Manama: The Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) organised a workshop on Cyber Security at Crowne Plaza Hotel.
The workshop was conducted by guest speakers who are experts in Cyber Security, and attendees included IT Security officials and Senior Management from various financial institutions in Bahrain.
Dr. Huda Al Maskati, Executive Director of Corporate Services at CBB, delivered the welcome note for the workshop which marked another step taken by CBB, as Bahrain’s financial regulator, in contributing towards enhancing awareness among the participating IT Security officials on recent trends in IT security.
“With the recent spate of Cybersecurity breaches reported in both national and international media, the CBB believes that Cybersecurity and trust that the systems underpinning financial services are safe and secure, should be one of the strategic key pillars of our services, and should be our top priority.
“This will ensure that the individuals and businesses in the Kingdom of Bahrain, will use the financial services available to them through the most secure channels thus promoting the Kingdom as a leading financial center with the highest standards in both services and the related security and protection needed.”, she continued.
Research Director at Gartner Research, Jeffrey Wheatman, conducted two sessions, the first of which highlighted the need for Information Governance as a programme that implements decisions rights and supporting mechanisms to ensure the accuracy, integrity, consistency, accessibility, privacy, retention and security of information across the enterprise. The second session covered various technology options available to enhance Cyber Security.
During his sessions, Jeffrey emphasized that, “An information security charter is one of the chief information security officer’s best tools for establishing a mandate for the security programme and for establishing and communicating security governance. Unless upper management expressly establishes the protection of information as an organizational goal, security usually remains a low priority.
Mr. Ali Al-Majed, from Al Salam Bank, also made a brief presentation on “Information Security – Non Technical Challenges.”
The event also provided an opportunity for the IT security specialists within the Kingdom’s financial sector to share ideas and suggestions that are expected to promote a collective effort at safeguarding stakeholders’ interests in Bahrain’s financial institutions and ensuring that the global confidence in Bahrain as a financial center is protected.
