QNB Financial Services, a subsidiary of QNB, has become the first brokerage firm in Qatar to receive ‘ISO 27001’ certification for information security.
In order to be certified, QNBFS fulfilled key requirements related to the establishment, maintenance and implementation of its information security management system. It also met ‘ISO 27001:2013’ requirements for the appraisal and handling of information security risks.
As part of the certification process, QNBFS underwent a comprehensive assessment and implementation phase, in which a complete on-site audit was conducted by the British Standards Institute.
Once certified, organisations are subject to a three-year process by which their compliance is verified by yearly surveillance audits and a final re-certification audit at the end of the cycle.
QNBFS attached greater emphasis on information security management systems and ensured that it is integrated with the organisation’s processes, systems, controls and overall management structure, its chairman Adel Khashabi said. “These robust practices followed internally would give confidence to the various stakeholders that the security of assets such as financial information, intellectual property, employee details and information entrusted to it by them are guarded well,” he said.
With its comprehensive approach that takes into account threats, vulnerabilities, and impacts, the standard helps to ensure the adoption of appropriate security controls that protect the information of the company, customers and other stakeholders, according to Omar Rashid, general manager British Standards Institution Group Middle East.
QNBFS receiving the ‘ISO 27001’ certification.
