The importance of information and communication technologies was highlighted at the HIMSS Eurasia 2018 EMRAM Training Conference and Health Informatics Fair.
Dr. Ömer Fatih Sayan, Deputy Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, moderated the session titled “Keeping Strategic Data Secure” at the HIMSS Eurasia 2018 Training Conference and Health Informatics Fair. Accompanying Sayan were TURKSAT General Manager Cenk Şen, HAVELSAN General Manager Ahmet Hamdi Atalay, Attorney Ahmet Esad Berktaş, World Bank Consultant from the Ministry of Health's General Directorate of Health Information Systems, and Bekir Sami Nalbantoğlu, General Manager of Information Systems.
Drawing attention to the fact that information and communication technologies, which are developing at a dizzying pace, are causing changes in many areas of life, Sayan stated, “These developments have made information and communication technologies an indispensable part of daily life. Services provided in electronic environments, which are increasing day by day, not only make our lives easier but also enhance our quality of life and welfare levels. From e-government applications to finance and banking apps, from e-health applications to digital media, from wearable technologies to robotic systems, from social media to virtual reality, information and communication technologies, which have stamped virtually every field, are processing, storing, and using massive amounts of data that are growing exponentially. Accordingly, concepts such as data mining, big data, and artificial intelligence are entering our lives, aiming to process the most valuable asset of our time—data—faster, analyze it more easily, and ensure its security while storing it. In particular, the issue of Personal Data Protection has become one of the most intensely discussed topics recently, both due to its role as a key component of personal and national security and from a legal regulatory perspective.”
Deputy Minister Sayan: Data Security is an Extremely Critical Issue
Touching upon the diversification of personal data produced in these environments as services offered in electronic media become more varied, Sayan said, “At this point, while the acquisition, processing, and storage of data are important, the security of this data emerges as an extremely critical issue. On the other hand, the increasing variety of information assets in electronic environments leads to heightened security risks for data storage environments and makes information technologies used for data management a target, necessitating a broader and more systematic approach to ensuring information security today.”
Stating that for information security to be ensured, “the confidentiality of information must be protected from unauthorized access, its integrity and accuracy must be maintained without alteration, and its accessibility must be guaranteed when needed,” Sayan continued in his speech, “As these technologies and services increase and are used intensively, they also bring along certain problems, primarily cybersecurity issues. We see that cyber attacks targeting ‘data,’ which is considered the gold of our age, continue to rise. Therefore, taking technological and legal measures to protect our data from attacks is not merely a preference but a necessity. All actors involved in the process from the moment information is processed/produced until it is destroyed have responsibilities regarding ensuring information security. In our country, a legal arrangement was made with the “Personal Data Protection Law” enacted in 2016, and the “Personal Data Protection Authority” was established to fulfill the duties specified in the law. On the other hand, as you know, BTK operates as a regulatory and supervisory body in the electronic communications sector in Turkey. In this regard, it makes various regulations on the security of personal data in the sector and imposes obligations on operators. It pays particular attention to these matters during inspections.”
Deputy Minister Sayan: Cybersecurity is a Vital Element
Emphasizing that the concept of security in information technologies is not limited to personal data, Sayan said, “Considering that almost every sector uses IT infrastructure and services, it is necessary to state that cybersecurity is a vital element, especially for critical sectors, infrastructures, and services. From energy to health, from defense industry to agriculture, from transportation to environment, from urbanism to public administration, very serious cyber attacks are carried out against services that form indispensable components of daily life, and unfortunately, they can sometimes cause very destructive effects. From this perspective, we see that cybersecurity is an inseparable part of national security. In our country, steps are being taken rapidly to ensure national cybersecurity. In this context, our Ministry continues its activities to ensure National Cybersecurity in line with the duties and responsibilities assigned to it,” he shared with the participants.
Deputy Minister Sayan also provided information in his speech about the “National Cyber Incident Response Center” operating under BTK.