compliance http://www.artwoo.com Returned search results for compliance Copyright 2008 Sun, 23 Nov 2008 02:42:57 +0000 http://www.artwoo.com/rss/compliance The End Is Near: Limited Liability Entities In New York State Must Act Today To Avoid Suspension http://www.artwoo.com/article/the-end-is-near-limited-liability-entities-in-new-york-state-must-act-today-to-avoid-suspension http://www.artwoo.com/article/the-end-is-near-limited-liability-entities-in-new-york-state-must-act-today-to-avoid-suspension#comments Mon, 21 May 2007 21:19:57 +0000 email alertsllecompliance issuescumbersomenew york timepublication processpursuant http://www.artwoo.com/article/the-end-is-near-limited-liability-entities-in-new-york-state-must-act-today-to-avoid-suspension LLE) that either was organized to the statutes or the state of New York or that is duly qualified to do business in New York, time is running out.

By this it is meant you have only until May 31, 2007, to make certain that you fully are in compliance with certain newspaper publication and filing requirements that went into effect in New York.



Specifically, if your LLE either was formed in New York or qualified to do business in the state between January 1, 1999, and June 1, 2006, you must make certain that your LLE is in compliance. The new law permitted a grace period of until the end of May to get into compliance. The legislation requires any LLE formed after June 1, 2006, to meet the newspaper publication and filing requirement no later than 120 days after formation or qualification.

The compliance process for your LLE actually is not that or complicated. In order for your LLE to become compliant, the following steps must be taken:

1.The notice that is required of an LLE pursuant to the new law must be duly published in an appropriate weekly newspaper as described in that legislation for six consecutive weeks.

2.Following the as described, a certificate of the publication together with the duly executed affidavits from the newspaper in which the notices were published must be filed.

The reality is that this process easily can require a 90 day period to make arrangements for publication, undertake the publication process itself and to make the appropriate filing. If you have not commenced the compliance process we have outlined for you, you must make certain that this process is underway immediately.



In order to ensure that your LLE is in complete compliance in the future, you will want to make certain that you sign up for our authoritative and legal updates. If you have any questions or concerns about the that have been discussed with you today, or any other issues regarding your LLE, feel free to contact us for a consultation either by telephone or via e-mail. Robert Masud, Esq. is the principal of Masud and Company LLC, a law firm for business, finance and the internet (http://www.masudco.com). ]]> Compliance Officer and How to Become a Compliance Officer http://www.artwoo.com/article/compliance-officer-and-how-to-become-a-compliance-officer http://www.artwoo.com/article/compliance-officer-and-how-to-become-a-compliance-officer#comments Sat, 01 Nov 2008 15:50:23 +0000 compliance officecompliance officerschief compliance officermanagerial experiencelevel positionadvertising materialsmarketing department http://www.artwoo.com/article/compliance-officer-and-how-to-become-a-compliance-officer compliance officer (CO), or in many cases (CCO) is the person at a company who has the responsibility of ensuring that their company follows the legal and regulatory requirements which pertain to their business or industry. There is often only one CO, especially at smaller companies and this individual bears a great deal of responsibility as their job performance or lack of it can seriously impact the company they work for.

A compliance office may be employed in just about any industry and their exact duties will largely depend on this. A CCO must have extensive experience in their field and a comprehensive level of knowledge, especially as pertains to the regulatory requirements of the industry. This is why the position of compliance officer is almost invariably a senior .

As a senior level position, at least in the overwhelming majority of cases, a proven track record of is important to the position of chief compliance officer -- there is a lot of interpersonal communication involved, as have the task of explaining sometimes very complex regulatory or legal issues to staff of all levels within a company in a way that can be readily grasped and implemented.

A large part of the duties of a CO involve remaining well informed and up to date with current developments in their industry. They must anticipate how these changes in regulatory requirements may affect the operations of their company. After that, they determine which steps must be taken to ensure that the company remains in compliance with these rules and regulations.

Compliance analysts typically work closely with the legal department and senior management at their firms. They help these personnel to plan and implement strategies to stay current and in full compliance with all regulations which may affect the company.

They will also work with the to make sure that marketing and are in line with any regulations and restrictions on such material in their industry; clearly, the position of compliance officer entails some complex challenges and is not a position for those who are not inclined towards constant learning and staying on top of changes in their industry.

For those considering CO positions, the requirements are typically a college degree applicable to the field in which they are seeking employment. The person should have a proven track record of success in this field and a deep understanding of their industry and the legal issues and regulatory requirements which govern it.

These positions are a good fit for an experienced manager within an industry who has a firm grasp of the issues involved in the industry. It is usually a position for someone looking to transition to a different career while staying in the same industry in which they have gained a solid grounding and foundation of knowledge to put to use in meeting the challenges posed by the position of compliance officer.

Large companies will have compliance departments. It is in these departments where college graduates who are interested in the compliance officer career are hired. They will usually work with an experienced officer, who will bring them along nicely.

If you are interested in the compliance officer career, I urge you to do more research on the profession. You can do this by visiting websites that cover the profession in more detail.

Note: You are free to reprint or republish this article. The only condition is that the Resource Box should be included and the links are clickable.Copywrite Kenneth Echie. Kenneth is a writer for Criminal Justice Schools and Degrees. Get free scholarship report and learn to become a Compliance Officer by visiting. Affiliated Website: Extra Income Ideas]]> Role Of W3 Compliance In SEO http://www.artwoo.com/article/role-of-w3-compliance-in-seo http://www.artwoo.com/article/role-of-w3-compliance-in-seo#comments Tue, 25 Mar 2008 22:14:57 +0000 world wide web consortiumw3c guidelineswide web consortiumdriven contenttownesfunctionalitiessearch engines http://www.artwoo.com/article/role-of-w3-compliance-in-seo World and this body or association has been providing the guidelines for website structure since 1994.

The guidelines or rules have been created according to the best practices and there are certain reasons why you or your website designer should comply with the . All the reasons are not SEO driven and some of the non-SEO reasons include:

=95 W3C Compliance will ensure that your website is accessible to the disabled.

=95 W3C Compliance will also ensure that your website can be accessed through different devices like cellular phones and PDA's and also from different browsers like Mozilla Firefox.

=95 W3C Compliance will ensure that in spite of the different and requirements of different technologies and browsers, your website will be accessible and function in across different mediums in a similar way.

Now that you know the non-SEO reasons for ensuring full W3C compliance, you will probably ask: what has this got to do with SEO?

According to a statement made by Frederick from W3Edge web design, if you use the standards and incorporate the best practices then you are ensuring that your website will be designed in such a way that it is easier for to interpret it. At the same time, the search engines will be able to skew the content-to-code ratio in the right direction and force the information on each of the web pages to be accessible.

Basically, he means that if you remove excess code from your web pages then the keyword will get a higher priority. The second most important thing is that following the W3C compliance will ensure that your web site can be easily spidered.

How to add W3C Compliance to your website

Actually it is easier said than done. If you don't have a website then you can have it designed based on the W3C compliance from scratch and your website designer needs to know how he/she can do it. If you have a website, which is not W3C compliant then you have only one option: You need to hire a web/graphic designer who is familiar with the W3C standards and has the capability to redo your site based on the standards.

Either ways, you will benefit if your website is W3C compliant.

Let us look at a worse case scenario where you will have to do the website all by yourself. There are quite a few good resources that you can take advantage of. One of the best is the FireFox Web Developer extension. You need to first install the FireFox browser and then install the Web Developer extension.

