ORLANDO, Fla., Jan. 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Alinean, empowering B2B sales and marketing to better quantify and communicate the value of proposed solutions to today's economic-focused buyers, announced today that it has been awarded Safe Harbor certification for complying with a strict set of privacy principles defined by the U.S. Department of Commerce in conjunction with the European Union. Safe Harbor certification signifies that Alinean's Value Marketing and Selling Tools comply with European Union privacy and security laws with regard to the transfer and protection of personal data.

These principles include: providing proper notice to customers when personal data is collected, giving customers the choice to opt out, allowing customers to access and update their personal information, validating the proper use of customer information, transferring information to third parties only if they comply with similar privacy standards, and providing adequate security of information and ensuring proper security and policy enforcement.

Today's B2B buyer has fundamentally changed, requiring quantifiable proof as to the bottom-line impact of proposed solutions – a condition termed Frugalnomics. Alinean Value Marketing and Selling Tools are designed to help B2B firms fight Frugalnomics, quantifying and communicating the value story of proposed solutions to prospects. The tools include online Interactive White Papers, Benefits Estimators, Diagnostic Assessments and ROI/TCO Analysis tools, as well as the new ValueStory iPad App.

"Leading worldwide B2B firms rely on Alinean's Value Marketing and Selling SaaS platform to cost justify their solutions to frugal buyers," said Tom Pisello, President and CEO of Alinean. "Safe Harbor certification helps assure that the information users provide to Alinean is properly used, protected and secure, increasing credibility and trust in the tool results."

The U.S.-European Union Safe Harbor Framework was developed by the US and the European Union to bridge differences in data protection and privacy requirements between the two governmental entities, ensuring that European Union users know that an organization provides proper privacy protection and safeguards.

Further information on Alinean's commitment to security, including Alinean's privacy policy, is available on the Alinean website at http://alinean.com/certified.

About Alinean

Alinean empowers B2B vendors to fight Frugalnomics and sell to today's economic-focused buyer via the development and delivery of interactive Value Selling and Marketing Tools. Alinean-powered Interactive White Papers, Benefit Estimators, ROI / TCO Analysis Tools, and ValueStory™ iPad App create more compelling value-based connections, presentations and proposals —generating more demand, challenging the "do-nothing" buyer into action, accelerating sales cycles and increasing deal size.

Leading B2B firms leveraging Alinean tools include: HP, IBM, Microsoft, Dell, Intel, OfficeMax, IDC/IDG, AT&T, BMC Software, Siemens, NetApp, Citrix, Cisco and SolidWorks.

SOURCE Alinean