When organizations evaluate email marketing platforms, the conversation usually starts with features: templates, automation, analytics, ease of use. Those things matter, but for organizations in higher education, government, and nonprofits, there’s a question that should come before any of them: can this platform actually meet our email security and compliance requirements?
Procurement teams, IT departments, and legal offices increasingly require vendors to demonstrate specific certifications and accessibility standards before a contract can even move forward. If your email platform can’t meet those requirements, the feature set may not matter much in the procurement process.
Two of the most important compliance areas to evaluate are data security and email platform accessibility, and HITRUST and VPAT are two of the clearest signals organizations look for in those areas. Here’s what each one means, why they matter for your organization, and what to look for when comparing platforms.
HITRUST and what it tells you about data security
Every email platform will tell you they take security seriously, but the real question is whether they can prove it with independent, third-party validation. That’s where HITRUST comes in.
HITRUST i1 Certification is a widely recognized security certification that many organizations look for when evaluating vendors that handle sensitive data. Unlike a single-framework audit, HITRUST brings together requirements from standards such as SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, GDPR, and NIST in one assessment. Earning a HITRUST i1 involves a rigorous review process designed to validate how an organization protects personal information against current and emerging cybersecurity threats.
What to ask about data security when evaluating platforms
Any organization handling sensitive audience data, whether that’s student records, donor information, government communications, or financial services data, benefits from knowing their email platform has been reviewed against a strong set of security standards. Here are a few questions to ask about data security when evaluating potential email marketing platforms.
Is the platform HITRUST certified, or does it rely on less comprehensive validations?
Many platforms hold SOC 2 Type II certification, which is a solid baseline, but HITRUST goes further by unifying multiple frameworks into a single assessment. A secure email marketing platform that holds both SOC 2 Type II and HITRUST certifications has gone through multiple forms of independent review across different security frameworks.
Where are the certifications held?
Certification should cover the actual infrastructure where your data is stored and processed. Emma, for example, holds HITRUST i1 Certification for its AWS data centers, meaning the validation applies to the environments where subscriber data actually lives.
How does the certification make the review process easier?
For IT and procurement teams, a vendor’s HITRUST certification can help shorten the security review process because many of the most common security questions have already been addressed through independent review. If your organization requires lengthy vendor security assessments, a HITRUST-certified platform can save weeks of back-and-forth. For government teams, those reviews may also include additional government security requirements.
VPAT: Accessibility as a procurement requirement
Accessibility in email marketing doesn’t just mean making sure your emails work well with screen readers (though that matters too). It also means the platform itself, the tool your team uses to build, manage, and send campaigns, needs to be accessible.
A VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) documents how a software product conforms to accessibility standards, specifically WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) and Section 508 requirements. Despite the word “voluntary” in VPAT’s name, many organizations treat it as a practical requirement. Higher education institutions, government agencies, and nonprofits often require a current VPAT before a vendor can even be considered during procurement.
Why VPAT matters for higher education and government agencies
For higher education and government teams, accessibility is both a requirement and a practical part of platform evaluation. Section 504 and ADA Title II help define the expectation for equal access, while WCAG, Section 508, and VPAT give teams a way to evaluate whether a platform supports that expectation in practice.
Not all VPATs offer the same level of assurance
There’s a meaningful difference between a self-reported VPAT, where the vendor assesses their own product, and an independently authored VPAT, where a third-party accessibility firm conducts the evaluation. An independent assessment is generally more credible because it offers a more objective view of how the product performs in practice.
What to ask about accessibility when evaluating platforms
When evaluating email marketing software, here are a few questions to ask about VPAT and accessibility.
Does the platform have a current VPAT?
Accessibility standards evolve, and a VPAT from several years ago may not reflect the current state of the product. Look for recent, up-to-date documentation.
Was the VPAT independently authored or self-reported?
Emma’s VPAT is independently authored by Level Access, a recognized accessibility firm, rather than self-reported. This distinction matters to procurement and compliance teams because it provides third-party validation of the platform’s accessibility posture.
What standard does the platform align to?
WCAG 2.1 AA is the standard that compliance and procurement teams in higher education, government, and nonprofits are asking about today. If a platform only references older WCAG versions or doesn’t specify a conformance level, that’s something procurement teams may want clarified.
Is accessibility built into the standard product experience?
Some platforms offer accessibility through special modes, workarounds, or separate interfaces. The better approach is a platform where accessibility is part of the standard experience, meaning every user interacts with the same accessible product without needing to opt into a different version. Emma’s compliant email platform is aligned to WCAG 2.1 AA as part of its standard product experience, with no special modes or workarounds required.
Why these certifications matter together
HITRUST and VPAT address different compliance requirements, but they support the same broader goal: giving your organization confidence that your email platform meets the standards your stakeholders, procurement teams, and regulators expect.
Data security certifications protect the information flowing through your email program, from subscriber data to engagement metrics to any sensitive information contained in your communications. Accessibility certifications ensure that the people on your team can actually use the platform effectively, regardless of ability, and that your organization meets its legal and ethical obligations around digital accessibility.
Together, they form a compliance foundation that is particularly critical for organizations in regulated industries or those subject to public-sector procurement requirements. A platform that holds both HITRUST i1 Certification and an independently authored VPAT aligned to WCAG 2.1 AA addresses two important areas many organizations evaluate during compliance review.
Choose a platform with compliance in mind
Compliance may not be the first thing teams think about when choosing an email platform, but it can shape the entire decision. A platform that can’t demonstrate independently validated data security and documented accessibility standards creates risk for your organization, whether that’s procurement delays, failed security reviews, or legal exposure around accessibility.
When evaluating your options, ask for the certifications and supporting documentation, ask who conducted the assessments, and ask whether email platform compliance is built into the product or added later as a separate consideration. The answers will show you whether a platform can support your organization’s requirements.
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