One of the major aspects of this tool is that it provides a one-click check for W3C compliance and it will provide you with a list of the different types of errors, their cause and the solution and everything will be according to the W3C standard. The Web Developer extension can test CSS, HTML, and XHTML, compliance.

Some of the other good resources that you can check include:

=95 Holy CSS ZeldMan =95 A List Apart =95 CSS Zen Garden

How to start Once you have downloaded the Firefox browser and installed the Web Developer extension, you will need to bookmark your resources. Once this is taken care of, you will have to test your website and at the same time check that your site meets all the W3C standards.

You should first start with the CSS validation. CSS validation is an easy process and can be done quickly as compared to most of the other code files. Once you are done with CSS, move on to HTML or XHTML validation. This will take at least a few hours and even more. The bigger your website is, the more time it will take.

After the validation of CSS and HTML, you will have to comply with Accessibility standards. In this process, you will be cleaning a chunk of your existing code and moving some of the code to CSS.

What is the need?

By now you are probably wondering why you need to do all this. The only reason is that once you complete all the validations, you will have a fully compliant website. Although the W3C compliance is not the only factor that drives SEO but if your website maintains the standard then you will definitely have the edge in the rat race. Seomul Davis is search engine optimization specialist for SEO 1 Services links http://www.seo-1-marketing-services.com http://www.seo-1-marketing-services.com/company.htm http://www.seo-services-expert.com ]]> Sarbanes Oxley Compliance: What Is It? http://www.artwoo.com/article/sarbanes-oxley-compliance-what-is-it http://www.artwoo.com/article/sarbanes-oxley-compliance-what-is-it#comments Sun, 16 Apr 2006 17:50:22 +0000 sarbanes oxley compliancesarbanes oxley actperformance metricsstatistical quality controlquality movementproactive methodcorporations http://www.artwoo.com/article/sarbanes-oxley-compliance-what-is-it Sarbanes Oxley Act seeks to make in corporate governance is best understood by drawing an analogy with the total . In the days of , companies looked at quality after the fact and measured defect rates in a sample of their final output. This was not helpful since companies could not undo the damage, i.e., they had no way to recover the costs incurred on the rejections. The Japanese brought about a paradigm shift by implementing systems to produce quality products at the outset. They placed built-in checks on the production floor where errors in manufacturing were corrected before they were compounded as work-in-progress moved from one stage to another.

Similarly, the message of is that management should change from a reactive approach to risky events to a which anticipates adverse situations, takes preemptive action before an unfavorable course of events snowballs into a crisis or the systems and processes are strong enough to weather the buffeting should unforeseen events strike.

SOX Compliance has removed the veil that hid many ills inside . It now seeks real time information that can materially impact the financial performance of a corporation. Senior management cannot hide behind the familiar ruse that their task is to provide a strategic direction to their companies; they are now required to monitor , in real time, to ensure that their companies are not overtaken by unexpected events. SOX Compliance has dramatically raised the standards of transparency, and accountability in companies to ensure that they can sustain a consistent level of performance. The key instrument to clean corporations of fraud and inefficiency is to provide detailed information, delivered electronically, to executives, shareholders and regulatory bodies. Strategic and tactical metrics to measure the health of corporations will play a critical role in the governance of corporations in the future.

SOX Compliance also frees the Board of Directors and the Auditors from the cult of the Chief Executive and provides them space to play their roles.Increasingly; they will bring their knowledge and creativity to manage the risks of companies.

Compliance would require data warehouses for storage of financial and non-financial data affecting risks and its analysis for continually reviewing strategies for risk management. In this framework, company executives and board members will not have any room to point fingers at someone else since they would have access to all corporate information and the responsibility to monitor it.

In the past, companies had a knee-jerk reaction to unexpected turn of events and usually were not the masters of their situation. Typically, companies could only patch up their balance sheets when their financial performance fell short. Nothing in the extant corporate governance legislation required them to analyze the root causes of lapses in performance and work towards improving the outcomes over time. Sarbanes Oxley requires companies to take a strategic view of risk and learn from their experiences to improve their model for coping with risk. Sarbanes-Oxley-Compliance.us is a FREE resource on the http://www.sarbanes-oxley-compliance.us and provides explanation of the implications of http://www.sarbanes-oxley-compliance.us/overview.php and what this means for your business. ]]> Patriot Act Compliance and Identity Verification http://www.artwoo.com/article/patriot-act-compliance-and-identity-verification http://www.artwoo.com/article/patriot-act-compliance-and-identity-verification#comments Wed, 22 Oct 2008 06:08:28 +0000 act compliancecompliance effortsprocess efficiencycompliance programsecretary of the treasuryverification toolscustomer identification http://www.artwoo.com/article/patriot-act-compliance-and-identity-verification Secretary of the Treasury to develop regulations setting forth minimum standards regarding for opening new accounts at certain financial institutions. The federal banking regulatory agencies together developed regulations to implement Section 326. That regulation is known as "the CIP rule" because it requires banks, savings associations, credit unions and certain non-federally regulated banks to have written Customer Identification Programs (CIP).

The minimum standards established for CIPs are intended to enable financial institutions to form a reasonable belief about the true identity of their customers. One of the components of a CIP is therefore to verify the identity of each customer. Another component is to scan each customer against government list(s) of known or suspected terrorists or terrorist organizations.

Patriot and Your Customers

When a new customer opens an account to receive services from a financial institution, CIP requirements apply and can sometimes impact the customer experience. Such services may include deposit accounts, transaction accounts and other types of accounts. Customers can include individuals, corporations, partnerships, trusts, etc. The way a financial institution approaches identity verification and watch list scanning efforts carries the potential to shape its overall customer experience. Identity and watch list checking software can play important roles in a financial institution's Patriot Act . Streamlining certain Patriot Act can lead to a more effective compliance program because software tools typically bring higher levels of accuracy and . Perhaps equally important, many software tools can do this while minimizing the friction experienced by customers. As financial institutions compete for revenue, the overall customer experience can contribute to brand value and the financial institution's bottom line.

Patriot Act Software Can Streamline Patriot Act Compliance

Meeting specific Patriot Act compliance requirements can be costly to an organization, but failing to do so can be vastly more expensive. Fines and penalties related to inadequate Patriot Act compliance programs have been significant, but the damage to a financial institution's reputation can be even more costly. If negative publicity erodes customer trust, financial institution customers may choose to reduce the number of products and services they use, or perhaps completely sever their relationships with the institution. This can negatively impact bottom line figures and lower an institution's brand value. In addition, regulatory actions may divert resources -- including senior level managers -- from focusing on revenue and profitability while they develop and implement necessary corrective actions. Patriot Act software can help financial institutions to meet certain compliance requirements and protect their organization's bottom line.

Tip: Customer Identification Methods

As you select documents, consider associated risks. If this document is not well known to your personnel, will they be able to spot a fraud? If this is a foreign document, will you accept it only when accompanied by another form of identification? Will you require certified copies of any documents? Remember it is important to provide reasonable belief that you know the true identity of each customer.

Confronting identity fraud begins with vigilant identity verification. Being aware of potential identity fraud risk will keep you alert to potential tactics and deceptive individuals.Michelle Thiel is an advocate for the information industry with an interest in bankruptcy public records , id authentication and mortgage fraud protection.]]> The History Of Sarbanes Oxley http://www.artwoo.com/article/the-history-of-sarbanes-oxley http://www.artwoo.com/article/the-history-of-sarbanes-oxley#comments Wed, 19 Apr 2006 22:50:04 +0000 sarbanes oxley actsarbanes oxley compliancesenator paul sarbanesoxley billpublic company accounting oversight boardaccountingworldcom http://www.artwoo.com/article/the-history-of-sarbanes-oxley Oxley bill in April 2002, which was related to the accountability, responsibility and transparency of stating financial status of the company. At the same time had another proposal on the similar lines. He presented the bill to the Senate Banking Committee which passed the bill with a majority.

