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THE BROWSER
VeriHost aims to fill hole in Net: Verifying technology
companies
By
Joseph Szadkowski
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
 he
Better Business Bureau has long been recognized as providing a verification
process that provides a sense of security for consumers.
BBB On-line (www.bbbonline.org),
a service entity of the Better Business Bureau, has taken steps to
ensure that on-line companies adhere to the watchdog group's standards.
But are those standards the same for online
retailers and technology service providers?
VeriHost (www.verihost.com),
a new organization that is creating its own seal of approval for Internet
companies, feels that the process of approving high technology companies
takes more in-depth research.
Founded by technology leaders from the United
States and Canada, VeriHost says its approval of a company will add an
extra layer of confidence for small businesses that are shopping for a
Web-site host or service provider.
"At question is whether a new company really
has a [high-speed] line for enhanced connectivity as they advertise --something
that the consumer cannot independently verify," said Clarence Briggs, VeriHost
founder and president of Advanced Internet Technologies (http://aitcom.net)of
Fayetteville, N.C.
"VeriHost is necessary because the BBB does
not, to my knowledge, have the resources ... to confirm a company's connectivity
claims or test the performance of their network servers -- technology-service
issues that are paramount to the consumer."
Mr. Briggs said companies that seek the VeriHost
seal agree that the verification company can set up an account with any
provider -- without the provider's knowledge -- to verify claims or investigate
complaints.
"Because we are in this business, we are able
to better understand and discern whether a company is providing bad service
or whether the consumer has expectations beyond present-day technology,"
Mr. Briggs said.
"Though we have not set ourselves up as dispute
resolvers, if someone is having trouble with a VeriHost approved provider,
we would want to take steps to ensure that the complaint is valid and,
as reasonable, bring anything we find to the member company's attention,
"he said.
Still in its infancy, VeriHost requires out-of-pocket
and time expenditures of its six founding members and board of directors.
These heavy hitters include Ron Dunlap, director of marketing for Vermont
Web-site host and design firm Burlee Networks (www.burlee.com);
Joseph Kibur, chief operating officer and co-founder of Canadian Web
host NetNation Communications (www.netnation.net);
and Rob Laidlaw, founder of Web-hosting resource Top Hosts (www.tophosts.com).
For hosting companies that desire a VeriHost
"Good-Internet Seal of Approval," the process includes completing an online
application that requires fairly detailed financial and business-reference
information, including that the applicant be registered with the Better
Business Bureau.
Companies must also provide information on
their technical features and specifications, including a very important
service required by many retail small businesses with e-commerce needs,
Secure Socket Layers and Pretty Good Privacy standards.
Other information requested includes whether
the company is rated by Dunn and Bradstreet, as well as trademark, copyright
or service-mark information, and whether it is a member of the local chamber
of commerce -- all milestones of an established business, Mr. Briggs said.
VeriHost requires a $150 application fee,
compared with BBB Online's fees for up to $5,000 for the registration of
a single domain.
Once an application is received, it is forwarded
to an independent accounting firm that verifies business and financial
information. Legal firms are enlisted to check on any trademark, service
mark or copyright claims.
"What we have found is that legitimate businesses
do not have problems with revealing potentially sensitive information,
particularly as we guarantee that all information submitted will be kept
confidential --in fact, it is only reviewed by the independent evaluators--CPA
and legal firms," Mr. Briggs said. "It is a way to identify potentially
unscrupulous firms as they tend to not want to reveal any background, business,
technical or financial details."
Companies that receive the seal are maintained
in a database and given rights to add the VeriHost seal to their Web site.
Web surfers who click on the seal will receive an instant authentication
notice from the VeriHost database.
The VeriHost seal, though a good indicator
of a legitimate company, does not replace the user's need to independently
verify that the provider will meet their individual needs, Mr. Briggs said.
Good intentions aside, the VeriHost seal so
far has limited consumer recognition, an issue that the group is addressing
through an aggressive campaign to increase Internet surfers' awareness
of the organization's efforts. |
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