ITA kicks of information security seminars and courses for civil employees

The first of this series was held on the 27th April 2009 at the Institute of Public Administration, Al Khuwair.

This seminar addressing Director Generals, Security experts and IT Heads of various government organizations was attended by Dr. Salim Al Ruqzaiqi, CEO of ITA.

Mr. Abdullah Al Barwani, Head of the CIS, began the session by stating that, "Both the government and the public are more dependent on technology for different reasons: from simple to complex. The modern lifestyle has become more complex and we can' do without technology even for various normal activities. This has placed high level of reliance on technology and at the same time to protect the information & communication that is exchanged through technology."

Bearing this in mind, ITA strategically set up of the Centre for Information Security (CIS) as a centre of excellence in this specialised field. This centre launched in early 2008 works to secure the government network and organisational systems, and provide expert consultancy services to all public sector entities.

The CIS also undertakes activities to spread wider awareness among people who are generally considered as the weakest link in Information Security. This seminar is the first of the series focusing on management level civil staff to create Information Security Management capability within the government sector.

Following this a technical session titled 'Threats and Risks to Information in the Digital World', was conducted by Stefano Toria, Senior Security Consultant from InfoGuard AG, Switzerland with several years of experience in security consultation, education and training.

In a similar focus ITA through CIS will continue to offer intensive seminars, workshop and training programs for the government employees of Oman. These candidates upon completion of their course can also get certified in Information Security areas.

According to Mr. Mohammed Salim Al Harthy, Chief Information Officer at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who attended this event, "Lack of awareness creates loopholes for malicious software to take control of our systems. And this is a main reason for the top management to consider the budget issues and awareness and training plans to prepare qualified experts in Information Security. I am truly happy to hear that ITA is good efforts in this direction."

The main aim of the seminar and workshop series which will be held in different session with different target group of civil employees is to enhance awareness about information security among oman government ministries, and establish a common understanding about 'Information Security Management Systems'. The programs strive to enhance the skills to identify and manage information risks within public sector IT systems.

Over 40 people attended the first day of the seminar and subsequent workshops will see operational executives from the ministries attending specialised programs. These programs will raise awareness about Information Security by introducing common vulnerabilities and threats to Information and Communication Technology and discuss the methodology to manage ICT related Security risks and best practices to assure Business Continuity and manage Disaster Recovery.

Selected IT Managers, Information Security officers and Information Security Engineers will be trained and certified as Crypto Academy Specialist in Information Security, Crypto Academy Expert in Information Security and ISO 27001 Lead Auditor.