level, discussions are underway within SUHF to establish a special expert group for information security issues. At Mid Sweden University, we will take a number of measures, including adjustments to the policies and guidelines we have. We have good expertise to handle this area and a committed management team with an understanding of the challenges, so I look forward with confidence to our continued work,says Helena Wallskog.

The report from the Swedish National Audit Office and Mid Sweden University's proposals for measures based on the report's conclusions have been presented to the Management Council and the Board.

Read more (in Swedish): Information security at universities and colleges – the management of research data worthy of protection | National Audit Office