http://www.ameinfo.com/96926.html
September 21, 2006
Qatar
Q-CERT announced today that it has chosen Qatar Science & Technology
Park as the permanent home for its center of excellence in information
security.
Q-CERT is the Qatari national computer security team, working with
partners throughout the nation and the Gulf region to establish strong
standards and practices for computer and network security, and to build
a community of experts that addresses the risks associated with computer
use, such as viruses, identity theft and computer fraud.
Q-CERT was founded by ictQATAR, the nation's IT and communications
authority, in partnership with the CERT program at the Software
Engineering Institute of Carnegie Mellon University.
Dr. Hessa al-Jaber, ictQATAR Secretary-General, notes that 'ictQATAR is
dedicated to improving the quality of life for all people in Qatar by
spearheading multiple initiatives in eHealth, eGovernment, and
eEducation. However, all these initiatives require a foundation of
reliable and secure computer systems. We envision Q-CERT playing a
leading role by collaborating with local and regional institutions to
enhance their current and future IT infrastructure; and help us raise
awareness about the importance of cyber security at the grass-roots
level.'
The Q-CERT program formally launched operations in December of 2005.
The program currently operates from the premises of ictQATAR, in central
Doha, and will relocate to the Qatar Science & Technology Park in late
2007, where a staff of 34 will establish a 1500 square meter facility.
Qatar Science & Technology Park was chosen as the permanent home for
Q-CERT because of its state-of-the-art IT infrastructure, adjacency to
renowned international universities, and services which support
technology development and commercialisation.
'We believe that the QSTP site provides an ideal location, with a good
balance of educational resources and research & development
opportunities' according to Mr. Archie Andrews, the Technical Director
of Q-CERT 'and the creative use of space and people-friendly design will
make it a very pleasant and professional place to conduct our
activities'.
Dr. Rashid Al-Ali, the Program Director for Q-CERT, states that 'we have
a lot of work here in Doha, with the growing number and increasing
severity of security incidents that affect Qatar and the broader Gulf
region. The QSTP facilities will provide us with modern training centers
to help build skills and technical capacity with our partners, and labs
to conduct incident response and related cyber forensics activities.'
HE Dr Abdulla Al Kubaisi, Chairman of Qatar Science & Technology Park,
commented 'Q-CERT is a valuable project for Qatar because it not only
performs a vital role in computer security, but it also transfers
technology and skills to the local community. We warmly welcome Q-CERT
to Qatar Science & Technology Park, and it is positive to see a cluster
of IT companies and projects forming here.'
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Received on Sep 20 2006
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