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Introducing Compliance Detector – Compliance by Design

Anyone who has made a purchase online in the last few years understands that providing an email address has almost become a de facto part of doing business on the Web. How can companies ensure that the information they are collecting is protected? At the same time, almost one in ten people have a legal disability that may impact their abilities to use a website if it is not designed with accessibility in mind. How can website designers ensure that their customers can easily access and use their websites, while maintaining both site quality, brand, and privacy controls?

It goes almost without stating that companies must be vigilant in designing site quality, privacy, and accessibility into their design and quality assurance practices. Beyond protecting systems from the “bad guys” who attempt to steal our information, companies have an additional obligation to behave as good corporate citizens. This includes not only making sure that websites are available to everyone who should have access, regardless of any disability, but also communicating clearly with customers and visitors about how information will be used, stored, and protected. Websites also serve as the front door for many companies. For those with no “brick and mortar” presence, websites are consumers’ primary – and sometimes only – experience with the company. A high quality experience for that customer or website visitor must be one that not only reflects the company through a well-designed and properly branded site, but also encourages the customer’s trust and confidence in the organization.

Automated web testing tools assist organizations in taking a full lifecycle approach to compliance, privacy, and accessibility for their websites. The most cost effective strategies provide solutions that empower content authors and allow them to create compliant content from the beginning – a cornerstone of successful compliance initiatives.

With that in mind, AvePoint is proud to introduce Compliance Detector, an educational testing tool that can be used for developers to improve the compliance of the content they are building and to learn about the importance of incorporating site quality, privacy, and accessibility by design as part of their development efforts. This is a good starting place to help web designers understand some of the issues they may have on their pages. Compliance Detector is the very first project of its kind, allowing companies to learn about site quality, accessibility, and privacy through a single educational solution. While no automated testing tool can ensure that a website is fully compliant, Compliance Detector has helped to raise the bar through education and awareness, and is a great step toward educating developers on making compliance best practices a part of their design work.

Consumers have the power to applaud companies that provide proper attention to and respect these matters on their web sites with their purchasing power. At the end of the day, if consumers make accessibility, usability, and protection of their private information a priority when it comes to the organizations they support, then the companies competing for their dollars and loyalties will do so as well! Compliance Detector makes a great contribution toward achieving that goal.

Dana S.
Dana S.
Dana Louise Simberkoff is the Chief Risk, Privacy and Information Security Officer at AvePoint. She is responsible for AvePoint’s privacy, data protection, and security programs. She manages a global team of subject matter experts that provide executive level consulting, research, and analytical support on current and upcoming industry trends, technology, standards, best practices, concepts, and solutions for risk management and compliance. Ms. Simberkoff is responsible for maintaining relationships with executive management and multiple constituencies both internal and external to the corporation, providing guidance on product direction, technology enhancements, customer challenges, and market opportunities. Ms. Simberkoff has led speaking sessions at data privacy and security events around the globe. She was featured in Forbes, writes a monthly column for CMSWire, and was highlighted in the CSO Online list of “12 Amazing Women in Security”. She is a current member of the Women Leading Privacy Advisory Board and a past member of the Education Advisory Board for the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP). Ms. Simberkoff holds a BA from Dartmouth College and a JD from Suffolk University Law School. LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/danalouisesimberkoff/en Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/danalouise

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