Digital Transformation in Higher Education Obstacle Assessment and Development of Strategies against Cybersecurity Threats: The Case of Moroccan Universities

Digital Transformation(DT) in higher education has become essential in improving both educational delivery and operational efficiency. However, this transition also exposes institutions to increasing cybersecurity threats, often associated with various barriers reported in the literature. Although these barriers have been widely studied, no research has yet systematically prioritized them in the academic context. This study, conducted within the framework of DT in Morocco, addresses this gap by classifying and prioritizing these barriers to better understand how they contribute to the spread of cybersecurity threats. Using methodologies such as the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the Analytic Network Process (ANP), we not only prioritized the major barriers but also developed specific strategies to counter the resulting threats, revealing significant variations in the prioritization of cybersecurity strategies. These differences arise from the complex interactions between the barriers identified by the ANP, highlighting the importance of considering interdependencies when developing effective cybersecurity strategies.