Thereafter both the proposals made by House Representative Oxley and Senator Paul Sarbanes were reconciled to be formed in to one act, which is now popularly known as the . Sarbanes Oxley came into force mainly due to the financial scandals committed by corporate giants like Enron, , etc. Since then the Sarbanes Oxley act had been the most important piece of legislation which seriously affects the corporate governance, financial disclosures and total pattern in the companies.

After the Sarbanes Oxley act came into force, accounting system and financial statements disclosed by the companies made tremendous progress. This improvement has been possible due to rigorous requirements stated in the Sarbanes Oxley act. Due to this improvement it helps to protect investor confidence in the companies and the US legislature as well. Moreover, it also helps in establishing a , auditor independence, and corporate responsibility and enhanced financial disclosures.

Most companies focus their attention on Sarbanes Oxley work in thirteen specific areas. These 13 areas are the ones where most of the financial impact is felt. Section 404 stated in the Sarbanes Oxley act is the ones that has caused the most concern in the financial sector according to which requires the corporate body to enhance stricter controls over the financial reporting by internal accounting personnel.

It has now become mandatory for companies to have . The companies need to meet Sarbanes Oxley compliance deadlines. The most important ones are that firstly, the companies should meet the financial reporting and certifications mandates for statements filed after 15th November for any particular financial year. This deadline was amended from June 15th deadline stated earlier. Secondly, the Sarbanes Oxley compliance states that the smaller companies and foreign companies should meet the mandates for statements filed after 15th July. This deadline was amended from the earlier deadline of April 15th.

Sarbanes Oxley had separately drafted the act for the financial accounting but after the financial scams from corporate giants like Enron and WorldCam, draft for both the act were passed jointly by the US senate and the House unanimously and equivocally. Thus the Sarbanes Oxley act was organized into eleven titles out of which sections 302, 404, 401, 409, 802 and 906 are the most significant ones as they refer to the compliance and internal control for any financial reporting from a company.

Sarbanes Oxley software is also available for those who want to prepare their statements as per the Sarbanes Oxley act. This can also be downloaded from the Internet. The complete toolkit is accompanied by guides, presentations and implementation checklists. The checklists in the Sarbanes Oxley toolkit are provided in MS word format such that it can be easily edited. Earl Powers, US Lawyer and Oxley Sarbanes expert at Aquest Group LLC ( http://www.sarbanes-oxley-hq.com ) publishes other articles related to Oxley Sarbanes at http://www.compliance-sarbanes-oxley.info and http://www.sarbanes-oxly.info ]]> Does Your Business Need to be PCI DSS Compliant? http://www.artwoo.com/article/does-your-business-need-to-be-pci-dss-compliant http://www.artwoo.com/article/does-your-business-need-to-be-pci-dss-compliant#comments Tue, 05 Aug 2008 12:08:30 +0000 credit card paymentspayment gatewayssecurity breachessensitive paymentcontractual obligationbanking institutionspayment cards http://www.artwoo.com/article/does-your-business-need-to-be-pci-dss-compliant sensitive payment card information. The financial cost of fraud to any sized corporation can be huge and the price of preventing it is vast.

Any company which stores, processes or transmits payment card data bearing the logo of the five major payment companies has to comply with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS). These five companies include American Express, Discover, JCB, MasterCard and Visa. These standards were devised in 2004 to provide a common set of industry tools for the storage of payment card data in order to prevent, detect, and react to security incidents.

As well as merchants or , compliance is required by any third party who accepts or processes . This includes call centres who receive cardholder data which they are unable to delete. If merchants use to process transactions on their behalf, compliance is not required but they must ensure from the third party that they comply with PCI DSS and are responsible for the security of cardholder data.

Fines for non-compliance or can be huge, reaching $500,000. High profile cases involving huge corporations have hit the headlines. Some card brands have threatened huge fines against larger merchants of up to $25,000 per month until compliance is obtained. In severe cases, they have even threatened to remove the ability to process , which could be economically fatal for any merchant.

While Visa reports that the majority of security breaches occur in small enterprises, any company that stores, processes, or transmits card information has to comply with a strict set of guidelines. Although intended to create a global standard which protects both consumers and corporations alike, these guidelines can be time consuming, costly, and complex to implement. Corporations that require PCI DSS compliance are prevented from storing sensitive credit card information, including security codes, track data from the magnetic strip, and PIN numbers. Information which can be stored includes credit card numbers, expiration dates and customer details, but the method of storage needs to meet certain requirements.

How to obtain PCI DSS compliance

The recommended first step to obtaining compliance is to hire the services of a Quality Security Assessor, who can advise on steps needed to reach compliance as well as completing the official assessments required. Smaller companies that process less than 80,000 transactions per year are permitted to complete a self-assessment questionnaire.

Compliance covers 6 areas of security:

1. Construction and maintenance of a secure network - including installation of a firewall to protect cardholder data

2. Protection of cardholder data - including encryption during data transmission

3. Vulnerability management - with regular updates of anti-virus software

4. Access control - to prevent and restrict access to sensitive data

5. Regular monitoring and testing of networks

6. Maintenance of an information security policy

The latest updated guidelines for PCI DSS are due for release in October 2008.

The benefits of PCI DSS compliance

• Protection from PCI related fines if compliant at the time of breach

• Increased customer confidence in data protection

• Advice on how to remediate any data security risks

• Advice on how to prevent service providers from putting your business at risk from data security

• Increased protection from fraudsters

• Protection from unwanted negative media attention

With this said, there is no question as to why PCI DSS compliance is as important as it is. It both protects the consumer and the merchant, making transactions considerably safer than they would be otherwise.Managed Hosting provider for companies with applications that demand the highest levels of security and availability. We are SAS 70, CICA 5970 PCI Compliant certified.]]> How To Become A Domestic Energy Assessor http://www.artwoo.com/article/how-to-become-a-domestic-energy-assessor http://www.artwoo.com/article/how-to-become-a-domestic-energy-assessor#comments Fri, 11 May 2007 04:30:02 +0000 domestic energynational occupational standardsdiplomacandidatecomplianceself improvementenergy assessment http://www.artwoo.com/article/how-to-become-a-domestic-energy-assessor domestic energy assessor in the UK. The first is assessment, the second is training. Both are provided by the NHER. Lets take a look at what is involved in the assessment of domestic energy assessor s.

Called the ABBE Level 3 domestic energy assessor , the certification is a brand new part of qualifying. This requirement to become a domestic energy assessor became available at the end of 2006, as part of the about-to-be-implemented home sale regulations on energy performance . Considered a vocational related qualification (VRQ), it is based on competence.

A would-be domestic energy assessor would achieve this diploma through not only assessment but examination as well. The UK government puts out a report, which spells out what a domestic energy assessor candidate would need to do to achieve this diploma.

There are 5 categories of compliance with domestic energy assessor National Occupational Standards. The first category is to work in a professional and effective manner, which would be both assessed and tested. The three parts to this category include the development and maintenance of effective work relationships with coworkers, consumers, vendors and other interested parties.

This category also includes proof that the candidate can manage her or his own resources and time well, that he or she is engaged in self-improvement in work areas, and conducts her or himself in an ethical and professional manner always.

