Editorial: The Power Of Certification

Andrew Updegrove, Partner, Gesmer Updegrove LLP

2/14/2008
(Original Publish Date: 7/1/2006)

The practice of certifying compliance with standards is almost as old as the creation of standards themselves. This should come as no surprise, because the vast majority of standards are created for the benefit of multiple stakeholders, rather than as pure design tools for vendors. Human nature (on both sides of a transaction) being what it is, there is no reason for a vendor to expect a customer to believe an uncorroborated assertion of compliance. But third party certification can provide a means to fill this gap in trust.