Outsourcing print services means very different things to different organizations. For a very small startup or nonprofit, it may be as simple as engaging a printer to produce a short run of brochures to begin publicizing the organization. On a slightly larger scale, a new franchise may need to send a circular mailer to all homes within a geographical radius to announce its grand opening.

For a large organization or even a government agency, however, there are additional factors that come into play when working with a third-party print and mailing provider. Many printers that are adequately equipped to serve small customers are not able to provide the large-scale volume, fast turnaround times, mailing expertise, and data security that large customers require.

In this two-part blog series, we explain why a national or international corporation, large healthcare group, or official state agency needs a third-party partner that is much more than just a print services provider. Many of the same principles apply to mid-sized and even some smaller organizations that deal with sensitive personal information in their print projects. Read on to see how Spectra provides the full slate of non-negotiable features for these clients.

1. Data Security Assurances

Data security is at the top of any checklist that a large organization has for a print and mailing services provider. Entrusting a third-party provider with address lists and other types of databases for projects is a big step, and the organization needs to be sure it is minimizing the risks of those types of data becoming exposed to the public.

Spectra offers its clients verifiably high standards in data security, as evidenced by its SOC II Type 2 certification. What exactly does this certification mean for print and mailing clients?

• Best practices in file transfer protocols. The hand-off of databases from the client to the services provider is a critical point in the project from the standpoint of data security. Whether in digital or physical form, these files need to be protected from exposure as they change hands, and the individuals on both sides of the transfer need to have detailed knowledge of the process in order to keep them secure.
• Internal protections against exposure. When files have been safely transferred to Spectra, the team follows detailed, non-negotiable protocols internally to minimize the level of exposure of sensitive information, even among our own trusted team members. Only those employees responsible for a given project have access to files, and only during the duration of that specific project. Once a project is concluded, Spectra follows predetermined processes for securely destroying data or transferring it back to the client as needed.
• Ongoing employee training and refreshers. Two primary factors necessitate ongoing training for employees in a SOC II Type 2 certified organization. First is the simple fact that team members need regular, frequent reminders about risks and protocols that they already know in order to stay vigilant regarding them. Especially when an organization rarely faces the threat of a security breach, it is possible for employees to become complacent and neglect implementing safeguards on a daily basis. Secondly, criminals of all types and sizes are constantly developing new ways to obtain access to sensitive data. Through ongoing training, security experts have the opportunity to update employees on the newest threats and how to protect against them. 

2. Accuracy in Large Volume Projects

The larger a project is, the more risk there is for exposure of data, particularly in the mailing phase. A project that involves tens of thousands of individual pieces of mail being sent to recipients, with each piece containing personal, financial, or medical information, demands a very high degree of data security on the part of the print provider. Spectra understands these requirements and has multiple record-level quality control protocols in place to mitigate the risks. 

These quality control protocols are also thoroughly documented in order to give our clients protection in the event of an audit. We are fully aware of the importance of this documentation for each of our clients, which allows Spectra to prove that all protocols were followed with any given project. Particularly if an unforeseen event causes an accidental security breach, this documentation provides proof that both the client and the third-party print provider took all appropriate steps to protect against it.

With large databases and mailing projects involved, there are often minor errors in addresses, names, and other types of data. Identifying and correcting these errors are important tasks in terms of data security, as they could lead to personal information being mailed to the wrong recipient. Spectra has advanced systems in place to scan databases, verify the accuracy of addresses against the US Postal Service’s authoritative lists, and ensure that each document is inserted into the correct envelope before mailing.

Additional Advantages of Working With Spectra

While these data security measures are critical and valuable to the clients that we serve at Spectra, they are only the starting point. Keeping data safe during transfers to and from our team, maintaining vigilance while databases are in our care, and verifying address accuracy are baseline services that we provide for our clients.

In our next blogpost, we’ll continue by introducing you to some of the additional advantages that large organizations gain by working with Spectra for their print and mail services. Once we have laid the groundwork of establishing high quality data security measures, it’s time to turn to some of the services we offer that save money, increase efficiency, and accelerate projects to get mailers, updates, official correspondence, and other items on their way to recipients faster. With large volume projects, these advantages quickly add up to make Spectra an incredibly valuable third-party partner.

In the meantime, you can contact Spectra directly to discuss your organization’s print and mailing needs, and to find out more about our SOC II Type 2 certification. Our facility is also HIPAA compliant, making us an ideal partner for healthcare organizations, insurance companies, and other clients that handle private patient information.