Etisalat receives ISO standard award for business continuity management for emergency response

 
Etisalat received the award for its Managed Services Solutions (MSS) and Hosting Data Centre and Fixed Network during a ceremony at the company’s Alkifaf Building, Dubai. The announcement comes after the telecom major’s Mobile Networks Certificate was upgraded from BS 25999 to ISO 22301 in November 2013.
 
Commenting on the announcement, Tareq Alkharji, Senior Vice President Data Centers and Cloud Solution, Etisalat UAE, said: “We are delighted to receive this prestigious award from BSI. Attaining the ISO 22301:2012 certification reinforces our commitment towards improving all aspects of our business in order to better serve our business customers.
 
“It also reaffirms our resilience and ability to continue to provide services during crises and emergencies with the least possible disruption.”
 
Etisalat MSS and Data centre hosting business is also ISO/IEC 27001:2005 certified and has received its report under the International Standard on Assurance Engagements (ISAE) 3402 Type II (formally SAS 70 type II). MSS is one of the core departments within Etisalat, providing a range of managed services including, network management services such as routers, switches, voice and UC management, as well as security management services such as secured remote access, firewall and unified threat management, hosting, data centre and application management.

The solutions cater to Etisalat’s business customers in the UAE and provide a proactive monitoring, management and service support agreement on a 24/7 basis throughout the year from Centralised Customer NOC and SOC equipped with latest technologies and tools and manned by IT Professionals and Engineers.
 
Ahmad M Darwish, SVP/Customer Service Engineering, Etisalat UAE, said: “As a recipient of this award, Etisalat offers a unique advantage to its customers. This is mainly due to the growing need of data security and compliance with international standards.

“By defining the role of each key player and the procedures to follow internally, as well as those that should be followed by all stakeholders, Etisalat will reduce the risk of disruptions.”
 
The international standard provides a framework for companies in implementing procedures that will ensure the continuity of their critical businesses during exceptional circumstances. The objective of this continuity plan is to protect the company from disruptive incidents such as fires, unavailability of information systems, pandemics, and malicious acts by reducing their potential impact on its business.

Ahmad Al Khatib, General Manager Assurance and Testing, BSI MEA, said: “This achievement is a key milestone for Etisalat and highlights our efforts towards ensuring that service levels are on par with international standards. We offer a distinct advantage to our customers and this certification emphasises to our clients and stakeholders that we can provide them with uninterrupted business operations under all circumstances.”