Paratus Zambia has announced that its data centre (DC), based in Lusaka, Zambia, has been certified this month and was awarded an ISO 9001, ISO 27001, and PCI-DSS certifications
In general terms, ISO certifications are seals of approval from the International Organisation for Standardisation and, in essence, verify that a company is adhering to extremely high international standards in all its practices. For the Paratus Zambia DC, information and quality management are of utmost importance and acquiring the ISO 9001, ISO/IEC 27001, and the PCI-DSS certifications serve as confirmation that the telco is performing at optimum levels and meets all the criteria that a world-class data centre should aspire to.
Paratus Zambia’s managing director, Marius van Vuuren, said, “We have worked hard to become Zambia’s quality network and have now exceeded the accepted standards to achieve this kind of certification. Our clients are assured of our commitment to quality for every service we offer.”
“The customer has always been at the centre of everything Paratus Zambia does, and the acquisition of the ISO 9001 certification reflects this. It also proves that the Paratus Zambia DC is committed to continual improvement. Paratus Zambia is a customer-focused company, and these certificates validate our promise to our clients of offering the highest quality service at all times.”
The ISO/IEC 27001 certification is one of the most recognised and stringent information security standards. The certification highlights the necessary steps to protect its clients’ information from data breaches, unauthorised access and other disruptive data security threats. Even though Paratus does comply with the local Zambian Data Protection Act, acquiring the ISO/IEC 27001 certification means they now comply with international requirements as well.
The certification sets out the specification for the use of an information security management system known as ISMS, which is a documented management system consisting of a set of security controls. By having this certification, Paratus Zambia data centre clients are completely reassured that their information and data is safe and fully protected.
The last certification acquired by Paratus Zambia is PCI Data Security Standard v3.2.1 and this covers all physical security aspects of the data centre. This certification also speaks to financial industries, since they are all required to store, process, and transmit payments through a PCI-compliant institution. Having this certification proves that Paratus is readily available to host financial institutions as well as fully secure financial data.
“We’ve passed the international exams and now, more than ever before, we can confidently help our clients securely implement their digital strategies and applications. This is just another way for us to proudly showcase that we are Africa’s quality network, and we will continue to unlimit our clients’ potential every single day,” said Vuuren.