Communication and Information Systems User Support as a Governance Mechanism in a High-Security Public Organization

Reliable internal communication and information systems (CISs) constitute a foundational yet often under-examined layer of contemporary digital government and organizational resilience. While existing research has predominantly focused on citizen-facing services and external platforms, comparatively limited attention has been devoted to how internal CIS user support structures function as governance mechanisms that sustain institutional continuity, authority, and operational control. This article reconceptualises CIS user support as a governance mechanism and empirically examines its implementation within a high-security public-sector organization, the Slovenian Armed Forces. The study integrates perspectives from information systems governance and IT service management with an in-depth case study based on legal and organizational framework analysis, structured user interviews (n = 24), and longitudinal operational data on CIS incidents and service performance (2022–2024). The findings demonstrate that a multi-tier CIS user support architecture, informed by IT service management principles and integrated with cybersecurity and cryptographic control functions, contributes to institutional reliability, process accountability, and operational resilience. Building on these results, the article develops a five-dimensional governance model of CIS user support encompassing organizational authority, process formalization, security integration, communication legitimacy, and data-driven oversight. By conceptualizing CIS user support as an embedded governance structure rather than merely an operational IT function, the study extends information systems governance and digital government scholarship and provides analytically transferable insights for high-security public organizations operating under conditions of elevated risk and institutional constraint.