The evaluation of IT and its business value are the subject of many academic and business discussions. Investments in IT are growing extensively, and business managers worry about the fact that the benefits might not be as high as expected. This phenomenon is often called the IT investment paradox or the IT Black Hole: large sums are invested in IT that seem to be swallowed by a large black hole without rendering many returns. How to measure the benefits of IT is the concern of this book titled Information Technology Evaluation Methods and Management. The different IT evaluation approaches and methods are discussed and illustrated with cases: traditional financial evaluations such as the return on investment, information economics and the recently introduced IT Balanced Scorecard. The latter approach is proposed as an ideal mechanism to support the IT/business alignment process and its related IT governance process.

Among some of the topics included in this book are: software measurement; ERP project evaluation; strategic electronic commerce evaluation.

Large-scale data loss and data privacy compliance breaches continue to make headline news, highlighting the need for stringent data protection policies, especially when personal or commercially sensitive information is at stake. While regulations and legislation exist to address these issues, how organisations can best tailor their compliance approaches to their own operational circumstances has remained an open question. The focus of this book is on operationalising a truly risk-based approach to data protection and compliance, beyond just emphasis on regulatory frameworks and legalistic compliance.

Formed of papers originating from the 9th International Conference on Safety and Security Engineering, this book highlights research and industrial developments in the theoretical and practical aspects of safety and security engineering. Safety and Security Engineering, due to its special nature, is an interdisciplinary area of research and application that brings together, in a systematic way, many disciplines of engineering from the traditional to the most technologically advanced. This volume covers topics such as crisis management, security engineering, natural disasters and emergencies, terrorism, IT security, man-made hazards, risk management, control, protection and mitigation issues. The meeting aims to attract papers in all related fields, in addition to those listed under the Conference Topics, as well as case studies describing practical experiences. Due to the multitude and variety of topics included, the list is only indicative of the themes of the expected papers. Authors are encouraged to submit abstracts in all areas of Safety and Security, with particular attention to integrated and interdisciplinary aspects. Specific themes include: Critical infrastructure; Cyber security/E security; Disaster and emergency management; Earthquakes and natural hazards; Human factors and risk perception; Modelling and experiments; Risk analysis and assessment; Safety engineering; Risk reduction in transport system in emergency conditions.