The RV Dealers Association has endorsed the new Accelerate2Compliance (A2C) dealership program, available through the A2C Portal.
The program is designed to help dealers and their vendors stay in compliance with newly updated Federal Trade Commission rules meant to safeguard information security practices.
The A2C Portal is a cloud-based subscription software solution to empower dealers with the most simple and efficient dealer and vendor assessment process, policies and procedures, and information security employee training.
“Any time a government agency changes rules of operation, it is a good idea to do whatever is possible to safeguard your business interests,” said RVDA President Phil Ingrassia. “This program can help dealers ensure their digital information is secure and that their vendors’ practices are compliant.”
“We know the last thing our RV dealer clients want to see is a regulatory penalty or consent order, harming them financially and reputationally, which is why they are constantly working to keep their information security programs compliant,” said A2C CEO Greg Pfleider. “Staying on top of privacy and data security regulatory requirements, including significantly expanded requirements found in the final amendments to the FTC’s Safeguard Rule, only complicates this task. This is why we built our A2C Portal to make managing these expanded requirements simple and easy.”
Updated FTC rules cover the administrative, technical and physical safeguards financial institutions (i.e. dealers) use to access, collect, distribute, process, protect, store, use, transmit, dispose of or otherwise handle customers’ secure information. In addition, financial institutions will be required to designate a single qualified individual to oversee their information security program and report periodically to an organization’s board of directors, or a senior officer in charge of information security.
The FTC also adopted technical changes to its authority under a separate Gramm-Leach Bliley Act rule, which requires financial institutions to inform customers about their information-sharing practices and allow customers to opt out of having their information shared with certain third parties. The A2C vendor assessment module provides assessed risk within a dealer’s vendor network providing further control over data security.
RVDA said it provides endorsements such as this to help dealers manage their businesses better by providing access to reliable products and services. The RVDA Board of Directors approved the endorsement upon the recommendation of the RV Assistance Corporation (RVAC). To see a full listing of all RVDA-endorsed products and services, visit the RVDA website.