Influential factors affecting secure software development implementation at public service organization: an exploratory study

Abstract

Developing secure software is a major concern in public service organizations as highly-sensitive and confidential data are transacted through online applications. A great number of departments around the public sectors are depending on online services to ensure effective services delivery. Despite practicing numerous methods, models and standards to ensure secure software development, deployment of the processes has not been able to be institutionalized. On that account, this paper presents the results of an exploratory study conducted with the aim to investigate the factors influencing the implementation of secure software development practices at the Malaysian Public Service Organization (MPS). In the efforts to achieve this objective, 21 practitioners from 8 agencies who were involved in software development were interviewed. The collected data were then analyzed using the grounded theory technique. The study revealed 17 influential factors that affected the implementation of secure software development practices.