NATIONAL Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) says securing Information System (IS) in private and public institutions is compulsory to ensure safe service delivery in the country.

Director General of NITDA, Dr Isa Pantami, said this on Tuesday during the agency’s Stakeholders Engagement for Review of Guidelines for Information Systems Audit and Nigeria Software Testing in Abuja.

Represented by Dr Vincent Olatunji, the NITDA Director, e-Government Development and Regulation, Pantami said guidelines were necessary toward building  enabling environment and strong foundation for digital transformation.

He said that the agency recently focused on developmental regulatory standards, frameworks and guidelines to ensure that Information Communication Technology (ICT) contributed to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country.

He added that “there is an urgent need to continually protect the country’s IS from being compromised.

“Today, most business processes are carried out electronically and large amounts of information are stored, processed, transmitted via Information Technology networks.

”Businesses, administrations and citizens depend on proper operation of the IT used. Therefore, securing our IS is a must if we want to guarantee safe delivery of services.

“We are saddled with the responsibility of ensuring the security and quality of the platforms through which these services are delivered.”

The NITDA boss recalled that the Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN) estimated that Nigeria loses up to N127 billion to cyber crimes annually, which affected the economy.

According to him, guidelines on IS will help organisations to enforce and manage their IT security culture for safe, efficient business transactions and the benefit of the citizens.

On the Nigeria Software Testing guideline, Pantami said it was developed to ensure quality software development and create an enabling environment for the promotion of indigenous software testing sector.

He said “acquisition of technology-driven solutions to drive growth in the public and private sectors have continued to increase in Nigeria.

“The indigenous software market has not been left out of this growth trend, it continues to suffer stiff competition from foreign off-the-shelf software used to meet local needs, while indigenous software can provide the appropriate solutions.

“This trend has affected growth of local software sector, which by now, should be in excess of probably 10 billion dollars annually if well harnessed.”

Pantami expressed the hope that the software testing guideline would provide an enabling environment for indigenous software testing administration, management and sustainability.

He, however, urged stakeholders to come up with ideas for easy implementation of the guidelines and better service delivery in the IT sector.

Mr Churchill Aribodor, the Consultant on IS Audit Guideline, defined IS as the examination and evaluation of an organisation’s information technology infrastructure, policies, processes and operations.

According to him, the main task of the IS audit is to provide the IS Management Team and the IT security officer with support when implementing and optimising information security.

He said that the audits were intended to improve the level of IS, avoid improper IS designs and increase efficiency of the security safeguards and processes.

The consultant added that IS audit should be done regularly, at least every three years for developmental changes. (NAN)

– June 18, 2019 @ 16:17 GMT |