What does the concept of separation of duties ensure within an organization?

The concept of separation of duties is a crucial principle in organizational governance and security management. It is designed to prevent fraud and errors by dividing responsibilities and tasks among different individuals. This way, no single person has enough control over a critical process to misuse it or to engage in fraudulent activities without oversight. By ensuring that multiple people are involved in different aspects of a process, organizations create a system of checks and balances. This discourages inappropriate actions since several individuals would need to collude to compromise the integrity of a process.

For instance, in financial contexts, one person may initiate a transaction while another is responsible for approving it. This division helps maintain accountability and provides a safeguard against any single point of failure or abuse of power. The other options presented do not align with the principles of separation of duties—where consolidating power or equal authority diminishes security and increases risk.