The application of 3rd party certification programme in Malaysia

Trust Services are defined as: A set of professional assurance and advisory services based on a common framework (i.e., a core set of principles and criteria) to address the risks and opportunities of IT.

A 3rd party certification programme will ensure that access to an enterprises electronic commerce system and data is restricted only to authorized individuals in conformity with its disclosed security policies. The Security Principle sets out an overall objective for the security of data transmitted over the Internet and stored on an e-commerce system.

WebTrust.
The WebTrust service is designed for e-commerce-based systems and by independently verifying a web site's compliance with online security best practices, would entitle the entity to display a WebTrust Seal and accompanying practitioner’s report on its Web site.

Trustgate.com Sdn Bhd is example of 3rd party certification programme in Malaysia which established in 1999 as a licensed Certification Authority (CA) operating out of the Multimedia Super Corridor in Malaysia under the Digital Signature Act 1997(DSA). The service provided including digital certificates, cryptographic products, and software development.

In my point of view, third party certification helps increase consumer confidence in a company's business practices and in the integrity and protection of any transaction undertaken. Several study also indicated that potential customers are 46 percent more likely to buy from a site with the WebTrust Seal. A company may taken a competitive advantage in a faster growth of the e-Commerce marketplace by gaining their customers' trust with participated in the WebTrust Program.