Sentenial first Irish company to achieve joint ISO 9000 and IS17799 / BS7799 Security Standard
Maynooth, Kildare, Wednesday, 15 March 2006…. Sentenial, the International Enterprise Direct Debit Software and Service Provider, now joins only a handful of companies in Ireland in being certified to the IS17799 / BS7799 standard and is the first company in the country to implement both security and ISO9001 standards as an integrated system.
In order to achieve both accreditations, Sentenial had to undergo rigorous testing by auditors from both institutions.
“Our business relies heavily on access between customers, banks and customers. Protecting each party in the complex suite of financial instructions is critical to the success of our financial payments solution” says Brian Hanrahan, Business Development Director with Sentenial.
Sentenial was formed two years ago but has already created a market both within Ireland and more recently in Europe and America for its payment services. In particular, its direct debit processing software applications and managed services allow its client to lower administrative costs, increase operating margins and improve customer service.
Sentenial has experienced rapid success with high profile clients in a number of diverse industries, including the utilities, leisure sector, commercial internet hosting. Part of its success lies in its compatibility with all the main Irish financial institutions including Bank of Ireland, Allied Irish Banks (AIB), Ulster Bank, Permanent TSB and National Irish Bank.
Michael Brophy, Auditor with Certification Europe, says: “Security is a crucial issue for any company involved in the payments industry. Without proper security Sentenial could not exist. However, it is impressive to see the company integrate both sets of standards and to achieve such a high level of compliance. We wish to commend the management team for taking this proactive approach.”
ISO 9001 is concerned with “quality management” and “quality management” means what an organization or company does to ensure that its products or service is delivered at a consistently high level and which its customers can come to expect. Implementing an ISO 9001 System for Quality Management within an organisation has been shown to result in significant benefits in many areas.
IS17799 / BS7799 is the standard specification for an Information Security Management Systems (ISMS). An ISMS is the means by which Senior Management monitor and control their security, minimising the residual business risk and ensuring that security continues to fulfil corporate, customer and legal requirements. The standard defines 132 security controls structured under 11 major headings to enable readers to identify the particular safeguards that are appropriate to their particular business or specific area of responsibility. These security controls contain further detailed controls bringing the overall number somewhere in the region of 5000+ controls and elements of best practice. The scope of the standard covers all forms of information, including voice and graphics, and media such as mobile phones and fax machines. The new standard recognises new ways of doing business, such as e-commerce, the Internet, outsourcing, tele-working and mobile computing.
About Sentenial
Sentenial is a payment service provider which has earned a strong reputation in the marketplace as high-performance and dynamic. Eurodebit(tm), Sentenial’s flagship solution provides outsourced direct debit payment processing, risk management and client relationship options to organisations and financial institutions internationally.
For more information, please visit: www.sentenial.ie