By Pratap John
AS Qatar is fast getting “totally wired” the spotlight is now on enhancing cybersecurity, which will protect the state’s critical IT infrastructure.
Pushing cybersecurity activities is the Supreme Council for Information and Communication Technology (ictQATAR), which has tied up with the Carnegie Mellon Software Engineering Institute to set up Q-CERT in Qatar.
IctQATAR secretary general Dr Hessa al-Jaber said Q-CERT would serve as the national organisation to conduct and co-ordinate the comprehensive set of cybersecurity activities that are required to protect Qatar’s IT infrastructure as cyberspace becomes the nerve centre of the government, business and education programmes.
She said Q-CERT’s mission would be to collaborate with the government and the industry to develop and lead a multi-pronged approach to manage cyber-security risks.
The promotion of security policies and protocols and holding workshops and seminars on technical issues and technical training on information security are among the initial activities planned by Q-CERT.
Dr Hessa said Q-CERT would offer a series of courses in information security based on Carnegie Mellon’s 18 years of experience in the field.
On the importance of public-private partnership in telecommunications, Dr Hessa said it would stand in good stead, as of late there had been a lot of thrust on e-commerce, e-government and e-health activities.
“Our experience in Qatar has shown us the importance of this collaboration and we are working closely with the industry and sector experts and governments in line with the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) principles. This will help us in taking full advantage of the opportunities presented by the global information society as well as the challenges resulting from its increasingly rapid development,” she said.
Qatar was uniquely positioned to contribute to the global effort through its experience in information and communication technology (ICT) development and through collaboration with international forums, experts and agencies, she said.
The progress made by ictQATAR signifies the development of information and communication technology in the region and its initiatives and activities are a perfect example of what the World Telecommunication Development Conference is aiming to achieve throughout the world.
The ictQATAR secretary general pointed out that universal access to information and communication technology was widely viewed as a key to economic prosperity. Telecom and information services foster interaction and knowledge sharing, contributing to greater economic activity, higher productivity and ultimately the overall welfare of the society.
Dr Hessa said the Doha Action Plan (DAP) that would be the result of discussions at the WTDC-06 would clearly establish a road map for closing the digital divide. |
