IT Governance and Control: Mitigation and Disaster Preparedness of Organizations in the UAE

The success of any business continuity today depends on its levels of preparedness to address any disasters that could emerge from the risks it faces in its operations. Most of the businesses in the UAE have adopted information technology and systems to aid them in their operations. Unfortunately, the adoption of such systems enhances the risks that businesses face, hence the need to ensure they adopt reliable disaster management strategies to address any potential challenges they could face. The aim of this research is to review and measure the levels of information system disaster preparedness in both the private and public sector organizations operating in the UAE. A study was conducted to measure the use of some of the popular disaster risk management models such as STRIDE, DREAD, and BCM. The study indicated that many of the firms in the UAE are not fully prepared to tackle disasters emanating from their information management systems but have taken some steps and have invested part of their resources in improving the state of their preparedness. The findings in this paper can benefit researchers in the field of IT, private and public organizations in the region, government entities, and other stakeholders investing in the gulf country.