The second category of compliance, for determination of domestic energy assessor qualification, is a look at whether the candidate is prepared for the . She or he must agree with and confirm the instruction that must be undertaken for the assessment and must be prepared to conduct relevant inquiries about the property.

The actual performance of energy assessment practices and procedures falls into the third category. Here is where the candidates ability to adequately inspect property and determine the performance of its energy and to record the findings of her or his inspection are assessed.

The fourth and final category of compliance to the standards for domestic energy assessors is the ability of the candidate to produce and explain the required energy performance certificates (EPC.) Include in this category are the specifics of produce the EPC document, issuing it for the homeowner and explaining what is contained therein.

A government regulated UK assessment center is tasked with determining if a candidate qualifies as a domestic energy assessor. The center must ensure that the candidate has obtained the necessary level of energy-efficiency knowledge and skills.

This is determined by the training courses the candidate has completed, and the portfolio of evidence presented that the candidate has performed EPC assessments adequately. The candidate may be instructed to train further, or may be found ready to take the ABBE exam that will certify him or her as a domestic energy assessor. Pete James runs Energy Assessor Courses for people that want a new career. You can find out more at his Web site http://www.domestic-energy-assessor-training.co.uk ]]> Regulatory Data Compliance - How Does This Affect Your Company? http://www.artwoo.com/article/regulatory-data-compliance-how-does-this-affect-your-company http://www.artwoo.com/article/regulatory-data-compliance-how-does-this-affect-your-company#comments Tue, 11 Mar 2008 06:35:01 +0000 information security policiescompliance frameworkcompliant organizationscorporate scandalsoption backgroundhefty fineselectronic customer http://www.artwoo.com/article/regulatory-data-compliance-how-does-this-affect-your-company compliance framework has caused confusion about what is required. Many businesses are assuming a 'wait and see' stance or rationalize that 'this probably does not apply to me'. Indifference on taking action can become a damaging option.

Background for Compliance

Terrorist attacks, globalization, high-profile , and business-to-business online transactions have led to a dramatic rise in requirements to safeguard data. Going beyond consumer protection, recent regulations (i.e. e-Discovery) are now requiring data retention and retrieval on messaging (email and instant messages). Frequently, blunt and unedited email and instant messages can become the smoking gun in litigation.

In order to become compliant, organizations must take several actions.

First is to design and implement comprehensive written for all staff.

Second is to deploy technical solutions that will maintain constant vigil on the data environment and notify of policy breaches.

Third is to monitor and enforce. If systems are implemented but review is not active, all efforts are lost. This also becomes precedent when court cases review a company's diligence in managing their environment.

The implications of non-compliance can range from to potential prosecution and imprisonment of senior executives. The consequences are the same to a company that refuses to deliver or simply has not retained the data to produce. Over the past year there are several major court cases where failure to produce requested documents have rendered favorable awards to the plaintiffs, and in some cases fines were added. High profile cases, such as Enron and WorldCom are weighty reminders that compliance and regulation are serious business issues.

What to Do?

So, what do organizations need to know to navigate the regulation matrix? More importantly, how can content security solutions help meet the compliance challenge?

The role of Content Security in Compliance is complex and wide-ranging. Regulatory compliance covers:

Privacy

Records retention and archiving

Monitoring of content for compliance

Recovery or discovery of information in response to litigation or court orders

From the Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) Act to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), regulatory compliance requires vigilant content security policies for email and instant messaging, including archiving and encryption. SOX, for example, mandates that processes - including internal and external email - used to produce financial reports must be consistent, reliable, secure and accurate. Organizations, therefore, need to ensure that email systems are spam and virus- free, and that internal and externally shared data is secure. Protect, archive and retrieve. The SOX Act mandates that any email or IM included in the documented financial reporting process is retained for seven years. The challenge can be identifying the right messages to keep and finding them quickly and easily when required. Many businesses estimate that more than 50 percent of messages are not required for compliance purposes, but best practices are now saying to retain all messages.

SOX Does Not Apply to My Company

For those who may have decided that SOX or HIPPA does not apply to their business, e-Discovery (aka FRCP) will probably ensnare you. With a Supreme Court ruling in December, 2006, fundamentally any business that has employees is covered. The requirement is that all digital data (email, IM, documents) be retained for up to five years. Your specific industry compliance may add to this term, like NASD that requires seven years. In case of litigation, the plaintiff's counsel can request all data/messages on select time periods and personnel. Thirty days is the typical allowance to deliver all subpoenaed documents in a readable printed format.

Conclusion

Do you still feel that you may not be on the compliance list? Here is a list of current US regulations or agencies that can impact your business, depending on your industry and company structure.

FOIA- Freedom of Information Act HIPPA SEC NASD GLBA - Gramm-Leach-Bliley SOX FRCP/e-Discovery

Now you can see how broad this can become to decide if your business is required to meet compliance. Most companies fall under more than one regulation. The best course action is to decide that you are expected to comply. Most of the compliance measures have similar expectations - manage and retain you data environment.

We work with companies of all sizes to assure their data and messaging is in compliance. Our solutions are state of the art, quick to implement, cost effective and provide the comfort to know your data is secure. A phone discussion is a great way to assess your environment and what would be the best action plan. Visit our website www.enclavedata.com to learn more.

You have the responsibility to maintain your company's digital environment, with the right tools you can now also have the control to assure compliance and protect your company's assets. Dan Schutte is the President of http://enclavedata.com specializing in messaging security, content filtering, anti-spam software, email/IM archival and compliance. Visit our website http://www.enclavedata.com to read actual Case Studies of how companies have successfully protected their data. ]]> What Is Hetas? http://www.artwoo.com/article/what-is-hetas http://www.artwoo.com/article/what-is-hetas#comments Wed, 05 Mar 2008 09:15:02 +0000 hot water systemschimney liningfuel installationsgas firesopen firescriminal offencecertificate of compliance http://www.artwoo.com/article/what-is-hetas gas fires, and stoves. As of 1st April 2002 it is a if you do not inform your local building control or use a hetas engineer for your stove installation. Additional legislation in effect from 1st June, 2007 means you are also required to produce a for solid that have been carried out in your property as part of the Home Information Pack.

Registered installers have been trained and assessed in safety and good practice. Hetas is the only scheme of its type specializing in solid fuels and wood biomass. The official body works in approving products covering boilers, cookers, , stoves and room heaters.



There are many reasons why you should use a hetas registered installer;

*All registered installers are fully trained and assessed to a competent standard.

*Hetas is the only recognized competent persons scheme to specialize in solid fuels and wood burning

*Hetas provides information for consumers on approved appliances, fuels and equipment to suit your needs and in compliance with Building Regulations and safety standards.

*The provision of an available list of installers, flue specialists and maintenance companies to maintain your installation long term.

*Technical information, guidelines and regulations for registered installers to follow.

*Covers a range of installations including solid mineral, wood, and .

*Any issues regarding health and safety or compliance can be referred to Hetas.

Use a hetas registered installer if you want a good quality, safe and compliant job.

After installation you should still regularly maintain your solid fuel or wood burning appliance and have it checked annually by a registered hetas engineer. The three tick logo of Hetas is the approval mark that you should look for in solid fuel domestic heating products and services.

Remember, before you think about getting a new fireplace or gas fire installed make sure you check that the company you are using is a hetas registered installer at http://www.hetas.co.uk. If you do not you could be increasing the risk of your appliance producing carbon monoxide which can be potentially fatal.

If you use an experienced hetas installer you can expect to receive a certificate of compliance, and by using a hetas approved company you will not be required to involve your local building control. This is a great help in demonstrating that the job was carried out by a competent individual working for a hetas registered business. It also means that you do not have to pay the significant fee for compliance that you would have to pay if you went directly through the local authority.

