As a brand built on a legacy of innovation, Heritage Bank
has yet again achieved another milestone with the ISO/INEC 27001:2013
certification award in recognition of its commitment to effective and secured
financial system. The bank has also set a record as the only bank in Nigeria to
get this certification award in less than three years of operation. It has, by
this certification, joined the league of big players in the industry, including
the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN which are ISO/INEC 27001 compliant. The award
was presented on behalf of the British government, to the bank in Lagos on
Wednesday, 5th August, 2015 by the Deputy High Commissioner in Nigeria, Mr. Ray
Kyles. Kyles commended the bank for setting high standard in the financial
industry and pledged the continued support of the British government for
Nigeria’s financial institutions. “It is not an easy task. This award remains a
cornerstone of your reputation,” he said. While receiving the award, the
Managing Director of the bank, Mr. Ifie Sekibo, noted that banking is a
business of risks management, from assets to data, adding that it is
fundamental that whatever a customer keeps in a bank is in safe custody.
“This
is a day to beat our chest. Heritage Bank is an idea, not a bank. We are a service
company providing banking service; and we are the best in the class of security
of our information systems. It means funds kept with us are safe. This award is
a validation of our mission to promote high ethical standards, integrity, and
good business practices,” he said. Sekibo stated that innovation is inevitable
for the banking industry. This, he said, is due to changing dynamics across the
globe which has penetrated banking. He therefore, reiterated the commitment of
his bank to introducing more innovative banking products and services to meet
the needs of its customers. Solomon Edun, Managing Director of Global
Infoswift, the consultant to the project explained that the certification is a
rigorous exercise that confers internationally recognised standard on the
recipient. He added that the award is the most rigorous certification in terms
of information, process/data and asset security. He assured that the
certification will put Heritage Bank in a good stead to protect the funds of
its customers and frustrate efforts by fraudsters to access their information
and assets. Over the years, substantial part of banks’ revenue were lost to
fraud with no single bank spared. From the Financial Institutions Training
Centre, FITC report on Frauds and Forgeries in Banks (January – September
2014), a total of 8,502 cases were reported. The total amount of money involved
was N23.34 billion, out of which N3.01 billion was actually lost. But the ISO
27000 family of standards helps organizations keep information assets secured.
It also helps organizations manage the security of assets such as financial
information, intellectual property, employee details or information entrusted
to you by third parties. The ISO/IEC 27001 is regarded as the best-known
standard in the family providing requirements for an Information Security
Management System, ISMS. The ISO, which emanated from the British Standard
Institute, BSI is an independent, non-governmental organization, the members of
which are the standards organization of the 164 member countries. It is the
world’s largest developer of voluntary international standards and facilitates
world trade by providing common standards between nations. Nearly 20,000
standards have been set covering everything from manufactured products and technology
to food safety, agriculture and healthcare.
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