Northwest Registered Agent does not sell client data to third parties. Every day we receive emails and phone calls from other companies wanting to create a “partnership” with us. These companies want us to give them our client information, so they can then re-market whatever it is they’re selling. Northwest would then get a hefty commission every time one of our clients signs up for services with these third-party companies.

Besides us, if there’s another incorporation or registered agent service company that does not partner with third parties, we’re unaware of them. You can spot them pretty easily across the web once you know what you’re looking for. These third-party offers are typically bundled into packages to look like things you want or really need. Web hosting. A “free” tax consultation. Paycheck services. The list goes on.

Honestly, selling client data would be a great way for us to maximize our revenue. But we don’t look at our clients like oranges from which we need to squeeze every last bit of juice. We exist to help make running a business simple. And we believe the less access there is to your data, the safer it is.

When you hire Northwest Registered Agent, you’re actually hiring us. We don’t use contractors or third-party systems. We’ve built every system and service we offer from the ground floor up. No one else does this. Partly that’s because it’s faster and cheaper to outsource most services. But in order to maintain an extreme level of quality, you have to build and oversee your own systems. For us, that has meant crafting our client account and document notification systems, hiring those experts to build the system, and truly believing that good enough is the biggest road block toward becoming the best.

What does any of this have to do with data security?

It means we’re not creating gaps and passing client information all around the web. We don’t use systems in which we don’t understand every last bit of code. We built our company to do one thing extremely well: make starting a maintaining a business simple. A function of that is keeping client information in one central location that we control and moves through a systems that is continuously and rigorously tested for flaws. Your information stays with us.

No system is impervious to data breaches. That’s why we keep a large staff of coders, developers, nerds and geeks in-house. These are not just the people we call when something goes wrong. These are our co-workers who are constantly updating and testing our security protocols. Protecting data requires continuous effort. It’s not cheap, but it’s also something businesses can’t afford to ignore.