Hetas is an independent body and offers an independent verification process. This gives you peace of mind as a consumer when you are choosing a company for fireplace installation.

Further information about hetas and fireplace installation can be found at the MK fireplaces website http://www.mkfireplaces.co.uk. Further information about hetas and fireplace installation can be found at the MK fireplaces website http://www.mkfireplaces.co.uk. MK Fireplaces are experts at installing woodburners, multi-fuel fires, gas fires and stoves and are a hetas registered business. ]]> The Career Of A Domestic Energy Assessor http://www.artwoo.com/article/the-career-of-a-domestic-energy-assessor http://www.artwoo.com/article/the-career-of-a-domestic-energy-assessor#comments Mon, 14 May 2007 08:15:02 +0000 domestic energy efficiencyenergy efficiency standardsenergy efficiency codeenergy efficientcode standardsinterested individualsinterested parties http://www.artwoo.com/article/the-career-of-a-domestic-energy-assessor Domestic Energy Efficiency Advice Code of Practice - as must anyone who owns residential property.

No matter whether you live on the property or purchase it as rental property, an energy assessor will be calling on you to determine if your property is up to code should you put it up for sale.

The Domestic Energy Efficiency Advice Code of Practice provides a standard for by which an energy assessor can judge a home. The code is useful not only for the energy assessor and the owner but for organizations that advice and inform about energy efficiency as well as builders, retailers and installers.

The Code of Practice for providers of domestic energy efficiency advice is a part of the long term framework for energy efficiency in homes.

Energy assessors and others in the government and non-profit agencies, organizations and in the UK have embraced the code of practice as a guide for giving domestic advice to consumers on practices and products.

The code of practice is made up of several things that can guide an energy assessor or energy assessor-candidate, as well as homeowners and other . Not only does the code set up standards of energy efficiency but it also sets up standards for dispensing information about energy efficiency.

Any organization that wants to be recognized as one in compliance with the code of practice must meet and at least one of more of its additional categories of qualification. Even energy assessor or other organizations that contract out their efficiency information services to another third party can sign up and show its support for this Domestic of Practice.

The five additional categories of the code are energy efficiency information and advice at the point of sale of the property, which is where the energy assessor comes in.

This category applies to organizations or persons who advise others on appliances and other products at the point of their being purchased or being considered for purchase. Generally manufacturers and retailers would fall into this category.

The second energy assessor code of practice category would be where energy efficiency advice is given during installations. This, naturally, would apply to installation specialists.

The third category is the act of giving face to face information and advice on energy efficiency from a place other than the residence being considered for energy assessor compliance.

This would be most applicable to associations, consultants and other organizations that dispense help and advice at their own locations, at trade shows, seminars and other public presentations.

The fourth category, which a certified energy assessor may or may not fall into it, is advice and information that is provided in other than a face to face meeting. This would be given by phone, by snail mail, by e-mail, online, or through any other electronic device.

A domestic energy assessor would fall into category five of the code of practice for energy efficiency. This category is for those who dispense information and advice on the premises of the home being considered for compliance. James Copper writes for NCS, who offer training courses for Domestic Energy Assessors - http://www.newcareerskills.co.uk ]]> What Domestic Energy Assessors Do And How You Can Become One http://www.artwoo.com/article/what-domestic-energy-assessors-do-and-how-you-can-become-one http://www.artwoo.com/article/what-domestic-energy-assessors-do-and-how-you-can-become-one#comments Tue, 29 May 2007 10:29:54 +0000 human contactdomestic energytechnical compliancecompliance regulationsdeaenergy performancecandidate http://www.artwoo.com/article/what-domestic-energy-assessors-do-and-how-you-can-become-one domestic energy assessor you can get lots of assistance and training from the NHER. Part of this help is in the form of software related to your job of issuing Certificates.

The NHER service is online and helps you actually produce the energy performance certificate as part of your job of domestic energy assessor. You can access this EPC software from any Web-enabled device.

You can customize it and make it your own as you go about your domestic energy assessor tasks. You can instantly update it, with new energy rating compliance decisions or methodology changes.



The software is based on SAVA and NHER and products.

For those domestic energy assessors or assessor s who yearn for the NHER is available. Two certification training assessors will be assigned to you while you are training for certification.

One of these domestic energy assessor trainers will be charged with determining if you are competent in both interpersonal and business skills. The other will determine your .

The latter would include whether you could act in a domestic energy assessor capacity - in the preparation, inspection for and completion of the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) for residential dwellings.

This two person assessment and support team will also be responsible for making sure you have all the training and assessment tools to complete the domestic energy assessor training program.

You will be helped in your understanding of the process as well as the skills necessary to thrive in a distance learning environment. Your staying on course as a candidate is what the team is tasked with.



Once the two person assessment team has determined that a domestic energy assessor candidate is ready to test for the certification, ABBE schedules the exam. Passing the exam is a requirement for the awarding of a certificate.

Prior to the actual exam each domestic energy assessor candidate will have had a chance to do a practice self test. This will help her or him evaluate the level of knowledge theyve obtained in each of the required DEA competence areas.

While no one is compelled to take the self test they would be foolish not to avail themselves of this helpful examination aid. Identifying of the areas where knowledge of domestic energy assessor practice need improvement is crucial to earning the domestic energy assessor diploma and certificate.

A career as a domestic energy assessor is going to become increasingly more lucrative as legislation increases the demand for these certified energy efficiency experts. EPCs will then be commissioned not only by home information pack agencies and other providers, and by real estate agents and the sellers themselves.

Added to the list of those seeking domestic energy assessor professionals will be landlords, local government authorities and property management companies. James Copper works for http://www.propertycareerskills.co.uk as a Career Advisor. ]]> ACT! + Vertical Falls = Contact And Compliance Finance Solutions http://www.artwoo.com/article/act-vertical-falls-contact-and-compliance-finance-solutions http://www.artwoo.com/article/act-vertical-falls-contact-and-compliance-finance-solutions#comments Mon, 30 Apr 2007 02:49:53 +0000 intellectual property rightsfinancial services organizationscrm software solutionact softwaremigration trainingbusiness migrationdata migration http://www.artwoo.com/article/act-vertical-falls-contact-and-compliance-finance-solutions intellectual property rights from Vertical Falls will allow ACT! to develop a compliance and document tracking solution based on its ACT! CRM (customer relationship management) software to meet the specialized needs of . The role of Vertical Falls will be concentrated on reselling, service implementations, , training and support and .

"Financial services organizations are experiencing regulatory pressure to implement standard reporting processes that necessitate retaining the history of customer interactions and records of customer risk tolerance, among other key criteria," explains ACT! senior VP and general manager for ACT! Software. "By integrating ACT! with the acquired VerticalFalls technology, we will deliver business critical contact management and compliance features that brokerage firms, financial advisors and others in the financial services industry need in today's marketplace."

ACT! software's first market specific software solution was ACT! Premium for Real Estate 2006. The success of ACT! Premium for Real Estate gives clear emphasis on the need for per-industry customized . ACT! has done it again by partnering itself with a company in the finance market to develop and deliver a CRM solution to brokers who clearly need a CRM solution for customer data tracking and client retention.

These are not the only examples of ACT! software integrating with other developer solutions for better results in developing market specific products. In 2004, ACT! created the software add-on partner network where companies from different industries integrated their software with ACT! in order to produce a product that specifically serves the need of one industry. The specific service that ACT! can potentially provide each business industry is taken directly from the page of a CRM manual.

