| eBay, iTunes, PayPal these are just a few of the | | | | the highest government standards including the FBI |
| places that most of us enter our credit card and | | | | Top twenty security vulnerabilities test) and separate |
| personal information every day. Since the internet | | | | hourly, daily, weekly, and monthly backups that are |
| became an integral part of each of our lives, the | | | | archived for at least two years. |
| treat of identity theft is a daily reality for all but the | | | | Other important factors to look for are the TRUSTe |
| most paranoid of internet users. | | | | and Thawte logos. These companies monitor the |
| While we assume that the sites listed above are | | | | strength and maintenance of privacy policies and |
| secure, how many of us have in fact checked to see | | | | information encryption. According to the website, to |
| to what lengths these companies go to keep their | | | | be certified by TRUSTe, companies must have their |
| users information safe from hackers? Im sure very | | | | privacy policy open for review by TRUSTe, post |
| few. | | | | notice and disclosure of collection and use practices |
| Because we cant count on our registrants to be | | | | of personally identifiable information, and give users |
| careful when entering information onto the | | | | choice and consent over how their information is |
| registration website, as event planners, we must | | | | used and shared. |
| make sure that we do the research to ensure that | | | | While TRUSTe ensures that companies hold to their |
| our registrants information is safe with our online | | | | privacy policies and never use information without |
| registration company. We want to send potential | | | | the users consent, Thawte verifies SSL (Secure |
| registrants to a site that portrays our event in a | | | | Socket Layer) encryption, meaning that the |
| positive light. This means a website designed to our | | | | encryption of credit card information entered on the |
| specifications, with professional quality and ease of | | | | site if of the highest level possible. However, to be |
| use. But, most importantly, it means knowing that all | | | | verified by Thawte, companies must meet stringent |
| information put online for our event will be safe from | | | | checklist of qualifications including both authentication |
| identity thieves. | | | | and verification processes. For the authentication |
| One of the most important aspects of a strong | | | | process, Thawte must confirm that the company |
| security system is frequent testing and monitoring of | | | | registration details are entirely true and that the |
| those systems. To receive the highest rank of Level | | | | domain is in fact owned by the requesting party. To |
| 1 PCI compliance from Visa, companies must invest a | | | | complete the verification process, Thawte uses a |
| large number of resources to ensure that they are | | | | third party telephone listing to confirm that the |
| as secure as major banks and credit card companies. | | | | authorized person requesting a certificate is |
| As of yet, very few registration companies hold this | | | | employed by requesting party. |
| ranking, but wouldnt it be nice to know that your | | | | These are just a couple of the certifications to look |
| registration company values your registrants security | | | | for when choosing your online event registration |
| enough to make it one of their highest priorities? | | | | system. When you send your attendees to the |
| Constant monitoring and testing of security is a vital | | | | registration site, you want to be 100% sure that |
| part of maintain the highest possible level of security. | | | | their data will be 100% safe so they wont have to |
| Some methods of monitoring include an independent | | | | research the security, but if they do, you can be |
| daily audit for over 3,000 security checks, (exceeding | | | | confident that theyll like what they find. |