MainOne’s premier Tier III Data Center, MDX-I, has become the first Tier III Data Center operator in Nigeria to achieve both Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) and ISO 27001:2013 certifications. This announcement was made by the company Chief Executive Officer, Funke Opeke, during an event the company was presented certification documents at the its Head Office recently.

The certifications ensure the Data Center’s compliance to globally accepted standards on Customer Data Security as well as commitment towards the security and protection of the company’s information assets. While the PCI DSS accreditation is the most comprehensive, internationally recognised data security standard focused on promoting payment card data security, the ISO 27001 standard is a globally recognised Information Security Management System (ISMS) standard which specifies the requirements for a business to establish, implement, review, monitor, manage and maintain effective information security management systems.

MainOne’s Data Center was certified following a comprehensive ISO27001 audit carried out by British Standard Institution (BSI) group, a business standards company that helps organizations all over the world make excellence a habit. The PCI DSS assessment was conducted by Digital Jewels Limited, a PCIDSS QSA and an Information Value Chain Company which also provided end-to-end support in preparing the Data Centre for certification to both standards. The audits measured the facilities at the Data Center according to several strict criteria including physical access controls as well as information security policies, procedures and infrastructure.

Ms. Opeke noted that the ISO 27001 and PCI DSS certifications consolidates the company’s investment in critical infrastructure and processes to grow West Africa’s Digital Economy. “We are delighted to be the first commercial Tier III Data Center in Nigeria to assure our customers of both PCI DSS and ISO 27001:2013 certifications. We have continued to see an increase in the number of payment card operators, and many of these are our customers. Our ability to ensure security of their customer data is attested to by these certifications and ensures we provide an equivalent level of security as the best in-house bank data centers”, she said.

Commenting on MDX-I’s certifications, Adedoyin Odunfa, Chief Executive Officer of Digital Jewels says “We are happy to congratulate MainOne on this achievement. This demonstrates the company’s commitment to improving and maintaining the highest standards in information security. This is a significant step for the online payment industry in Nigeria, and we look forward to working with MainOne in achieving other certification milestones.”

•Photo shows MainOne CEO Funke Opeke.