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Purpose -Information systems security management is a knowledge-intensive activity that currently depends heavily on the experience of security experts. However, the knowledge dimension of IS security management has been neglected, both by research and industry. This paper aims to explore the sources of IS security knowledge and the potential role of an IS security knowledge management system. Design/methodology/approach -The results of this paper are based on field research involving five organizations (public and private) and five security experts and consultants. A model to illustrate the structure of IS security knowledge in an organization is then proposed. Findings -Successful security management largely depends on the involvement of users and other stakeholders in security analysis, design, and implementation, as well as in actively defending the IS. However, most stakeholders lack the required knowledge of IS security issues that would allow them to play an important role in IS security management. Originality/value -In this paper, the knowledge management aspect of IS security management is highlighted. Moreover, the basic sources of security-related knowledge have been identified and a model of IS security knowledge has been created. Also, the activities to be supported by a security-focused KM system have been identified. Thus, the basis for the development of specialized security KM systems is set.

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The length of studies of the students who "linger" in Higher Education has not been justified in many countries, and the Higher Education Institutes try to solve the problem using various methods. The problem of students who "linger" in their Departments beyond the six or seven years is seen as complex one, in the Greek Higher Education. Two main alternative methods have been discussed: Giving the students who "linger" a low priority for registration in the laboratory classes, and limiting the number of times of attending laboratory based courses. Eventually, according to the new legislation the Greek Higher Education Institutes must cut off access to the students who "linger" too long. This study focuses on this hard problem. Clustering techniques and the mining of Association rules are used. The results of clustering and the generation of the association rules are based on students' questionnaires collected in the laboratory classes. Various interesting results and rules are extracted and discussed.

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Purpose – Institutional repositories (IR) are usually used to archive and manage digital collections including research results, educational material, etc. Learning management systems (LMS) form a popular basis for e-learning and blended learning. This paper aims to study how to integrate IR and LMS to support accessibility of disabled students and students with learning difficulties (dyslexic students) in higher education. Customised ontologies focusing on disabled students can be used to facilitate indexing, and access of items in the repository. Design/methodology/approach – The authors propose a simple methodological approach to establish an integrating system for supporting accessibility. First, the authors review research works related to adaptive learning environments (ALEs) and blended learning, and discuss issues of the interoperability of IR and LMS. Then, based on the review, the authors discuss the use of an integrated ALE for supporting disabled students in the domain of higher technological education. The integrated system is based on IR, LMS and assistive and adaptive technology. The open source software platform DSpace is used to build up the repository applications Use of the web ontology language (OWL) ontologies is also proposed for indexing and accessing the various, heterogeneous items stored in the repository. Various open source LMS (e.g. openeclass) could be used to build up the integrated system. Finally, the authors describe experimentation with a prototype implemented to provide the mentioned capabilities. Findings – The technology is mature enough for building up integrated systems, combining capabilities of IR and LMS, for supporting disabled students. The use of ontologies focused on disabled students could facilitate the use of such integrated systems. Customisation and operation of a platform, for the selection and use of portions of OWL ontologies, could be based on the open source software Protégé. Such a platform forms a basis to create an appropriate ontology suitable for specific domains, e.g. the domain of technological education. Finally, the authors argue that the combined use of the OWL platform and the DSpace repository with open source LMS platforms could support domain experts for creating customised ontologies and facilitating searching. Originality/value – A new perception of the term integrated system for supporting disabled students in the higher education context is presented. This perception tries to combine the IR technology that supports the self-archiving approach of information, open LMS technology and the user-centred approach to support students and manage the “life of information”.