Independence of IT Security Systems of Public Units from IT Security Solutions Providers

The article discusses the issue of the independence of public units from IT security solutions providers. After presenting the essence and the definition of such independence, there were discussed some actions to be taken to minimise the risk of excessive dependence, among others, the issue of applying recognised norms and practices, following the outcomes of certification processes, as well as taking into account the independence discussed in the article in risk analyses. The summary points out that all the security requirements, including the issue of the security systems independence touched on in the article, should be verified and justified already in the phase of elaborating on given IT investment requirements. They need to constitute an integral part of the general business IT system model of a given public unit. Therefore, the knowledge on the security system independence, often omitted or disregarded, should be disseminated.