The concept of CRM is to enhance interaction between customers and business entities through better record keeping and records access. With detailed customer files, a company can customize the way they deal with each customer. In following this creed, ACT! has clearly taken CRM solutions to heart by doing exactly what CRM requires businesses to do. This stroke of genius will certainly place ACT! software above other CRM solution software in the years to come. Sayed Ally, is the lead CRM Analyst. His company provides, http://www.cqsolutions.com. Sayed can be reached at Tel : (905) 815- 1995 ext 22, email: aSayed@cqsolutions.com ]]> Preparing For FDA Inspection - 5 Ways To Prepare http://www.artwoo.com/article/preparing-for-fda-inspection-5-ways-to-prepare http://www.artwoo.com/article/preparing-for-fda-inspection-5-ways-to-prepare#comments Tue, 15 Jan 2008 07:30:01 +0000 fda noticefda inspectioncompliance checksfda inspectorsfda inspectionsfdc actnecessary burden http://www.artwoo.com/article/preparing-for-fda-inspection-5-ways-to-prepare FDA inspections are a that they must bear in order to retain FDA approval for selling their products into the U.S. market.

What to Expect:

The FDA is required to contact you in advance of an inspection, informing you as to the purpose, estimated duration, and number of FDA personnel expected to take part. On the day of inspection, the FDA investigator will attempt to locate the top management official at your site. They are required to show their credentials to that official, and they must present an of Inspection. At that point, the inspection authority will conduct a thorough inspection of your facility, accompanied by one or more of your employees. Then, within a reasonable period of time after the actual inspection, the FDA will send members of your top management an Inspectional Observations form notifying you of objectionable conditions relating to products or processes or other violations to the FDandC Act and related Acts.

Potential Outcomes:

The results of an FDA inspection can range from no required actions to a complete shutdown of your facility accompanied by administrative, civil or criminal actions levied against you. In many cases, the FDA will make recommendations on how to improve your operations such that they are in compliance with the FDandC Act.

How to Prepare: 5 Ways

Here are 5 ways your organization can prepare for your next FDA inspection.

1. Conduct regular internal FDandC Act : Of course, the best way to prepare for an FDA inspection is to make sure that your facility is in compliance with FDA regulations. Every employee within your organization should be kept abreast of the standards that the products and processes for which they are responsible must meet in order to be FDandC Act-compliant. Furthermore, employees should be trained to remain calm, be courteous to , and comply with their requests. At the same time, your employees should know their rights in terms of what they are required to say or show to the FDA inspector and (as well as what they are not).

2. Identify and attend to potential weak spots: It is smart to identify potential areas or processes in your facility that will attract FDA attention during an inspection. Ask yourself: Which of our processes pose the most potential for contamination of the food, drugs or other consumable materials we are processing? Which areas of your facility appear to be under-maintained, unclean or potentially faulty? While the FDA will attempt to thoroughly inspect your entire facility, it is likely that they will be most thorough in inspecting these potential problem areas.

3. Elect point persons to accompany inspectors: At least two or more persons who oversee each major process within your facility should be trained to accompany an FDA representative during the inspection. Teach these "point persons" how to treat and interact with the inspectors.

4. Create an operating manual: Your employees should at all times have access to manuals which indicate the actions and steps they should take in order to remain FDA-compliant, both throughout the normal course of business operations and upon an FDA inspection. Having such a manual will educate your team and encourage them to handle the inspection with confidence.

5. Conduct regular FDA compliance checks: Rather than wait for an FDA inspection to discover problems in your processes or environment, it is wise to conduct regular compliance checks throughout your facility. You may even choose to have one of your employees act as if they were an FDA inspector and then ask your point persons and other employees to proceed as if you were undergoing an actual FDA inspection. Such practice runs can be a great way to build confidence among your employees and potentially uncover flaws in your operating procedure for inspections.

Undergoing an FDA inspection is something to which most companies do not look forward, for it means committing additional resources and energy in advance. However, being prepared can not only help you pass the inspection with flying colors, but it can also help you regain your peace of mind in the meantime.

Source: FDA Investigations Operations Manual 2007 Want to be prepared for your next food recall? Contact GroupCast to find out how to launch a secure, customizable phone campaign that enables you to contact up to 500,000 consumers per hour and document each phone call at: http://www.productrecallpartner.com/ ]]> Email Archival - Here Is Where Regulatory Compliance Can Actually Improve Your Operation http://www.artwoo.com/article/email-archival-here-is-where-regulatory-compliance-can-actually-improve-your-operation http://www.artwoo.com/article/email-archival-here-is-where-regulatory-compliance-can-actually-improve-your-operation#comments Mon, 17 Mar 2008 04:15:03 +0000 compliance measuresincremental backupsemail databasestorage performanceretrieval technologiesstriking effectemail system http://www.artwoo.com/article/email-archival-here-is-where-regulatory-compliance-can-actually-improve-your-operation
As the digital age pervades both our personal and business lives, are beginning to follow. Messaging is receiving increased scrutiny. Recent measures now hold employers accountable to produce specific data (i.e. emails, instant messages, attachments) from several years back, upon request. Effective archival and are now becoming paramount to meeting compliance. New regulations usually require change and expense, without a contribution to the bottom line. However, here is a way that archival compliance can become a strategic advantage for you.

Our Current Environment

Here are some facts to consider about how we manage our data, and then let's review how compliance can become a complementary asset.

Email is now moving a significant portion of a company's data. The communications and attachments are often intellectual property or IP (i.e. contracts, marketing plans, employment agreements and product designs, etc.). It is estimated that 70% of a company's IP is within the , so we should consider this our vault.

Clearly, email volume is growing. Server and is continually requiring more resource. Staffs are reluctant to delete email, or attachments, in case they may need a document later, resulting in growing user accounts.

Disruption of the email service is now crippling to a company. One day of downtime has a on lost productivity and direct cost.

Routine of the email system, typically nightly, leave wide gaps of exposure for missing, deleted or altered emails. An restoration becomes lengthy and fragmented with lingering recoil of missing data and synchronization.

All email that runs through a company's system belongs to the company, and equally the company is responsible for the content. The message is that there is no 'personal email' and we need to know what is crossing your network from a liability perspective.

How Compliance Can Become An Advantage

The mandate to store and retrieve email and instant messages is alive, but here are seven benefits you can realize upon deployment.

Expedient capture - with an archival system ALL emails and IM messages are captured, and written, unaltered, to a different system, within the minute they are received or sent. As the archival device is exclusive to message capture and retention, there is no resource contention on the email system.

Instant Messaging is Now Equal to Email - do you have a usage and retention policy on your Instant Messaging? Typically not, but you should. In litigation this is also requested and can be even more damaging due to the informal and unedited style of composition. A quality archival system will store Instant Messages on the same system as the emails. Content would be accessible the same as email during queries.

Scheduled Email Purging - Policy and procedures can be implemented for regular systematic deletion of emails on user accounts (i.e. delete all after 90 days). This will assure your email server/ storage performance. Users will continue to have access to the archived messages for retrieval and review from the archive system, but without the ability to alter.

Periodic Internal Audits - The archival technology provides robust search tools to locate data. Specific terms, dates and expressions can be queried. Routine message reviews should be performed to assure that company policies and data protection are intact. This is far better to be in a proactive mode.

Know How You Stand - If your company is subpoenaed for information, within minutes you can know how you will fare in litigation. Do you have a smoking gun or reason to request a dismissal?

