The National Cyber Security Agency (“NCSA”) recently announced that it is set to begin licensing cyber security service providers to ensure the best quality in the sector. Leading up to the decision, the NCSA held several meetings with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and Qatar Finance and Business Academy, during which it was agreed that through licensing, the NCSA could improve the quality of services provided by cyber security providers.
As part of this programme, the NCSA will require private cyber security companies to obtain accreditation to ensure the reliability of the services provided. To ensure compliance, the NCSA recently held meetings with the executives of cyber security companies to inform them about the agency’s goals for cyber security supply chain governance.
The NCSA recently updated its accreditation standards, the newest of which is the Penetration Testing Accreditation. The accreditation standards are available on the NCSA’s official website under the National Information Security Compliance Framework Accreditation and Certification.
The licensing decision was made in accordance with Decree No. 1 of 2021, which stipulates the standards and controls for cyber security service provider licensing.
