An editorial analysis of digital transformation initiatives indicates that organizational security and data protection depend on the interplay of usable security controls, human behavior, and institutional readiness rather than technical mechanisms alone.
According to the editorial framework, the relationship between data privacy and cybersecurity operates bidirectionally: cybersecurity safeguards systems and data against threats, whereas privacy considerations govern what information is gathered, how organizations use it, and to whom it is disclosed.
The editors observe that security controls function effectively only when end users comprehend them, can execute them in practical settings, and receive active institutional support, whereas security awareness campaigns remain ineffective when organizations lack defined responsibilities, coordination, or risk management resources.
The collection brings together four studies covering human-centered cybersecurity, community-specific security knowledge, healthcare workforce behaviors, and public sector governance to align technical safeguards with user capabilities and organizational capacities.
In a study assessing cybersecurity through human factors, Kour and colleagues conducted a systematic literature review covering 2015 to 2025 using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines alongside a questionnaire.
Their findings demonstrated that frequent password alterations and multi-factor authentication represent the most annoying security requirements for users, whereas single sign-on, biometric authentication, and automated updates are the most appealing, leading the authors to propose a conceptual model informed by Industry 5.0 philosophy to harmonize human and technological needs.
Examining public sector governance in Brazil, Cardoso evaluated technological maturity across the health, education, and finance sectors, arguing that traditional public administration focuses excessively on incident response and controls rather than ongoing risk assessments, capability building, and workforce training supported by public technology firms.
Focusing on diverse internet users in India, Kaur and Chahal used semi-structured discussion guides and thematic analysis across five focus groups—encompassing secondary students, university students, senior citizens, and social activists—finding that online transaction vulnerabilities, social media risks, low technical literacy, and anxiety formed the primary challenges alongside an absence of appreciation for how online activities compromise personal privacy.
Investigating healthcare cybersecurity in Saudi Arabia, Alharbi and Alkhalifah applied general deterrence and protection motivation theories to survey data from a convenience sample of 252 healthcare employees, analyzing responses through structural equation modeling and artificial neural networks.
Their analysis revealed that employee security behaviors were significantly influenced by trust, exploitability, awareness, and certainty of punishment, while privacy and complexity affected threat appraisal; conversely, projected threat, projected vulnerability, and self-efficacy demonstrated no effect on cybersecurity behavior, prompting the editorial team to call for longitudinal and cross-sector investigations to determine whether usability enhancements and coordinated governance produce sustained protection.
In their editorial for Frontiers in Computer Science within the Computer Security section, Saqib Saeed of Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Noor Zaman Jhanjhi of Taylor’s University, Muhammad Adnan Khan of Gachon University, and Dileep Kumar Yadav of Bennett University examine the broader structural context surrounding digital business transformation. They note that organizations increasingly implement cloud architectures, digital platforms, and data-centric applications to streamline service delivery, coordinate internal activities, and inform decision-making processes. However, these technological deployments simultaneously expose organizational environments to disruptions and sensitive data disclosures if technical mechanisms are introduced without accounting for operational vulnerabilities and human participation.
The editorial emphasizes that user participation in cybersecurity safeguards often diminishes or becomes hazardous when institutional conditions demand excessive user effort or fail to communicate protective requirements clearly. When organizational risk management lacks clear allocations of responsibility, sufficient operational resources, or interdepartmental coordination, standard security awareness campaigns fail to achieve meaningful protection. Consequently, the editors argue that achieving secure and trustworthy digital transformation requires institutional leaders to account for human behavior, system usability, and organizational readiness, recognizing that these factors fluctuate across different user populations and institutional settings.
To address these multifaceted requirements, the editorial curates four distinct investigations reflecting diverse methodological traditions: a systematic literature review paired with survey research, qualitative focus group discussions, quantitative structural equation modeling combined with artificial neural networks, and public sector governance analysis. The editorial team notes that while this curated collection is not an all-encompassing remedy, it establishes an evidence-based foundation showing how cybersecurity practices can satisfy end-user requirements and become effectively integrated into organizational workflows to foster institutional trust, information protection, and sustainable transformation.
Expanding on the human factors perspective, Kour and colleagues argue that human-centric cybersecurity design must move past basic ease-of-use concepts to focus comprehensively on the human-technology nexus. Grounded in their systematic review of literature from 2015 through 2025 and survey findings, the authors propose a conceptual model informed by Industry 5.0 philosophy. This framework provides a theoretical basis for constructing digital ecosystems that balance security, user-friendliness, and operational sustainability without overwhelming end users with burdensome authentication procedures.
In the public administration domain, Cardoso’s analysis of Brazilian digital government emphasizes that maintaining uninterrupted operations across interconnected public systems requires coordinated national attention rather than fragmented oversight by isolated agencies. In evaluating sectors such as health, education, and finance, Cardoso examines institutional disparities and the digital divide, highlighting how public technology enterprises contribute to threat detection, operational risk governance, and institutional resilience. The study underscores that capacity building, ongoing risk assessments, and public-private partnerships provide a more resilient foundation than traditional models centered strictly on incident response.
In their qualitative evaluation of internet user communities in India, Kaur and Chahal identify specific social and cognitive factors shaping cybersecurity engagement across secondary students, undergraduate and postgraduate students, senior citizens, and social activists. The thematic findings demonstrate that low technological literacy and technology-associated anxiety represent primary impediments to safe participation in online transactions and social media. Because participants exhibited an insufficient appreciation of how everyday digital interactions affect personal privacy and security, the study highlights the necessity of designing differentiated, targeted awareness campaigns calibrated to the distinct digital literacy levels of varied user demographics.
Further clarifying organizational dynamics, Alharbi and Alkhalifah’s study of 252 healthcare personnel in Saudi Arabia shows how deterrence mechanisms and protection motivation interact in practice. By employing structural equation modeling alongside artificial neural network analysis, the researchers demonstrated that employee security behaviors are directly shaped by organizational trust, system exploitability, security awareness, and the certainty of disciplinary punishment, whereas privacy concerns and technological complexity influence how employees appraise security threats. Notably, projected vulnerability, projected threat severity, and individual self-efficacy did not exert a measurable effect on employee compliance behaviors in this setting.
Synthesizing these findings, the editorial calls on practitioners to ensure that technical safeguards remain adaptable to specific user groups and operational environments, preserving both data privacy and service continuity. For future scholarly work, the editors outline an agenda centered on longitudinal and cross-sector investigations to verify whether user-centered control designs, differentiated training initiatives, and coordinated institutional governance produce durable behavioral change and measurable protection improvements across diverse organizations.
Subject of Research: Human and organizational factors in cybersecurity and data privacy
Article Title: Editorial: Data privacy and cybersecurity challenges in digital business transformation
Article References: Saeed, S., Jhanjhi, N. Z., Khan, M. A., & Yadav, D. K. (2026). Editorial: Data privacy and cybersecurity challenges in digital business transformation. Frontiers in Computer Science, 8, Article 2029696. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomp.2026.2029696
Image Credits: AI Generated
DOI: 10.3389/fcomp.2026.2029696
Keywords: cybersecurity, data privacy, digital transformation, human factors, organizational resilience, security awareness, public sector, healthcare cybersecurity, Editorial, Data, privacy, challenges
——————————————————-
Click Here For The Original Source.
