The Beryl Companies Receives ISO Certification for Superior Information Security Management

(DALLAS, TX) -- The Beryl Companies, the nation's leading healthcare-exclusive call center, recently received ISO 17799/27002 certification in recognition of its standardized best practice in data security management. Beryl underwent a complicated certification process, including an audit to ensure that the data it collects and stores is secure and confidential.

ISO refers to the International Organization for Standardization, the world's largest developer and publisher of international standards. Based in Geneva, Switzerland, ISO is a non-governmental organization that sets voluntary international standards for a variety of scientific, industrial, manufacturing and commercial purposes to help ensure quality and consistency. ISO certification reflects a process that has been executed in compliance with relevant ISO approved protocols and standards.

"We understand the important role we play in ensuring the privacy and anonymity of the millions of people who call us each year to discuss their healthcare needs," said Bobbie Morton, vice president of information technology. "This certification underscores Beryl's commitment to delivering the best service while protecting each hospital's brand and the patients it serves."

The certification standards on which Beryl was evaluated include:

• Risk assessment - Disaster protocols and plan
• Security policy - Management direction
• Organization of information security - Governance of information security
• Asset management - Inventory and classification of information assets
• Human resources security - Security aspects for employees joining, moving and leaving an organization
• Physical and environmental security - Protection of the computer facilities
• Communications and operations management - Management of technical security controls in systems and networks
• Access control - Restriction of access rights to networks, systems, applications, functions and data
• Information systems acquisition, development and maintenance - Building security into applications
• Information security incident management - Anticipating and responding appropriately to information security breaches
• Business continuity management - Protecting, maintaining and recovering business critical processes and systems
• Compliance - Ensuring conformance with information security policies, standards, laws and regulations

Beryl helps organizations grow revenue and build lasting customer relationships by connecting people to healthcare. As a leading provider of outsourced telephone and Web-based communications, Beryl delivers 24/7 exemplary customer service during more than five million interactions annually. Since 1985, hundreds of healthcare organizations have relied on Beryl for best-practices insight and data they can use to make more informed decisions about customer acquisition and retention. For more information about Beryl and its educational arm, The Beryl Institute, visit www.beryl.net.