SPI, the African distributor for utility software products and services to the open systems segment of the IT industry and the southern African reseller for Esker, a leader in document process automation solutions, today announced that the latter was among a select group of organisations that have attained the US Department of Commerce Safe Harbor Certification for its on-demand document process automation platform.
The Safe Harbor provides a framework and legal protection allowing for the safe transfer of personal data from European countries to the US. By certifying to the Safe Harbor, companies assure that European Union (EU) organisations are aware that the business provides adequate privacy protection as required by the EU Directive on Data Protection.
The US-EU Safe Harbor Framework was developed by the US Department of Commerce, in consultation with the European Commission, to bridge the different data privacy approaches between the US and European Commission's Directive on Data Protection. The framework provides an efficient means for US organisations to comply with the Commission's Directive.
In order to be Safe Harbor certified, organisations must comply with the seven Safe Harbor principles covering notice, choice, transfers to third parties, access, security, data integrity and enforcement. These principles are intended to give individuals more control over the accuracy and transfer of personal data. By certifying to the Safe Harbor, US companies avoid interruptions in their business dealings with the EU or avoid possible prosecution by European Data Protection Authorities.
“Esker has always maintained the highest levels of data privacy and pledges to continue to protect the security and privacy of any personal information that its customers, employees, partners and others provide,” commented Jean-Michel B'erard, CEO and President of the Board of Directors, Esker.
“Today, cross-border global business is commonplace and data privacy practices must be harmonised between continents. The Safe Harbor certification provides us with the formal opportunity to demonstrate our competence in protecting the confidentiality and privacy of personal data.”
Esker has also been awarded TRUSTe's Privacy Seal, signifying that the Safe Harbor Privacy Policy and Esker's practices have been reviewed for compliance with TRUSTe's programme requirements, including transparency, accountability, and choice regarding the collection and use of personal information. As a leading independent third-party online privacy solutions provider, TRUSTe's privacy seal is recognised and trusted by millions of consumers as a sign of responsible privacy practices with the highest standards for protecting personal information.
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Esker
Esker is the worldwide leader in document process automation solutions. Addressing all types of business processes, from accounts payable and accounts receivable, to sales order processing and procurement, Esker cloud computing solutions enable companies to automate the reception, processing and sending of any business document with one platform. Esker helps over 80 000 companies across the world to reduce the use of paper and eliminate manual processes, while improving their productivity, efficiency and environmental impact.
TRUSTe
TRUSTe is the leading online privacy solutions provider and provides a broad suite of privacy services to help businesses build trust and increase engagement across all of their online channels, including Web sites, mobile applications, advertising, cloud services, business analytics and e-mail marketing.
For further information, please contact Chris Anderson at tel.: (+27) 11 234 1560; fax: (+27) 11 234 1387; e-mail: chris@spi.co.za.
SPI
SPI is a company that provides utility software products and services to the open systems segment of the IT industry. It is the sole sub-Saharan Africa distributor for USA-based FacetCorp; USA-based Innovative Routines; USA-based Help/Systems, the new owners of Open Systems Management; Privileged User Manager from Australia-based Applecross Technologies; France-based Esker; and UK-based Xi Software. SPI also develops some of its own software utilities to complement the overseas products that it distributes.
SPI has a wide and varied customer base and includes organisations such as Aspen Pharmacare, Johannesburg Municipality, University of Johannesburg, Metropolitan Health Group, Nampak, National Brands, Stellenbosch University, UCT and Unisa.
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