Bell Sympatico, Canada’s largest ISP, has been named the Online Safety Leadership Award winner by the Washington based Authentication and Online Trust Alliance (AOTA). As a Bell partner, Radialpoint has provided managed security services to Sympatico subscribers since 2002 to ensure a safe Internet experience. This award recognizes exceptional companies that are working to make the Internet a safer place by educating users, adopting technical innovations to combat the growing number of security threats on the Internet, and working with law enforcement to control online crime¹ .

Since 2002, Bell Canada and Radialpoint have been committed to continuously providing Sympatico customers with comprehensive security that protects them from the variety of threats that plague Internet users. This partnership has lead to a number of firsts for the Canadian ISP industry.

In 2004, when Bell bundled its Radialpoint Security Services with its MSN premium services, it was the first ISP in Canada to introduce an Anti-Spyware service. This was a major step in enhancing customer security, as 50% of all computer crashes are caused by spyware according to Microsoft² . Damage to consumer PCs is a serious concern, but protecting their personal and financial information is paramount. In 2006, Bell saw the need for a higher level of protection of consumer information with some 80% of users saying that they are concerned about identity theft³ . They have a good reason to be worried – last year alone, there were 246,035 cases of identity theft⁴ . In response, Bell came to market with the first ISP-branded Fraud Protection service in North America, a key addition to Radialpoint’s advanced security suite.

Working closely with Bell, Radialpoint provided an extensive awareness campaign as well as call-centre training to ensure effective and successful adoption of this new service by Sympatico customers. The results were dramatic and unprecedented, surpassing Bell’s own revenue expectations. With the help of Radialpoint, these ISP Value Added Service firsts gave Sympatico a considerable competitive advantage and furthered its status as an industry leader.

Sympatico’s dedication to online safety, consumer education, and ongoing technological innovation has not gone unnoticed. In April 2007, the Authentication and Online Trust Alliance (AOTA) named Sympatico the winner of their Online Safety Leadership Award during AOTA’s 2007 Spring Summit in Boston. AOTA’s executive director, Craig Spiezle, congratulated Sympatico for being a company that “has clearly set the pace for the market today in terms of making every effort to preserve and enhance both consumer trust and online safety for Canadians.”

The AOTA Leadership Award acknowledges companies that have excelled in offering online security through continued technical innovation, consumer education, and joining governments and law enforcement in the fight against online crime.

Together with Radialpoint, Sympatico continues to give customers peace of mind by ensuring their safety through a variety of services that include anti-virus, firewall, anti-spyware, parental controls, fraud protection, and privacy manager. With so many ways of keeping users safe, it’s no wonder why Sympatico was named number one in Internet safety.

 

¹AOTA
²Microsoft
³Consumer Reports WebWatch
⁴Consumer Sentinel

 

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