University and EURAC awarded ISO certificate
ISO 27001 for data security is assigned for the first time to the overall organization of two research institutions
The two science centers of Bozen, the Free University and the European Academy (EURAC), have obtained the ISO 27001 certificate. The certificate, which has been approved in October 2005 by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) sets standards for information security in enterprises.
The two South Tyrolean institutions are world's first overall scientific organizations to obtain this certificate. On Friday, 12 January 2007, the president of the University, Hanns Egger, and the president of the EURAC, Werner Stuflesser, received the award at the EURAC. For one week University and EURAC have been audited by the two certification companies ÖQS (Austrian Association for certification of quality and management systems) and CIS (Certification & Information Security Services). In this context the whole knowledge transfer in the institutions – from the databases to the code of conduct, like the manner of the exchange of information among scientists – has been reviewed and approved as compliant to the ISO standards.
Especially the digital information security management system (ISMS) used at the University and the EURAC for managing and protecting the numerous IT systems, platforms and software packages used for research and teaching convinced the auditors. This innovative system was launched by the IT departments of both institutions, which work closely together for years.
The standards specified in the 27001 certificate go far beyond the privacy provisions of Italian legislation, which are stricter than the ones of other European countries. "The effective protection of information and their constant availability is an existential need in the everyday life of science" said Dietmar Laner, head of the IT departments of University and EURAC, regarding the background of the ISO audit. "With the ISO certification we have an annual review at the highest level and give our scientists and their research partners the possibility to work soothed and efficient. In the next few years, the ISO 27001 certificate will take hold as a quality label for a risk-conscious corporate management."
In addition to the ISO certification for information security, the ICT also obtains the ISO 9001:2000 certificate for its innovative quality management system, as the first and only department at the Free University of Bozen.
Contact:
Dr. Dietmar Laner