(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — Web host The Planet (www.theplanet.com) has successfully completed the US-European Union Safe Harbor self-certification process, assuring customers that the company adheres to the same rigorous privacy guidelines established by the European Commission.
The European Commission’s Directive on Data Protection, established in 1998, prohibits the transfer of personal data to nations that do not meet the EU’s “adequacy” standard for privacy protection. modeled after the European Commission’s Directive on Data Protection, the US Department of Commerce developed the Safe Harbor framework to provide US businesses guidelines for protecting personal data.
According to The Planet’s Monday announcement, the certification enables The Planet’s customers to avoid interruptions during trans-Atlantic business dealings that are required to comply with European privacy legislation.
During the voluntary certification process, The Planet demonstrated compliance with the seven Safe Harbor principles, which include guidelines around maintaining transparent customer communications; ensuring security, privacy and integrity of customer data, and providing an open avenue for customers to contact the company with concerns.
“With the amount of data exchanged between businesses, there’s increasing concern about security of the information,” customer care vice president Jim Picone said in a statement, noting that any data leak or loss can have devastating implications.
“Our customers place their trust in us to safeguard their businesses, which is why we completed the Safe Harbor self-certification process,” he said. “While protecting customer data has always been core to our business, we’re voluntarily participating in a program that holds us to the standards established by the European Commission’s Directive on Data Protection. This provides additional assurances to our customers and those who do business with partners around the world that their data is safe with The Planet.”
The Safe Harbor certification joins the company’s previous completion of the Statement on Auditing Standards No. 70 Type II audit, which ensures the company maintains rigorous controls and processes across operations, including its eight data centers, network and customer support.
The WHIR reported earlier this month that following GI Partners’ (www.gipartners.com) acquisition of a majority stake in the hosting provider SoftLayer (www.softlayer.com), SoftLayer has been discussing a merger with The Planet, which is owned by GI Partners.
Last year, SoftLayer announced it had met the requirements for the US-EU Safe Harbor framework, providing assurance to all customers. This certification is especially important to customers who are international, which represents approximately half of the company’s customer base.
Indeed, as world markets becomes more tightly integrated, the importance of meeting international customers’ online needs has also grown, and Safe Harbor self-certification gives them an added level of assurance and reliability.
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