How can small businesses avoid costly security breaches by complying with Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation?

TORONTO, May 6, 2014 /CNW/ - Canada's 1.1 million businesses will need to verify the way they contact customers and improve their security before Bill C-28 takes effect July 1st.

Until January 1, 2015, Toronto-based Informatica Security is offering a $99 self-assessment to help companies determine compliance and fix gaps ahead of the deadline. Because the offer includes a live, professional consultation with a certified security auditor, the service is valued at over $500.

The simple, 20-question self-assessment informs and empowers businesses to inventory their safeguards and prevent systems from exposing the company to the harsh $10 million penalties imposed by the new legislation. They include:

• the security of subscriber databases against breaches and reputational damage
• clear identification in commercial electronic messaging (CEM) to prevent breaches
• establishing anti-spam/privacy policies to prevent email harvesting

"CASL is not about punishing faceless spammers as much as it is improving the default security of Canadian businesses and their ability to protect the privacy of customer information" said Claudiu Popa, Informatica's CEO and author of "Managing Personal Information" (Carswell/ThomsonReuters 2012 www.PrivacyRisk.ca).

"We took the most confusing, technical aspects of the legislative requirements and made them easy for everyone to adopt". The self-assessment is free-upon-request to all blog/newsletter subscribers at www.SecurityandPrivacy.ca.

Critics describe CASL as aggressive, ambiguous and immensely punishing. However, the new law includes provisions designed to also help companies protect themselves and their customers from damaging security breaches, estimated to average $6 million per incident.

The Verify CASL Self-Assessment is available as an Amazon Kindle ebook (ASIN: B00K5JG4O2). Customers can request a personalized professional consultation immediately after purchasing the e-document.

Informatica also offers an independent audit of CASL controls conducted by certified professionals.

About the company:

Established in 1989, Informatica is Canada's first security assurance-as-a-service company, specializing in standards-based, independent privacy and security vulnerability assessments and information technology audits.

Informatica's assessment process is recognized nationwide for auditable verification of systems, policies and applications. Savvy organizations use the Verify™ seal and Statement of Trust™ to demonstrate compliance, integrity and excellence. [http://Bit.ly/GetVerify]

Reviews/pre-audit assessments for PIPEDA, PHIPA, PCI-DSS, ISO 27000/31000,  Bill198 conducted by certified security professionals and Risk Advisors.

SOURCE: Informatica Security Corporation

Media Information: Claudiu Popa, Principal Risk Advisor, [email protected], Twitter:@datarisk, http://Popa.ca/MediaInterview; 416-431-9012x111, 1 Yonge St. Toronto, Canada