Less than two years after it made history in corporate Nigeria as the first Nigerian company to be conferred with the prestigious ISO/IEC 27001:2005 Information Security Management Systems certification (ISMS) by the British Standards Institution (BSI), a leading organization in the field of auditing management systems and processes, Nigeria’s foremost financial services institution, First Bank of Nigeria Plc (FirstBank) has again blazed the trail as it becomes the first Nigerian company to be awarded the BS25999 Business Continuity Management System Certification; the enhanced certification for the ISO27001; and  the ISO38500 IT Governance Certification.

While the BS25999 Business Continuity Management certification is a clear demonstration of the highest level of evidence that its activities and services will not be disrupted or impaired as a result of man-made or natural disasters, the certification for ISO27001 is an enhanced version of the one conferred in September 2010. Apart from the head office, the certification now covers the Document Management Centre, the Centralized Processing Centre and the Disaster Recovery Centre of the Bank, in compliance with the statement of applicability. The third certification, ISO38500 IT Governance Certification provides guiding principles for the Bank on the effective, efficient and acceptable use of Information Technology within the Bank. The three certifications were anchored by Global InfoSwift, a leading Nigerian IT service provider with a robust track record.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Bisi Onasanya, FirstBank’s Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer said the certification signposts the Bank’s leadership position in the industry by being the first Nigerian company to receive all three certifications.

“These Certifications are affirmations that our Bank has adopted and complied with the highest known management standards in information security, IT governance and business continuity in the world, audited by the British Standards Institution (BSI), a leading organization in the field of auditing management systems and processes and certified by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO). I am happy to inform you that we share this place of pride with institutions like the IMF and World Bank which are among other financial Institutions that have such certifications by the ISO.

“Given the ever changing environment, organizations are faced with risk on a daily basis in form of business disruptions inclusive of man-made and natural disasters. It is this background of threats to business continuity across the globe that informed FirstBank’s decision on BCM implementation and BS25999 certification. This will engender confidence from customers and stakeholders that FirstBank is committed to continuity of service delivery, safety and protection of their assets all the time. It is therefore a statement of fact that FirstBank is the only Nigerian company that is ISO-Certified, IT Governance-certified, and BCM-certified”, Onasanya said.

These certifications are in sync with the on-going transformation in the Bank, aimed at improving the Bank’s systems and processes with a view to outperforming competition, sustaining its leadership position and meeting the changing demands of different generations of customers.