SAMA Cyber Security Framework compliance in Saudi Arabia

SAMA Cyber Security Framework compliance in Saudi Arabia at a glance

Which institutions does SAMA's Cyber Security Framework actually bind? Issued by the Saudi Central Bank in 2017, it applies to all banks, insurance and reinsurance companies, financing companies and credit bureaus operating in Saudi Arabia, and to the financial market infrastructure. It rests on SAMA's own requirements and on industry standards such as NIST, ISF, ISO, Basel and PCI, and it expects member organisations to comply with PCI DSS where cardholder data is involved. Business continuity sits in a companion document, SAMA's Business Continuity Management Framework. There is no SAMA CSF certificate; SAMA supervises its member organisations and expects documented, risk-based evidence of each control. Technology and outsourcing providers to these institutions meet the same requirements through contract clauses and due diligence. Sterling's Riyadh office runs maturity assessments against the framework's domains, writes the policies and procedures, and organises evidence so the institution can answer SAMA and its own internal audit from one set of records. The questions below cover scope, overlap and evidence.

Who needs SAMA Cyber Security Framework in Saudi Arabia, and what happens without it

These are the organisations in Saudi Arabia that most often need to show SAMA Cyber Security Framework.

• Banks operating in Saudi ArabiaThe framework applies to all banks.
• Insurance and reinsurance companies, financing companies and credit bureausThe framework applies to them as SAMA member organisations.
• Financial market infrastructureNamed in the framework's applicability.
• Technology, outsourcing and payment providers to member organisationsRequirements are flowed down through contracts and due diligence.

SAMA Cyber Security Framework requirements in Saudi Arabia

Strip away the vocabulary and the SAMA Cyber Security Framework asks a regulated institution to comply in six areas of cyber security.

In Saudi Arabia these six sit alongside the local laws and regulations listed under drivers below; one system can evidence both. The detail is on the global hub: SAMA Cyber Security Framework explained →

How to achieve SAMA Cyber Security Framework compliance in Saudi Arabia

One team from the Riyadh office carries the work from scoping to sign-off. Clients across the Kingdom, from the Riyadh office; on-site where the work needs it and remote delivery for distributed teams.

1. Discovery call and scopeEntities, locations, regulators and target date, agreed before any proposal.
2. Gap assessment against SAMA Cyber Security Framework and the Saudi requirements that apply to youControls you already run for your regulators and customers are reused, not rebuilt.
3. Your system built with your team in EffivityRisks, controls, evidence, incidents and reviews in one live system the auditor can see.
4. Internal audit, management review and corrective actionsYour internal auditors trained by Sterling; the evidence proven before any external review.
5. Reviews by regulators, customers and auditorsSterling supports the reviews your regulators, customers and auditors run.

The Sterling Promise: 100% on-time completion, 100% success, 8,100+ client engagements.Sterling does not certify. Certification decisions stay with independent bodies.

How long does SAMA Cyber Security Framework compliance take in Saudi Arabia?

There is no standard duration: it depends on your scope and on how much of the system already runs. In Saudi Arabia these are the factors that set the timeline.

• Current maturity against each framework domain
• Number of third parties and outsourced services to review
• Alignment with existing ISO/IEC 27001 or PCI DSS work

Sterling agrees a dated plan with you on the discovery call, once the scope is known.

• Scope and timeline estimator

How much does SAMA Cyber Security Framework compliance cost in Saudi Arabia?

The cost has two parts: the consulting work to build and prove the system, and any external assessor’s fees, which are quoted separately. In Saudi Arabia these factors move both.

• Size of the institution and number of entities
• Remediation of gaps found in the maturity assessment
• Third-party review effort
• Tooling for evidence collection

Sterling gives one customised, all-inclusive proposal after the discovery call, never before the scope is agreed.

SAMA Cyber Security Framework consultants and assessors in Saudi Arabia

Two different organisations are involved. A consultant helps you build the system and prove it works; your regulators, customers and auditors then audits or assesses it and decides. Keeping the two separate is what makes the result credible to buyers and regulators.

• Check that the body’s accreditation or approval covers SAMA Cyber Security Framework and your sector, and that its certificates can be verified online.
• Ask the consultant how the local requirements in Saudi Arabia are mapped into the same system, so nothing runs twice.
• Ask for client references in your sector; Sterling’s client letters are available on request.
• Agree who owns the evidence and the tool after the engagement; with Sterling the system stays yours, in Effivity.

SAMA Cyber Security Framework in Saudi Arabia: questions clients ask

More on SAMA Cyber Security Framework for Saudi organisations

• SAMA Cyber Security Framework: the complete guide
• Watch: How to comply with the SAMA Cyber Security Framework
• Sterling in Riyadh
• SAMA Cyber Security Framework compliance in Saudi Arabia and every other standard Sterling delivers there

Other standards Saudi businesses ask Sterling for

Organisations in Saudi Arabia often combine SAMA Cyber Security Framework with one of these, under one management system where the scopes allow.

All 23 standards Sterling delivers in Saudi Arabia →