Multi-Layers of Information Security in Emergency Response

This paper draws on the socio-technical research tradition in information systems to re-conceptualize the information security in emergency response. A conceptual basis encompassing the three layers—technical, cognitive, and organizational—is developed by synthesizing Actor Network Theory and Theory of Organizational Routines. This paper makes the assumption that the emergency response context is built on the relationship between association and connectivity, which continuously shapes the emergency action network and its routines. Empirically, the analysis is based on a single case study conducted across three emergency departments. The data thus collected on information security, emergency department routines, and emergency actions is used to theorize specifically on the association/connectivity relationship. The resultant findings point to the fact that information security layers have a meaning in emergency response that is different from mainstream definitions of information security.