SecureVote selects Macquarie Telecom for Security and Reliability
Sydney, AUSTRALIA – 10th March 2005 – Macquarie Telecom has been
re-certified with BS 7799* – the standard is widely recognised as a
leading international standard for Information Security.
“Certification is increasingly relevant to government departments and
businesses as they upgrade IT systems and processes to meet regulatory and
corporate governance requirements,” said Glen Noble, General Manager Data
and Hosting, Macquarie Telecom.
Third party certifications such as BS 7799 provide guidelines to ensure
the appropriate technology and business processes are in place to
safeguard an organisation's data assets.
“Certification is a gruelling process and not financially viable for
many organisations. But given the legal ramifications of non-compliance,
it is increasingly important for risk mitigation,” Glen Noble said.
“Compliance is motivating a lot of Macquarie Telecom's government and
business customers to use our data centre. It means they have instant
access to technology, security, skills and business processes that have
been certified to be of world class standard.”
Macquarie Telecom was the first Australian commercial data centre to
achieve BS 7799 and remains one of the most highly certified commercial
data centres in the Asia Pacific region.
Other certifications include a range of best-of-breed vendor
accreditations and DSD Gateway Certification** – a pre-requisite to
providing secure gateway services to Commonwealth departments and
agencies.
Macquarie Telecom is the only Australian carrier to have attained
“Highly Protected Status” within DSD Gateway Certification – one of the
most stringent categories within the certification.
SecureVote Selects Macquarie Telecom for Security and Reliability
For SecureVote, a company providing election services, adhering to
privacy, security and legislation guidelines is at the heart of its
business.
According to Ian Parker, Chief Technology Officer and Privacy Officer,
SecureVote, it was vital the company found a provider that would not
compromise its position on these fronts.
“Accreditations were a critical factor in the decision making process
as they demonstrate accountability and transparency of systems and
processes,” said Ian Parker.
“At the end of the day, the accreditations let us rest assured that the
security and integrity of our voting systems will be maintained at all
times,” he added.
Macquarie Telecom delivers SecureVote Managed Security Services
including Secure Dedicated Managed Hosting, patch management, firewall
management, intrusion detection, managed backup services and Intellihands
ad hoc services.
"The BS 7799 Standard provides a comprehensive system for protecting
information for Business Continuity Management. It ensures companies can
function in events ranging from a major catastrophe like 9/11 to bugging
and bin-sifting. It encompasses people, physical environments,
communications systems, processes and IT systems,” said Duncan Lilley,
Managing Director of BSI Management Systems in Asia.
BSI Management Systems registered Macquarie Telecom for BS 7799.
"Information is the lifeblood of all organisations. With the threats to
organisational reputation and share price, protecting information has
never been more important. BSI therefore congratulates Macquarie Telecom
on their continuing achievement with BS 7799,” he said.
* About BS 7799
Developed by BSI, BS 7799 is the internationally recognised standard
for information security management.
Macquarie Telecom was the first company in Australia to achieve the BS
7799 certification. This certification is widely regarded as an industry
benchmark in information security and reassures Macquarie Telecom's
customers about the security of its data services.
The standard can be divided into two broad categories: end to end
process integrity and data security management. BS 7799 is based on
assuring integrity, availability and confidentiality of information
assets. Assurance is attained through controls that management creates and
maintains within the organisation. These are categorised as follows:
• A documented information security policy • Allocation of information
security responsibilities within the organisation • Information security
education and training • Security incident reporting and response •
Business continuity planning • Control of proprietary software copying •
Virus detection and prevention controls • Critical record management
processes • Protection of personal data (privacy) • Periodic compliance
reviews
** About Defence Signals Directorate (DSD)
Gateway Certification The Defence Signals Directorate (DSD) provided
Macquarie Telecom Intellicentre with certification for its Internet
Gateway service for Australian Commonwealth customers. This certification
offers assurance that the gateway provides protection from external
threats appropriate for systems and data up to and including the ‘Highly
Protected' level of classification. This certification is a prerequisite
to providing secure gateway services to Commonwealth Departments and
Agencies using FedLink, a secure VPN service. Macquarie Telecom was the
first telecommunications carrier in Australia to achieve DSD Gateway
certification.
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For more information:
Mandy Galmes
N2N Communications
02 9213 2302
agalmes@n2n.com.au
About Macquarie Telecom
Macquarie Telecom is a leading supplier of Information and
Communications Technology (ICT) solutions – including voice, data, mobile
and hosting – specialising in the business and government markets. The
world class Intellicentre facility offers state-of-the-art hosting and
security solutions. The Intellicentre is certified to BS 7799 and DSD
Gateway security standards.
Macquarie Telecom provides services to more than 2,500 of the top
companies in Australia and Asia, supporting more than one million business
users at work every day. Founded in July 1992, it is one of Australasia's
first deregulated telecommunications companies. It expanded its operation
into Asia in 2000, and holds carrier licences in Australia, Singapore and
Hong Kong.
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