| By Ryan BelleBay, iTunes, PayPal - these are just a | | | | weekly, and monthly backups that are archived for |
| few of the places that most of us enter our credit | | | | at least two years. Other important factors to look |
| card and personal information every day. Since the | | | | for are the TRUSTe and Thawte logos. These |
| internet became an integral part of each of our lives, | | | | companies monitor the strength and maintenance of |
| the treat of identity theft is a daily reality for all but | | | | privacy policies and information encryption. According |
| the most paranoid of internet users. While we | | | | to the website, to be certified by TRUSTe, |
| assume that the sites listed above are secure, how | | | | companies must have their privacy policy open for |
| many of us have in fact checked to see to what | | | | review by TRUSTe, post notice and disclosure of |
| lengths these companies go to keep their user's | | | | collection and use practices of personally identifiable |
| information safe from hackers? I'm sure very few. | | | | information, and give users choice and consent over |
| Because we can't count on our registrants to be | | | | how their information is used and shared. While |
| careful when entering information onto the | | | | TRUSTe ensures that companies hold to their privacy |
| registration website, as event planners, we must | | | | policies and never use information without the user's |
| make sure that we do the research to ensure that | | | | consent, Thawte verifies SSL (Secure Socket Layer) |
| our registrant's information is safe with our online | | | | encryption, meaning that the encryption of credit |
| registration company. We want to send potential | | | | card information entered on the site if of the highest |
| registrants to a site that portrays our event in a | | | | level possible. However, to be verified by Thawte, |
| positive light. This means a website designed to our | | | | companies must meet stringent checklist of |
| specifications, with professional quality and ease of | | | | qualifications including both authentication and |
| use. But, most importantly, it means knowing that all | | | | verification processes. For the authentication process, |
| information put online for our event will be safe from | | | | Thawte must confirm that the company registration |
| identity thieves. One of the most important aspects | | | | details are entirely true and that the domain is in fact |
| of a strong security system is frequent testing and | | | | owned by the requesting party. To complete the |
| monitoring of those systems. To receive the highest | | | | verification process, Thawte uses a third party |
| rank of Level 1 PCI compliance from Visa, companies | | | | telephone listing to confirm that the authorized |
| must invest a large number of resources to ensure | | | | person requesting a certificate is employed by |
| that they are as secure as major banks and credit | | | | requesting party. These are just a couple of the |
| card companies. As of yet, very few registration | | | | certifications to look for when choosing your online |
| companies hold this ranking, but wouldn't it be nice to | | | | event registration system. When you send your |
| know that your registration company values your | | | | attendees to the registration site, you want to be |
| registrants' security enough to make it one of their | | | | 100% sure that their data will be 100% safe so they |
| highest priorities? Constant monitoring and testing of | | | | won't have to research the security, but if they do, |
| security is a vital part of maintain the highest possible | | | | you can be confident that they'll like what they find. |
| level of security. Some methods of monitoring include | | | | Ryan is a member of the marketing team for |
| an independent daily audit for over 3,000 security | | | | RegOnline, a producer of easy-to-use online |
| checks, (exceeding the highest government | | | | registration software, and a company dedicated to |
| standards including the FBI "Top twenty security | | | | making event planners' lives easier. |
| vulnerabilities" test) and separate hourly, daily, | | | | |