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ZINFI Modifies Channel Platform to Address GDPR; Offers Solution Sets for Emerging and Mature Channel Companies

ZINFI Technologies, Inc., a leading provider of unified channel management (UCM) solutions,  has completed a series of modifications to its channel management software platform to ensure compliance with the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

The GDPR, a digital privacy regulation that takes affect May 25, 2018, standardizes a diverse range of privacy rules across the European Union (EU) into a single set of requirements that protect the personal data of individuals across all member states. The regulation introduces robust new requirements designed to ensure higher standards for personal data privacy, protection and security for EU citizens.

Organizations processing the personal data of EU subjects are now required to build privacy settings into their digital products and websites that switch on by default. These organizations will need to conduct regular privacy impact assessments, strengthen their procedures for securing permission to use personal data, document the different ways they use that data, and follow stricter rules regarding how and when they report personal data breaches.

Some of the modifications ZINFI made to its platform to assist its customers with compliance include:

  • Enhanced Data Security – ZINFI upgraded its systems to a SaaS model architecture with updated security measures including firewalls, two-factor authentication, anti-virus and phishing protection, along with state-of-the-art encryption techniques involving interservice communication and Representational State Transfer (REST). ZINFI’s data center has been migrated to a SSAE16 (SOC1) compliant infrastructure, providing unparalleled security to personal data.
  • Consent Management – Extensive, transparent consent-obtaining procedures are now employed at ZINFI to document that a data subject has consented to the processing of his/her data and that records are stored for ready accessibility. Opt-out interfaces are integrated to provide end-users with hassle-free access to their personal data.
  • Data Processing – ZINFI incorporated two key data processing methods to ensure data is accurate by removing any historic records from systems that are no longer required and implementing automated processes to ensure personal data is removed after a designated period of time if there is no reason to keep it.

ZINFI has established a Data Protection Office to monitor compliance with GDPR and with other EU and member state provisions for protecting personal data, including the assignment of responsibilities, awareness-raising, training of staff involved in processing operations and the performance of related audits. The company also established a Breach Incident Response team and formulated an exhaustive policy to ensure personal data breaches are immediately monitored, analyzed and mitigated, and are reported in compliance with GDPR requirements.

ZINFI’s GDPR Resource Center presents a 360-degree view of the GDPR and provides best practices guidelines for channel management organizations seeking to attain compliance. The Center provides a variety of tools for this purpose, including interactive sessions, white papers and expert discussions for organizations in the process of understanding and complying with the new regulation.

New Solution Bundles Offered

In other news, ZINFI now offers two distinct sets of channel management solutions to address the full range of channel management requirements of both emerging and mature companies. With this launch, ZINFI brings enterprise-grade feature sets to the marketplace at an affordable price for small and medium-size businesses, the company said in a press release. Both solutions also combine a complete set of do-it-yourself (DIY) configuration features with consumer-level ease of use.

Jump-Start Experience (JSX) is designed for companies that have an emerging channel practice comprised of dozens of partners requiring automated management. The JSX solution comprises portal content management, partner onboarding, channel profile management, marketing communication management, partner locator, partner documents, co-branded asset management, lead management and analytics. Pricing starts at $375 per month, with an initial implementation cost starting at $1,500.

High-Performance Experience (HPX) is designed for companies with a very broad channel requiring all aspects of automated channel management. The HPX solution comprises the entire JSX solution, plus advanced modules for recruitment and onboarding, business planning, contracts, market-development funds management, sales rewards, rebates, referral, commissions and through-channel marketing. Pricing starts at $1,500 per month with an initial implementation cost starting at $2,500.)

The decision to offer two distinct solution sets for companies with different needs and at different stages of channel maturity emerged from discussions with prospects and customers. ZINFI’s analysis of the current channel management environment revealed that even relatively small organizations can have complex channel requirements that need to be addressed through automation.

“During the past year or so we have been listening to dozens of customers and prospects and realized that the market needs a much more focused and affordable solution that companies can start with for a few hundred dollars per month,” said Sugata Sanyal, ZINFI’s founder and CEO. “We believe that many organizations with emerging channel management capabilities have stayed out of the market due to the expense and complexity of channel automation. With these two new bundled solutions, both of which are extremely easy to use and highly affordable, all channel organizations now can consider and implement state-of-the-art channel automation.”

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