It is typical in today’s world that universities are screening students to ensure they are not on any government denied party and admissibility lists. But surveys conducted by Association of University Export Controls Officers (AUECO) show that the majority of academic institutions are challenged with regulatory compliance in multiple areas of their organization, not just student screening. Increased enforcement from government agencies and personal lawsuits have added a costly layer of risk to higher ed compliance. The importance of a holistic compliance program, including a centralized system leveraging technology, has become vital for universities and research institutions.

As companies continue to grow, so too do the total shipments and countries in their global supply chain, further complicating existing export compliance processes. Whether it be restricted party lists, export controls, license requirements, or the various regulatory risks exporters face on a daily basis, an automated and configurable solution is needed to make things easier - that's where Captain Compliance comes in!

Amber Road announced today the release of a focused solution of its industry-proven export compliance software for universities and research groups - and it's all powered by the newest SMB superhero, Captain Compliance. 

Amber Road’s Export On-Demand University & Research Edition is specifically designed to help colleges or universities with a scientific research program, foreign visiting researchers, foreign students, international research collaborations and overseas campuses manage their export and deemed export compliance programs, license requirements and product classification. The cloud-based solution helps organizations improve operational efficiency, enhance regulatory compliance, and reduce export risks that colleges and universities with scientific research programs face. 

Captain Compliance helps universities and research organizations battle old enemies General Negligence and Private Dawdle - because compliance isn't optional, it's the law.  Learn more about the adventures of Captain Compliance on our new site!

“The move to Amber Road has been a positive change for our institution, mainly because of the reduction in false positive hits while conducting restricted party screening,” said Tanta Myles, Director & Research Compliance Officer at The University of Alabama. “The new university edition is a game-changer for higher education export compliance programs given that the solution is custom built for our needs.”

In an era of heightened security, determining whether individuals, companies or organizations are restricted from conducting trade is essential. Exporters are responsible for ensuring that they are compliant with changing government regulations, and that their goods are not being sold to undesirable entities.

Last month, Amber Road broadcasted the second part of our two-part Export Compliance Webinar Series on Product Classification and Transactional Screening. Our presenters, Steve Swanson, Director at Amber Road, and Steve Keighley, Solutions Consultant at Amber Road, led an engaging discussion on product classification and transactional screening. Attendees learned how their company could maintain their own Product Classification database, and received a demo on how our Export On-Demand platform can greatly simplify the ordeal while simultaneously screening transactions. We received numerous questions throughout the presentation, but unfortunately could not address them all. Luckily, we have compiled Steve Keighley’s answers into a Q&A document – here is a preview:

All trade compliance professionals know they must keep classifications for products in every country in which they operate - for both export and import purposes. However, maintaining a full product classification database for growing businesses can be an extremely arduous task - not to mention nearly impossible for those still operating on a manual system. 

Earlier this month, Amber Road broadcast the first part of our two-part Export Compliance Webinar Series on Restricted Party Screening. Our presenters Steve Swanson, Director at Amber Road, and Steve Keighley, Solution's Consultant at Amber Road, led an engaging discussion on restricted party screening. The discussion informed attendees about the dangers of using a manual or outdated restricted party screening process, and demoed how our Export On-Demand platform can greatly simplify the ordeal. They received numerous questions throughout the webinar, but unfortunately could not address them all. Therefore, we have compiled Steve Keighley's answers into a Q&A document - here is a preview:

Is your company still manually screening each of the parties within your supply chain looking for denied or restricted parties? For those of you leveraging software to handle this function, how confident are you that your restricted party screening software is being updated as often as each list is? Would your confidence that your software is searching each list be higher, or lower? Restricted and denied party lists around the world are updated on a daily basis, so if you're not using a global and digital screening solution - you could already be in danger of extreme export violations.

Last month, Amber Road broadcasted the webinar, How to Tackle the Eight Steps to Building an Export Compliance Program (ECP). Our presenters, Steve Swanson, Director at Amber Road, and Suzanne Richer, Director of Trade Advisory Practice at Amber Road's Global Trade Academy, led an engaging discussion on these newly updated steps towards complete export compliance. They received numerous questions throughout the webinar, but unfortunately could not address them all. Therefore, we have compiled their answers into a Q&A document - here is a preview:

With the recent changes to export restrictions and sanctions around the globe, Santa may have trouble delivering his presents this Christmas. Although Kris Kringle and a majority of exporters already realize what's at stake if they commit export violations, a recent survey found that only 53% of exporters have a full Export Compliance Program (ECP) in place. For many companies, the variety of components involved with implementing a full ECP can be daunting. One way to begin the process of building a complete ECP is to implement a robust, automated screening process with restricted party screening and sanction capabilities.The recurring revisions to export restrictions and sanctions from governments around the world make it challenging for any company to still be manually screening. The United States, especially, has been busy trying to make updates to exporting policies as the Trump administration re-evaluates Obama-era trade tactics. How sure are you that your company's compliance process is keeping you out of harm's way? Are you prepared for the most recent updates to sanctions and entity lists, as well as potential changes still to come in 2018? If you had to pause before answering either of those questions, you and your company could already be at risk.