Rapid Recovery in Case of Disruption - In cases of business continuity or recovery, restoring an email server from nightly incremental backups can be lengthy and sketchy. An archival system assures rapid recovery and full accountability within minutes.

Get the Word Out to Employees - A company's communication to their employees of new policies will have an overseer effect. Once they have the awareness of the tools and detection capabilities to be implemented, most violations cease and your risk decreases.

Final Thoughts

Weigh the alternatives and you will begin to see how this particular compliance requirement could be beneficial to your operations, and deliver competitive advantage. Compliance requires us to take action. Don't rationalize that nightly backups will be adequate. This could be a risk that costs your company in image, litigation and dollars. It will also continue to add cost to your current operation to maintain inadequate coverage. Implement a comprehensive archival system and you can manage your email environment effectively and strategically.

We are frequently asked about outsourcing the email archival function as an option. Keep in mind that if outsourced, you are still the responsible party in any litigation regardless of how your outsourced solution performs.

To house archival technology in-house today is not burdensome and often times produce a quick ROI vs.outsourcing. Contact us at www.enclavedata.com for further discussion and actual case studies of many companies who successfully brought this under their roof.

We work with companies of all sizes to assure their archival is in compliance. Our solutions are state of the art, quick to implement, cost effective and provide the comfort to know your data is secure and in compliance.

You have the responsibility for your company's email, with the right archival system you can now also have the control to assure compliance and protect your company's assets. Dan Schutte is the President of Enclave Data Solutions, specializing in messaging security, content filtering, anti-spam software, email/IM archival and compliance. Visit http://www.enclavedata.com to read actual Case Studies of how companies have successfully protected their data networks and messaging. ]]> Learn Great Skills With An Electrical Course http://www.artwoo.com/article/learn-great-skills-with-an-electrical-course http://www.artwoo.com/article/learn-great-skills-with-an-electrical-course#comments Wed, 30 Jan 2008 03:35:01 +0000 electrical conductorselectrical assessmentinstallation parametersdesign exercisevoltage installationsshock protectiondesign career http://www.artwoo.com/article/learn-great-skills-with-an-electrical-course design career.

The electrical course is created for those involved in the specification and design of low of electrical products. The topics included are the principles and practices of over current protection, and the principles and practice of . The electrical design course also includes the studies of switching and isolation, the selection and installation of electrical design equipment and a look at some special installation and location. At the end of the classroom training students will participate in a in which they work on a real installation, applying all that they have learned in the three days.

The primary objectives of this electrical course are to introduce its participants to the legislated and regulated requirements of IEE wiring, according to the governments BS 7671 statute. Instructors will explain how this regulation is applied in electrical practice, with emphasis on electrical design and specification.

The course starts out with some background on the regulation, including its impetus and a look at the particulars of its precepts and its terms. Defining them for the students is part of this chapter. The next part of the electrical course, Chapter two, looks at the general characteristics and importance of as it pertains to regulation BS 7671, and why it is important to determine all the that apply.

Chapter three looks at the way to protection yourself and your client against overload or fault current. Chapter four then discusses the factors you must consider in selecting wiring systems, the details of the requirements for live and cables, and the actual application of the principles of over current as learned in chapter three of the electrical course. Various constraints in the process, such as determining the size of live conductors and the drop of voltage, are learned as well. Students are also trained on the techniques they must use to economically size live conductors as a group circuit, fulfilling specific conditions.

In chapter five electrical course participants learn the switching and isolation requirements of the federal electrical mandate, and the ways they can meet those requirements. Next they learn about the legislated process for protection against fire and thermal effects, as well as how to protect themselves and their clients from under voltage or over voltage. Safety products and services are covered in this part of the electrical course too.

Once the students have learned all they need to look at and put into play in order to satisfy the governments BS 7671 electrical requirements, they are then introduced to the ways in which they would inspect compliance with the legislation. They learn how to verify compliance initially, how to gather the necessary test data and other information, and how to prepare and deliver the design certification once compliance has been adequately proven. James Copper is a writer for http://www.electricianscareer.co.uk ]]> Domestic Energy Assessor Training 101 http://www.artwoo.com/article/domestic-energy-assessor-training-101 http://www.artwoo.com/article/domestic-energy-assessor-training-101#comments Sat, 09 Jun 2007 09:34:53 +0000 how to write a personal statementdea certificationenergy complianceaboundnational occupational standardsfour elementsevidence http://www.artwoo.com/article/domestic-energy-assessor-training-101 abound. There are different training packages, each with its own energy courses.

These energy courses are based on four training elements, each two days in length. Once a DEA candidate signs up for the energy courses each category of course is delivered about two weeks apart.

Training is generally held in Milton Keynes, UK, at the NHERs suite dedicated to DEA training. Energy courses are held weekends or weekdays and candidates can choose the format and schedule that works best for them.

Two of the of the total energy courses training are required of those who have already worked in the energy assessor field and are just seeking and diploma. For those just starting out as energy assessors all energy courses are required.

Category one involves two days of courses, which involve energy-related lectures as well as practical workshops on energy-efficiency and assessment. During these energy courses students will be introduced to the first two units of the UKs .

They will get practical information on the way to upload of . Having assessed 1400 home inspectors as of this writing, those who designed the NHER energy courses determined that this information is an absolute must for DEA candidates.

Without practical guidance and workshops such as this, according to these DEA experts, candidates will have a difficult time progressing in their candidacy.

Details of the learning involved in these energy courses include the knowledge of what energy compliance really is, what is required of NOS units one and two, how they will find and generate the compliance evidence, how they will upload said evidence, and .

Energy courses will also look at the general health and safety of individuals, and the community as a whole as it pertains to and is influenced by the wise use of energy.

Students will learn and practice the steps of assessing energy risks and reporting them. They will see a live demonstration of the online EPC software, and will be given access to it.

The second category of DEA energy courses, optional for those who have energy assessor experience, includes two complete days of classroom lecture and practical energy assessment exercises.

Here candidates will get a broader understanding of the basic theory of home construction of thermal energy and of residential energy efficiency. They will learn how dwellings are constructed, the home construction terminology associated with residential building, and identification of property age with consideration of local geography. They will be taught about home construction regulations and will take part in exercises that teach them how to identify construction age.

These energy courses will also teach student to identify the basics of thermal properties, to include attics, cavity walls and insulation, among others. They learn about heating, cooling and hot water systems and controls, as well. James Copper works for NCS, who offer Domestic Energy Assessors training - http://www.newcareerskills.co.uk ]]> Sarbanes Oxley Act Sox And Not The Ones On Your http://www.artwoo.com/article/sarbanes-oxley-act-sox-and-not-the-ones-on-your http://www.artwoo.com/article/sarbanes-oxley-act-sox-and-not-the-ones-on-your#comments Mon, 10 Apr 2006 21:00:06 +0000 sarbanes oxley actinvestor protection actus senatepresident bushsarboxpublic accountingcorporate giants http://www.artwoo.com/article/sarbanes-oxley-act-sox-and-not-the-ones-on-your Sarbanes Oxley Act falls under 'Corporate and Auditing Accountability, Responsibility, and Transparency Act' or 'CAARTA' act which was passed by the Banking Committee with the support of . This act was passed to strengthen corporate governance and improve investor confidence. Sarbanes Oxley Act ensured the accuracy and reliability of disclosures from the corporate world. This came into force to avoid any financial scandals from .

Sarbanes Oxley Act is more often known as SOX or but is actually officially termed as Public Company Accounting Reform and of 2002. It is the single most important piece of legislation that affects the corporate governance, financial disclosures and the practice of . Sarbanes Oxley Act prevents the large corporate giants to commit and financial frauds. This act also punished such corporate that showcase irregularities in their financial accountings. After the Sarbanes Oxley Act came into affect is strengthened investor confidence as this law bring the defaulters to justice and protects the interest of workers and shareholders.

