Microsoft Partners Innovare To Demonstrate Compliant Standards With The Bank Of Ghana Cyber Security Directive

29 March, 2019, Accra (Ghana) - Microsoft in partnership with Innovare Learning hosted a workshop with the purpose of demonstrating that the organisation’s standards are compliant with the country’s cybersecurity directive.

The directive sets to ensure that institutions create a secure environment within cyberspace for the financial services industry and generate adequate trust and confidence in ICT systems as well as transactions in the cyberspace. It is also meant to strengthen the regulatory framework for ensuring a secure environment within cyberspace amongst others.

The event, which brought together stakeholders in the financial services including representatives of the Bank of Ghana, discussed the status of cybersecurity in the region as well as Microsoft’s commitment to comply with Ghana’s cyber security directive. It was aimed to provide a forum where stakeholders in the Financial Services Industry can discuss global best practices in cybersecurity and also explore the implementation of the policy set out.

Microsoft demonstrated the methodology for managing and handling cybersecurity challenges which comply with international standards such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and ISO 2700

Opening the workshop, Government Affairs Director, Microsoft Nigeria and Ghana – Rimini Makama stated ‘ We recognize that success in advancing cyber security requires an approach that is multi-stakeholder in nature which is why forums like this are very important.

Governments around the world are having very crucial conversations on cyber security, which are resulting in more policies to improve cyber security-related risk management globally. She added ‘we live in a time where technology is greatly impacting how we live, from the way we work, connect with each other to how we see our world. To succeed in this privacy-focused era, organizations need a trusted partner who can help you not only overcome the challenges but make the most of the opportunities that lie ahead’.

The event also aimed to equip the banks with the tools, knowledge, and understanding to benchmark, assess, and improve their enterprise risk management program. Within the past year, the financial services industry has seen great change in Ghana and has particularly increased spotlight on the financial services industry as the plight against cybercrime remains ever changing.

“To be able to present to those in attendance and see their interest was rather exciting. Like Microsoft, Innovare shares the commitment to privacy and security of an individual’s data. Both parties believe that the digital information our customers create and store using cloud services is and remains the property of the customer and is entitled to the same privacy protection as paper records sent by mail or stored in a safe,” says CK Bruce, CEO at Innovare

John Edokpolo – Lead Commercial Attorney for Microsoft Emerging Markets stated, “As organisations transform digitally, they need to be able to trust their technology solutions providers that are partnering with them to shape that transformation. Microsoft’s cloud platform and solutions lead the industry in security, privacy practices and compliance with major regulations and standards. We have earned the trust of companies and organisations worldwide of all sizes and across all industries in this regard, and we are excited to share global best practices with the FSI industry in Ghana today”.

Both Microsoft and Innovare are excited at the possibilities and awareness that the workshop will bring going forward. Being complaint to regulations set out in the region will only mean that organisations are able to carry out business as usual and be thoroughly protected against any attempts that threaten data privacy and security.

“Our approach to cloud services and transparency provides customers with confidence their data will be kept secure, private and meet industry compliance requirements. We hope that Ghana and the rest of the continent going forward will embrace these technologies as they remain complaint in their day to day organisational activities,” concludes Edokpolo.

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