Intertek, a leading Total Quality Assurance provider to industries worldwide, has awarded the ISO 22301:2012 certification for Societal Security - Business Continuity Management Systems to the Sharjah Economic Development Department (SEDD).

The government office has been certified by Intertek for ISO 20000-1 since 2012 and ISO 27001 since 2015. SEDD has become the first government entity in Sharjah to receive the certification for Business Continuity Managements Systems by Intertek, said a statement.

The ISO 22301:2012 certification is a globally recognised standard that specifies requirements to plan, establish, operate, monitor, review, maintain and improve a documented management system to protect against, and reduce the likelihood and threat, of disruptive incidents.

The Business Continuity Management System also establishes requirements for how to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disruptions and disasters.

The ISO 22301:2012 certification represents a global benchmark for best practice in business continuity and risk management.

The certification demonstrates SEDD's commitment to safeguarding its operations and to having a clear recovery plan in case any disaster should happen. The standard ensures an organisation is prepared when faced with a threat and can implement a security plan that sets objectives and clear expectations for management to deal with any situation as soon as an issue arises.

An official award ceremony was held at SEDD and was attended by His Excellency Sultan Abdullah bin Hadda Al Suwaidi, SEDD chairman, who was presented with the certification by Matthew Skinner, Intertek regional managing director for Gulf and Pakistan.

Other senior members of the SEDD management also attended the ceremony.

Sultan Abdullah bin Hadda Al Suwaidi said: “Intertek's auditing team demonstrated formidable expertise in conducting an independent assessment of our Business Continuity Management System.”

“We are delighted to have received this certification from Intertek. The ISO 22301:2012 certification shows our pledge to our stakeholders that we will advocate and maintain effective measures in place for Business Continuity,” he added.

Matthew Skinner, Intertek regional managing director for Gulf and Pakistan, said: “We are pleased to be working with the Sharjah Economic Development Department on this certification process.”

“The ISO 22301:2012 marks a new milestone for SEDD - being the first government entity in Sharjah to receive this certification from Intertek,” he said.

“To comply with this certification, an organisation must show dedicated commitment towards assessing external threats and vulnerabilities. The successful certification is a testament to SEDD's continuous efforts towards establishing a robust business continuity management system,” he added. – TradeArabia News Service