by Times of Oman

MUSCAT — The Muscat chapter of the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA) has organised an information security seminar at Al Falaj Hotel.

This seminar was attended by IT managers, IT administrators, IS auditors and security consultants in Oman.

Ashok Sardiwal, the CEO of Imtac LLC, was the chief guest who presided over the seminar and emphasised the relevant significance of information security awareness in the corporate world in Oman. He hinted that information security covered everything from basic physical security to securing the data and IT applications on the IT systems, which are enablers for the successful business. He applauded the dedicated voluntary services of board members of ISACA, Muscat chapter under the sponsorship of College of Banking and Financial Study (CBFS) in organising seminars by bringing latest topics for the knowledge of IT managers, security specialists and IS auditors in the corporate and government sectors in Oman.

Aravind Ananthasuri, lead consultant (security and audit) of Satyam Computer Services Limited, Hyderabad in India, spoke on IT security frameworks. In the course of the seminar, Aravind elaborated the contents of various models, standards and frameworks currently practised worldwide namely BS7799, COBIT, ITIL and CMMI and provided a comparative insight on which model is to be used in various types of organisations and how to improve the security posture of the organisation.

Tariq Hilal Al Barwani, an Omani IT expert and regular writer of articles on IT under the column ‘Tariq Online’ in the Times of Oman, spoke on Internet security. Tariq explained the potential Internet threats and the related security measures to combat and protect the computer systems from those threats, risks and vulnerabilities.

Tariq reiterated strongly the importance of updating the systems with the latest security patches and antivirus definitions and making use of relevant tools to protect from Spyware, Adware and Malware programs while surfing the Internet.

Tariq also provided valuable tips and steps to use in these situations. The attendees gave their high rating in the feedback form for these presentations and its quality with the appreciation of the useful contributions of the speakers to the IT community in Oman.

An introduction to CISM (Certified Information Security Manager) certification of ISACA was presented by Ramamoorthy, the chapter’s CISM coordinator in Oman, indicating the prerequisites and job practice contents for CISM exam, and the details about the study classes being organised by the ISACA Muscat chapter.