For the ninth year running the Spanish review SIC, specializing in information protection and security and information and communication technology has awarded its SIC Prizes. This award scheme was set up to distinguish important initiatives, organizations and professionals in security risk management, particularly those associated with the protection of information processed in technological systems.

This year Mariano J. Benito, CISO of GMV Secure e-Solutions, has received recognition for his “lifelong career” in business continuity and security risk management, one of the main ongoing features of which is support for the creation of national and international standards for use in this field.

During the prize-giving ceremony Mariano J. Benito thanked the review SIC for the distinction being awarded to him and also dedicated a few words to the information security trailblazers in Spain, who had been the masters of many professionals in this area and an example to all, himself included. He also spoke about GMV, the firm he has worked for throughout his career, and his fellow workers there, thanking them for the confidence and trust placed in his daily work and their unswerving support during his whole award-winning career so far.

Mariano J. Benito has been GMV’s CISO since 2004. His professional feats include implementation and certification of GMV’s ISMS (Information Security Management System) obtaining its ISO 27001 certification in 2006 and UNE 71502 in 2004. He also set up and certified the company’s Business Continuity Management System under BS 25999 in March 2010.

This prestigious award can now be added to the other two SIC prizes won by GMV during this nine-year run, acknowledging the company’s crucial work in business continuity and information security. In 2011 GMV received an award in recognition of its R&D work to develop several groundbreaking security-related products and solutions. And back in 2004 GMV received the SIC Prize as "the first Spanish ICT company to make a decided commitment to IP security".