Head of IT Services Security and Business Continuity
GULF INVESTMENT CORPORATION
Total years of experience :44 years, 10 Months
at the Gulf Investment Corporation reviewed the existing IT Infrastructure and communications facilities. Identified the PABX system as a priority and submitted the business case to replace the PABX with a VoIP solution. Received approval and subsequently managed the project to implement the VoIP system (the first such implementation in the GCC at the time) resulting in a more robust system which achieved 50% cost savings in 2001.
•Again, at the Gulf Investment Corporation reviewed the core business processes and working practices with the objective of increasing efficiency and reducing costs while maintaining or improving the quality of service. Focused on the Friday and Saturday (Weekend) operator shifts which were costly because of the contracted overtime and shift payments. Devised and implemented an automated solution which reduced costs and resulted in a 50% improvement in accuracy.
•At Head of Business Continuity and Security at the Gulf Investment Corporation held full responsibility for all aspects of Information Security, Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity. Reviewed the legacy IT environment and working practices and developed and implemented improved processes & procedures which were fully compliant with ISO 27001. Achieved full certification in 2015 which resulted in enhanced customer trust and ultimately increased revenue.
•Designed the Business Continuity Plan at the Gulf Investment Corporation and established three Disaster Recovery sites located in the Gulf Region and in Europe. Carried out robust testing of the Business Continuity Plan which proved to be highly effective. Following a further review of the Business Continuity arrangements, developed a strategy to initially outsource the management of the DR sites and then implement a Cloud solution using Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Devised and implemented innovative solutions to support business units in compliance with IT Operations standard operating processes, procedures and policies.
•Collaborated with global teams to ensure alignment of services with the corporate IT strategy.
•Established a structured maintenance program for systems and facilities equipment.
•Managed the administrative aspects related to the implementation of strategic plans, budgets, business continuity plans.
•Managed Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and created and implemented robust technical policies and procedures.
•Ensured the smooth functioning of the enterprise network including Communications, N/W switches, related infrastructure and network protection from both external and internal security threats.
•Managed applications, systems and services - including the core banking application, end user support, H/W, S/W implementation, Helpdesk support, the VoIP telephony system plus all aspects of data backup and recovery.
•Liaised with external consultants and auditors in order to implement and maintain standards and policies.
Managing Data Center and IT Security
courses: Project Management, ITIL Foundation, ISO 27001 Certification Multiple Technical Training Courses and Seminars (Details available on request)