A half-day workshop on the implementation of the Information Security Management System (ISMS) was held, yesterday, at the Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Tower in Ebène. This initiative aims to strengthen the protection of Government information assets and to support Ministries and Departments in adopting a structured and internationally recognised approach to information security management across the public service.
Organised by the Ministry of Information Technology, Communication and Innovation in collaboration with the Mauritius Standards Bureau (MSB), the session brought together senior officials from various Ministries and Departments to discuss the adoption of internationally recognised information security standards within the public service.
The workshop featured presentations on the Information Security Management Framework (ISMF) developed by the Ministry, aligned with the ISO/IEC 27001 international standard. Guidance was also provided on risk assessment methodologies, security controls and the certification process required for the effective implementation of ISMS.
The Minister of Information Technology, Communication and Innovation, Dr Avinash Ramtohul; the Director of MSB, Mrs Riyadharsanee Rathoar Parsand; and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr Ferhan Juhoor, were present at the opening ceremony.
In his keynote address, Minister Ramtohul emphasised that reliable information is essential for effective decision-making in organisations. He highlighted that the protection of information rests on key principles such as confidentiality, integrity, availability and traceability, ensuring that Government data remains secure, accurate and accessible when required.
The Minister further underlined that while technology and processes are important, human factors remain the main source of information security breaches, making awareness, training and clearly defined procedures crucial. Dr Ramtohul added that the implementation of ISMS will help shift organisations from being people-dependent to process-driven through the adoption of internationally recognised standards, including separation of duties and stronger governance mechanisms.
With the increasing number of digital services and electronic transactions across Government, he stressed that robust information security measures are essential to safeguard public data and ensure compliance with legal obligations under the Data Protection framework.
For her part, Mrs Rathoar Parsand highlighted that confidentiality is fundamental to maintaining trust between organisations and their stakeholders, as sensitive personal, financial and strategic information must be handled with the highest level of care. “The implementation of ISMS,” she added, “provides a structured framework integrating organisational, human, physical and technological controls to strengthen information security practices across Ministries and Departments.”
Source: GIS
Date: 10 March 2026
