Beyond IT: How human factors and leadership define cybersecurity success
Beyond IT: How human factors and leadership define cybersecurity success
https://www.digitalinformationworld.com/2026/05/not-just-it-issue-human-threat-to.html
Publish Date: 2026-05-05 06:21:00
Source Domain: www.digitalinformationworld.com
Organisations could be better protected from cybercrime by investing in more leadership and staff decision-making, a University of Queensland study has found.
Dr Ivano Bongiovanni from the UQ Cyber Research Centre sat down with UQ News to discuss key findings from new research showing technology alone can’t improve cybersecurity.
In our Q&A, Dr Bongiovanni shares why business leaders must ensure cybersecurity becomes a shared responsibility to better protect their organisations and the customer data entrusted to them.
Why do organisations with seemingly strong cybersecurity still experience data breaches?
Cybersecurity is not just a technology problem – it’s a technology, people and process problem.
“Investing in technical controls is essential, but it’s only one part of the picture. Organisations also need to invest in staff capability and effective internal processes.”
A common saying in cybersecurity is that defenders need to be right all the time, while attackers only need to be right once.
That imbalance makes breaches difficult to prevent entirely.
What role do human factors play in cybersecurity failures?
Human factors are under-recognised when it comes to shaping effective cybersecurity policies, but they are one of the most complex challenges because every person in an organisation has a different level of awareness and understanding of what safe behaviour looks like.
Our research involved interviewing people across different organisational roles – from operational security employees to senior executives and board members – and we found cybersecurity decisions are influenced by a wide range of factors, from industry regulations to individual attitudes and behaviours.
Even in small organisations, staff turnover, lack of training and inconsistent awareness can create vulnerabilities.
In larger organisations, the scale of the workforce multiplies the challenge.
How has new technology like AI changed the risk landscape?
New technology…
