Analysing the effect of security on information quality dimensions

Information quality (IQ) has become a critical concern in today’s organisations. Although recent studies of information systems indicate an increasing importance of IQ, foremost research is still limited. Indeed, little is known about the impact of various design decisions on IQ. Recent research shows that security measures are increasingly important for any information system; however security measures are often introduced without considering the effect on IQ. At the same time, literature provides us with indications that trade-offs between various IQ dimensions exist. In this article we aim to investigate how security measures impact on different IQ dimensions. We carried out an experiment, which indicates that security measures have a significant effect on timeliness, whereas other dimensions are not particularly influenced. This observation led us to the proposal of costbenefit considerations, an important aspect for IQ management. The study is valuable for both research and practitioners. Further research studies can build on our observations and extend the research. Practitioners are provided with arguments for considering IQ trade-offs in relation to security measures.