Summit Direct Mail Inc., a national leader in technologically advanced direct marketing solutions for a wide array of businesses, professions and industries, has successfully completed a rigorous examination of its data security processes and procedures under the Systems and Organizational Controls (SOC) 2 Type 1 standards.

The meticulous examination was administered by the professional IT assurance and compliance staff at 360 Advanced, a respected national Qualified Security Assessor, HITRUST CSF Assessor and CPA firm based in St. Petersburg, FL. 360 Advanced has clients in 30 U.S. states, Europe, South and Central America and the Pacific Rim.

The SOC 2 Type 1, developed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), is the most widely recognized authoritative guidance that provides service organizations a uniform method for disclosing independently assessed information about the design and operation of internal controls.

This is Summit’s third consecutive annual SOC examination completion.

“While traditional direct marketing firms generally do not have to have the SOC 2 designation, because of the heightened interest among our clients in data security and privacy, and our dedication to having a culture of data security compliance, we have chosen to undergo the examination annually,” said Mike Robinson, Security Officer, Vice President of Business Development and New Technologies at Summit. “And, as far as a competitive advantage, it does open up more opportunities for business where SOC 2 completion is required, especially in the financial services industry.”

Added Debra Stewart, Information Security Officer at Summit: “In today’s high-risk environment, you have to stay on top of the very latest security features to be certain you are keeping all client data as secure as possible, which we have demonstrated we are doing with the SOC 2 reports. And, that sends a clear message to clients that they can be comfortable sharing consumer data with us.”