The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the UAE Computer Emergency Response Team (aeCERT) that was established by the UAE Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) and was accredited by the Ministerial Council for Services as the National CERT of the UAE.

The MoU encompasses important electronic points that have been agreed upon, tackling the services that must be provided and include consultancy, monitoring and incident response, and research and analysis.

The MoU was signed by H.E. Matar Al Tayer, RTA Chairman & CEO, and H.E. Mohamed Al Ghanim, TRA Director General, with the presence of senior executives and directors from both sides.

H.E. Matar Al Tayer stated that this MoU aims “to improve the standards and practices of information security and to protect the IT infrastructure from Internet threats and attacks,” pointing out that this MoU will “contribute in achieving a number of goals such as aiding the RTA in responding to cyber threats and taking the proper measures of prevention, cooperating in monitoring and tracing cyber threats, and establishing a central point among different government authorities and departments to cooperate and exchange expertise related to information security.”

Mr. Al Tayer continued saying that as per this MoU, “the TRA will provide consultancy services in the IT field, provide an early warning center for cyber threats nationally and regionally and notify the RTA to take the proper preventive measures, spread IT security awareness among the RTA staff through conducting courses and advertisements, and enhance partnerships with other government entities to contribute in strengthening the electronic networks.”

Mr. Al Tayer clarified that “the RTA has taken it upon itself to enhance customer service and has ensured a variety of means by which it provides such services. The Internet is one of the most important means, where the RTA has places an integrated strategy to convert the services in order to provide them on the Internet as per the vision and directives of the eGovernment.” Mr. Al Tayer pointed out that “the strategy was based on speed implementation and the focus on achieving benefits for the constituent first, where the coordination with the eGovernment has been within the framework of defining the eServices to the RTA and the usage of Dubai eGovernment standards and criteria such as the eServices Quality Document.”

Mr. Al Tayer continued saying that “the launching of the RTA website took place in December 2005 just after two months from the date of establishing the RTA, after which the RTA worked on launching the electronic portal based on the best International practices in the field; where the RTA Portal was finalized and replaced the temporary website in July 2007. During the designing and launching of the Portal, a committee was established to launch the project of the RTA strategy in the eGovernment domain, where the strategic plan and goals were set along with the needed roadmap to provide the RTA eServices; taking into consideration the continuous development of the RTA Portal within proper planning and steady and organized steps towards the target.”

Mr. Al Tayer ensured that “with respect to the overall services priory agreed upon with Dubai eGovernment, the RTA accomplished 100% of its electronic conversion, where we are currently studying other kinds of services that may be converted electronically with the needed action plan.”

In his turn, H.E. Mohamed Al Ghanim, TRA Director General, said that “the TRA strategy includes supporting a secure cyberspace in the UAE for the cyber safety of all the citizens and inhabitants, where this MoU is within the main tasks of this strategy.”

Mr. Al Ghanim added that “the aeCERT will enhance the cyber security law; will enhance information security awareness across the UAE; will build national expertise in information security, incident management and computer forensics; will provide a central trusted point of contact for cyber security incident reporting in the UAE; will establish a national center to disseminate information about threats, vulnerabilities and cyber security incidents; will foster the establishing of and provide assistance to sector-based Computer Security Incident Response Teams (CSIRTs), and will coordinate with domestic and International  CSIRTs and related organizations.”