Abu Dhabi, February 9, 2011: Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority and the UAE Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) inked a memorandum of understanding for coordination between the two government bodies for information exchange and information security.

The MoU was signed by Rashid Mohamed Al Shariqi, Director General of Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority and Mohamed Nasser Al Ghanim, Director General of Telecommunications Regulatory Authority signed the MoU on behalf of the two organizations.

The MoU between ADFCA and the Computer Emergency Response team at TRA aims at strengthening cooperation and join work in the area of information security and exchange. The MoU envisages a host of precautionary and preventive measures to preempt cyber attacks, viruses, attempts at infiltration and to provide other services to deal with cyber emergencies. 

Among the bouquet of services provided to ADFCA as part of the MoU are guidance and awareness programs, consultations on cyber threats and other measures to equip the Authority with better preparedness to protect its information systems from possible attacks and infiltrations. Similarly, TRA will serve as the first point of contact for ADFCA to coordinate all communications with national, regional and international computer emergency response authorities. TRA will also conduct necessary research on ADFCA's information systems to make them fool-proof and to foresee potential threats to them.

Commenting on the MoU, Rashid Mohamed Al Shariqi, ADFCA Director General, said it was a strategic move aimed at improving the services the Authority was offering to the public. "This is part of the general efforts at improving government services. It will lead to enhancement in the quality of online services offered by the Authority. This will go a long way in strengthening information security at all levels at the Authority, benefitting immensely the employees, the general public and all other public or private entities dealing with us," he pointed out.

Al Shariqi stressed the importance of developing a secure digital infrastructure protected from all potential risks. "Our objective is to put in place the best possible mechanism for ensuring information security. The MoU will serve us well in terms of receiving guidance and alerts as well as in terms of consultations, monitoring, research and crisis response," he added.

Mohamed Nasser Al Ghanim, Director General of Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, said: "TRA will protect ADFCA's information systems with the help of a team of national experts in information security. We will also provide our services towards strengthening the information infrastructure of the Authority in the framework of our general strategy for regulating the telecommunications sector."

The Computer Emergency Response team at TRA specializes in initiatives to preempt and fight cyber threats and to spread awareness about them among various stakeholders. It conducts workshops and seminars to educate various sections of the society with regard to the issue of information security.