Europe certifies Voicevault to BS 7799 and IS 17799

DUBLIN, IRELAND - Buytel trading as Voicevault, an Irish biometrics firm, a provider in the application of voice verification technology, has been awarded the first BS 7799 / IS 17799 certificate issued in Ireland. By gaining this certification Voicevault has demonstrated that it is compliant with the international standards and practices in information security management. Almost every business today has a responsibility to protect and secure critical information on customers, business transactions and sensitive corporate data. Concerns on who may have access to information, issues of legal and regulatory compliance and the risk of internal or external breaches of security are all examples of the problems a business must address. Lack of good management controls can leave a business vulnerable to risks that typically will result in financial loss and damage to reputation. The international standard BS 7799 and the Irish national standard IS 17799 address the problem of information security by setting out the requirements and best practices in all areas within a business that combine to provide a comprehensive information security management system. Michael Brophy, CEO of Certification Europe, says "there is usually too much emphasis on specific IT security products as enterprise security solutions but in reality they are worthless if a business has weak management controls and procedures". The standards do not confine the responsibility to the IT department but rather broadens the scope to include senior management and create awareness across the entire organisation. As a minimum a company that meets the standard will have undertaken a full assessment of its information assets and risks, have a clear defined security policy and implemented a range of appropriate controls and procedures. An independent accredited certification body, such as Certification Europe, awards BS 7799 and IS 17799 certification to companies who undergo a full system assessment and audit and are found to be compliant with the standard. Brophy added " Certification Europe has been working for some time on introducing these standards to the Irish market and with uptake from companies such as Buytel we are confident the standards will increasingly become the market benchmark for good information security management". Pat Keaney, CEO of Voicevault commented "We are delighted to be recognised as the first service provider in Ireland to receive this standard. It is a great achievement for the organisation and represents a major part of our strategy to be awarded digital signature certification. Due to the nature of the services we provide, security forms an integral part of our business and this is reflected in the Information Security Management System that we have in place". He added that "Biometric technology has become a hot topic for corporate security. Voice verification has been accepted as the most appropriate biometric technology for the call centre market, financial service institutions and m-commerce providers as it is highly secure, unobtrusive, cost effective and enhances customer experience ".