At Vera, we are committed to protecting the privacy of personal data.

This policy addresses data privacy practices at Vera Solutions. We are committed to protecting confidential information and being transparent about data collection, storage, and privacy.

Table of Contents

1. Definitions
2. Information collected
3. Use of information collected
4. Sharing of information collected
5. International transfer of information collected
6. Communications preferences
7. Security
8. Your rights
9. Contact us

1. Definitions

• Applicant Information: any data collected about a job applicant, or someone who expresses interest in employment with Vera Solutions, including information such as Basic Contact Information, a resume or CV, recent employment history, references, academic history
• Basic Contact Information: any data that can be used to establish communication with an individual or organization, including name, company name, address, phone number, email address
• Billing Information: any data collected to facilitate payment for purchased services, such as bank names, routing and account numbers, billing contact and address details
• Contact: any individual that has established a relationship or come into contact with Vera Solutions (i.e. representative from partner organization, acquaintance from a conference, individual who expresses interest in Vera’s services, competitor, job applicant, etc.)
• Client: any organization that has potential or contracted services with Vera
• Client Data: data owned by a client that exists in a client system, or is provided to Vera for the purposes of informing a system design or build, or populating a system
• Organization Information: information about an entity that engages with or has potential to engage with Vera, such as number of employees within the organization that will be using Vera’s system, regional distribution, the type of information that needs to be collected/stored in a Vera-built system (including operational or programmatic information), organization’s focus area (i.e. agriculture, health), system type (i.e. CRM, funding database)
• Public Information: information that is available to the public (i.e. via an organization’s website or other online sources)
• Services: any activities requested by a client, for which its engagement with Vera is initiated (i.e. requirements gathering, system design, implementation, training)
• Service Providers: organizations enlisted to fulfill services requested by a client, such as subcontractors or technological partners
• Vera Data: all information that may be provided to Vera by anyone who interacts with the company, including Basic Contact Information, Organization Information, Applicant Information, etc.

2. Information collected

• Vera Solutions captures information (“Vera Data”) about clients, partners, and other contacts in its internal cloud-based CRM platform. Opting to provide us information as listed below indicates consent to be entered into our CRM:
  • When you request information via the Vera Solutions website, Vera will ask you to provide Basic Contact Information.
  • When you register for or attend events organized by Vera Solutions, Vera will ask you to provide Basic Contact Information.
  • When you engage with Vera to discuss services tailored for your organization, Vera will ask you to provide Basic Contact Information and Organization Information, as well as specific information about the services requested (details about the current challenges faced, services sought).
  • When you engage with Vera by purchasing its services, Vera will ask you to provide Basic Contact Information, Organization Information, and Billing Information.
  • When you apply for a job with Vera, Vera will ask you to submit Applicant Information.
  • When you engage with Vera staff and provide Basic Contact Information (i.e. at a conference), we may record it in our internal database of contacts.
• Vera Solutions also may request Client Data, or have access to Client Data that exists in a system, to fulfill Services requested by clients. This Client Data may be used to design, build, test, implement, or populate a system, but is owned by the Client. It is not to be stored on the hardware of any Vera Solutions employee, and is subject to internal regulations about deletion from hardware within five days after the close of a project.

3. Use of information collected

When you provide us with data, we will use this information strictly for the reason it was provided (i.e. using Client Data to populate the system with records and testing the data reporting features; using your Basic Contact Information to connect with you if you request more information via the Vera Solutions website). We use data to:

• Provide our services: Information is collected to deliver services as requested, mainly for the purpose of building cloud applications and data management systems to meet the specific needs of the client. Our work is centered on the Salesforce Platform and in order to build a system for our clients, we must gather information as part of the consulting process.
• Maintain and document our services: We use information to ensure our systems are working as intended, such as project documentation.
• Receive payment for our services: Payment information, such as bank information, may also be collected from engaged clients for accounting and billing purposes.
• Provide personalized services: Basic Contact Information can be used to plan Vera events, or for marketing purposes. For example, Vera may use information you provide to contact you to further discuss your interest in our services and send you information about Vera (such as information about new or existing products or services, or events). This helps us to update, expand, and analyze our records, identify new clients or clients with which we can re-engage, and inform you if we have a updated service or product that may be of benefit to your organization.
• Communicate with you: Vera uses information we collect, like your Basic Contact Information, to interact with you. For example, we may inform you about an update to a product, or may respond to a request for more information submitted on the Vera Solutions website.
• Advertise our services: Vera posts a list of featured clients and case studies on the Vera Solutions website that contain information such as a client organization’s name, area of focus (i.e. agriculture, health), a description of the organization’s work, and a description of the use of Vera’s services and products. Vera obtains the consent of each client prior to posting such case studies or other information on our website.

4. Sharing of information collected

• Client Data is not to be shared, modified, or otherwise used by any staff member, except as necessary for service delivery, without explicit written consent from a client.
• Vera may share Vera Data or Client Data with contracted service providers so they may provide services on our behalf. These service providers are authorized to use your data only as necessary to provide the services you request, as defined in “Use of information collected”.
• Vera does not share, sell, rent, or trade any Vera Data or Client Data to third parties for their promotional purposes.
• Vera obtains consent to share information for promoting Vera’s products and services (i.e. case studies on the website, demos).
• Vera reserves the right to disclose information provided if required by law and/or to comply with a judicial proceeding, court order, or other legal process.

5. International transfer of information collected

Vera is a technology consulting firm with a global presence. Our hubs are geographically spread out, with offices in the US, India, Brazil, the UK, and South Africa, and operations in Geneva. Based on the nature of our teams, Vera Data or Client Data may be shared and accessed between hubs for the purposes of completing the project.This privacy statement applies to all Vera operations, even when data is transferred to other countries.

6. Communications preferences

Visitors to the Vera Solutions website, clients, and others who provide Basic Contact Information may manage their receipt of marketing and non-transactional communications by clicking on the “unsubscribe” link on the bottom of Vera’s marketing emails. Additionally, you may unsubscribe by contacting us via the Contact Us page of our website or emailing info@verasolutions.org.

7. Security

• Vera Solutions may retain Client Data during the time needed to provide you requested services (i.e. system design, populating a database, etc.). Once the service is completed the data will be destroyed.
  • An emailed letter of confirmation that the data has been removed can be provided upon request. However, in the event that future work may be contracted, we will rely on the Client to re-share all information.
• Vera may retain Vera Data (such as Basic Contact Information) to maintain you and/or your organization in our internal database of clients, applicants, or other contacts.
  • Vera Solutions restricts access to Client Data to Vera employees and Service Providers who need that information in order to fulfill a requested service.
• Vera Solutions restricts access to Client Data to Vera employees and Service Providers who need that information in order to fulfill a requested service.
• Vera Solutions employees and Service Providers are obligated to maintain strict confidentiality obligations, and may be disciplined or terminated if they fail to meet these obligations.
• Vera Solutions maintains an Information Technology Security Policy, to which staff are obligated to comply.
• This IT Security Policy is reviewed by an internal team twice annually and updated if necessary. The IT Security Policy is available upon request.
• As per the IT Security Policy, Client Data is not to be stored on employee’s hardware, and is only stored on the cloud – therefore, it is subject ot the authentication/encryption services of cloud services providers (Salesforce and Google).

8. Your rights

• You may request to access, correct, amend, or delete the personal or organization information you have provided us through our website, project completion, or other engagement. To do so, please contact us via the Contact Us page of our website or email info@verasolutions.org.
• Requests to access, change, or delete your information will be addressed within 15 business days.

9. Contact us

Vera is committed to continuous improvement across all our internal procedures, including those related to privacy of data. If you have questions about our Privacy Policy, or about your data or that of your organization’s, you can let us know via the Contact Us page of our website or email info@verasolutions.org.

This privacy policy was last updated in October of 2021.