Egyptian minister of communications commends ITSoft for achieving an internationally recognized quality certification

Kamel's remarks came during a September 30, 2004 ceremony organized by the Software Engineering Competence Center (SECC), which is affiliated to the Ministry of Communications and Information technology, to honor five Egyptian companies that achieved the designation. CMM® (Capability Maturity Model Integration) certification is a system developed by the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania.

Kamel said certification should have a positive impact on the companies' performance and by extension on the domestic economy because it strengthens the competitiveness of Egyptian software in international markets while at the same time supports the building of a strong base for the industry. He also said that MCIT will consider CMM® certification as giving companies a competitive advantage during the coming period.

Khaled Faraj Al Saeid, managing director and general manager of International Turnkey Systems (ITS), ITSoft's mother company, commended ITSoft on its domestic and international performance, attributing its success to the company's reliance on highly qualified staff in its work developing the information systems of local and international companies. He continued, saying that as the first company in the Middle East to receive CMM® level 3, ITSoft should be considered one of Egypt's leading software companies.

Al Saeid added, "ITSoft's achievement of this certification is the result of its ongoing massive efforts to establish its programs and services domestically, regionally and internationally. Because of those efforts it became the first Egyptian company to receive the designation."

He also said the certification should pave the way for new partnerships with international companies and export opportunities, describing such designations as a kind of a "driving license" facilitating the entrance of software into Arab and international markets. In keeping with its orientation since it was established, ITSoft will continue to strive for ever higher levels of certification.

Ehab Omran, executive director of ITSoft, said, "This certification is a kind of recognition by international institute [SEI] that the production of software is in accordance with international standards. CMM® certification thus facilitates marketing ITSoft products in Arab and international markets. By meeting the needs of clients around the world, ITSoft also strengthens its capabilities in nearby countries." He emphasized that the company is fully capable of providing all necessary support to Egyptian and Arab companies alike.

Speaking about the role of the SECC, its director, Gamal Mohamed Aly, said, "The center aims to provide all manner of technical and training support to Egyptian companies so as to qualify them to achieve international certification and thereby improve the quality of their products and ultimately increase their exports."

Aly said that by achieving CMM® level 3, ITSoft not only increases its potential to compete internationally but to double its exports. "CMM® quality certification is one of many sets of internationally recognized methods and standards about which the center is attempting to raise companies' awareness. Certification strengthens the capacity of Egyptian companies to participate in international information and communications technology projects and is a useful tool in competition with international companies."

Established in 2001, the SECC has its headquarters in the Smart Village in Sixth of October City on the outskirts of Cairo.