According the Sarbanes Oxley Act the large companies need to meet the financial reporting and certification mandates for any year end financial statements. This act is organized into 11 titles but in actual case only subset of these titles relate to the compliance to the complete law.

Sarbanes Oxley Act established new standards for corporate boards and audit committees. This law implements criminal penalties on large corporate companies for defaulting and sets new accountability standards. Sarbanes Oxley Act gives more freedom the external auditors to set new standards of governance. This act also issues accounting standards and oversees public accounting firms.

With the increase of regulatory norms, more and more companies are coming under the scrutiny of Federal government. Those companies that specially obtain lists and store personal information come under special scrutiny of Sarbanes Oxley Act. Lately, there had been review stating that Sarbanes Oxley Act has been too stringent on the companies. The most talked about section of the Sarbanes Oxley Act is the Section 404 which seeks to enhance reliability of internals controls over financial reporting. These tightened internal control implemented as a result of Sarbanes Oxley Act has lead strains on companies as well as the accounting firms.

A proper regulatory framework with more stringent rules and a company with proper internal regulatory body delivers the most accurate and transparent financial reporting. This law is administered by Securities and Exchange Commission. This body sets rules and deadlines for the compliance and published rules on the requirements.

The three rules of Sarbanes Oxley Act regulate the management of electronic records. The first rule refers to the falsification, destruction and alteration of records. The second rule states the retention of records by any company so as to how long the records should be stored. The third rule refers to the type of business records that need to be stored.

A total comprehensive study of the Sarbanes Oxley Act and its implementation by the corporate bodies deliver the most transparent and factual financial records for the company. About The Author: Earl Powers, US Lawyer and Sarbanes Oxley Compliance expert at Aquest Group LLC ( http://www.404-sarbanes-oxley.info ) publishes other articles related to Sarbanes Oxley Compliance at http://www.sarbanes-oaxley.info and http://www.sarbanes-oxley-training.info ]]> Email In Business - Content Security, Who Is Looking? http://www.artwoo.com/article/email-in-business-content-security-who-is-looking http://www.artwoo.com/article/email-in-business-content-security-who-is-looking#comments Wed, 12 Mar 2008 10:35:02 +0000 acceptable use policy aupuses of emailcostly lawsuitsrisk datacriminal prosecutionproductivity gainsacceptable use policy http://www.artwoo.com/article/email-in-business-content-security-who-is-looking uses of email within the workplace are not always for business purposes. Here are seven steps for determining acceptable use and how to implement a policy in your company.

So, with the popularity of email and the Internet, how can organizations determine appropriate use for business purposes? What are the risks associated with the receipt and dissemination of unsecured, potentially harmful information? How can organizations ensure the expected from this technology?

What's at risk?

Email and the Internet can be used to transmit, store or receive unwanted, discriminatory, abusive, obscene, legal or otherwise inappropriate content. This can cause offense to staff and customers, and result in not only but also . Without encryption, highly confidential information is also at risk. Data such as company trade secrets, new product design plans and sensitive customer or employee information can be distributed internally or externally.And this can cost organizations millions of dollars in lost revenue as well as customers.

While content security and encryption solutions are important; education of staff is critical. An (AUP) helps to educate all staff on the correct and secure approach to messaging and browsing.

Acceptable Use - Education is Key

One of the first steps for any organization looking to implement an acceptable use policy is to inform employees of their responsibilities and rights regarding the use of company network resources.

Email and web access are business tools and it is important that staff know that there is no privacy for anything created, stored, sent or received on their computers. Staff education and written policy provides a number of benefits, including:

Limited liability if you face litigation over staff misuse

An enforceable Acceptable Use Policy

Voluntary compliance (keep in mind that no filtering technology provides 100% security)

Heightened awareness to prevent accidental virus intrusions or confidentiality breaches

So what should an acceptable use policy look like?

Seven steps of acceptable use:

1. Allow limited personal use of the Internet and email. 2. Outline what is acceptable and what is not; while preserving company culture. 3. Be consistent with enforcement and setting precedents. 4. All email should be identified with a recognized name or email address - avoid spoofing. 5. Copyright - inform staff on copyright issues relating to email or Internet documents - it all belongs to the company, and the company is liable. 6. Monitoring and enforcement as well as timeframes need to be clearly stated in the policy. 7. Reserve the right to monitor all messages/files on the company network.

How can you enforce all of this?

A comprehensive secure email and Internet management solution that integrates content filtering, compliance, secure messaging and archiving for businesses is required. Our solutions protect networks, business assets and employees from incoming, outgoing and internal email and Internet content threats. An organization can restrict, block, copy, archive and automatically manage the sending and receiving of content. This can help prevent time-wasting, high bandwidth eating and unsecured attachments from being sent around the organization.

We work with companies of all sizes to assure their web and email is in compliance with their policy. Our solutions are state of the art, quick to implement, cost effective and provide the comfort to know your data is secure. Visit our website for actual case studies www.enclavedata.com .

You have the responsibility for your company's email, with the right secured gateway you can now also have the control to assure compliance and protect your company's assets. Dan Schutte is President of http://enclavedata.com, specializing in messaging security, web content filtering, anti-spam software, email/IM archival and compliance. Visit our website to read actual Case Studies of how companies have successfully protected their data network and messaging systems. ]]> Smoke-Free UK: Are You Ready For This? http://www.artwoo.com/article/smoke-free-uk-are-you-ready-for-this http://www.artwoo.com/article/smoke-free-uk-are-you-ready-for-this#comments Wed, 22 Aug 2007 16:25:00 +0000 smoke freeuk legislationnew legislationsmokerssimply lightingcigarette smokesecondhand smoke http://www.artwoo.com/article/smoke-free-uk-are-you-ready-for-this UK legislation that bans smoking in "enclosed and substantially enclosed" public and work places, many would definitely be cutting back on their daily ration.

England was the latest country to join the smoke-free caravan following the decision of Ireland and Wales earlier this year to ban smoking. These two countries are successfully reaping the rewards despite the controversies surrounding the new law, since compliance has been considerably high and the provisions under the new law became self-enforcing after some time. For individuals and businesses that fail to do so are fined up to 2,500 pounds. Businesses have been required to put up signs all over their premises in order to inform employees and visitors of the smoke-free policy.

The fears that these businesses will lose business were unfounded, as they are now receiving non-customers who were previously thwarted by the smoke-filled rooms. These businesses should consider that smokers are just 25 percent of UK's total population and now they could enjoy the other 75 percent.

The will also have positive effects on smokers who wish to smoke but have difficulties doing so. They will have to make an effort to look for places to smoke instead of up anywhere they want. People against the new law are worried that this would encourage more parents lighting up at home but the national government replied that they will be tackling this issue next. It seems like the new law will serve as the platform for more smoke-free legislation.

As a member of the community, you should support the smoking ban that protects people from and also the environment from the bad effects of . If you are an employer, you should strictly enforce the guidelines that will transform the place of your business into a smoke-free compliant area.



Aside from the policies and guideline released by the national government in support of the new legislation, you could also come up with guidelines after consulting with your employees. The active participation of your staff will help you implement changes better. Lastly, you should be able to discuss with your employees the importance of this new law as well as the penalties that could be imposed on them for non-compliance. Are you ready to quit smoking? Find out more here - http://hubpages.com/hub/Quit-Smoking ]]>