Welcome to the CRT Report. Our spring newsletter's theme is protection. Protection of listings and personal and confidential information. The articles in this edition can assist you on the way to better protection - for yourself, your business and your clients.
Look for CRT at the Midyear Meetings in Washington DC. We'll again provide wireless Internet access for attendees, be at the NAR booth at the expo and speak at several sessions. Contact us at: info@crt.realtors.org
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| The Lesswing Letter |
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Welcome to the Spring 2005 edition of the CRT Report.
 Winter in Chicago can seem long, but for our busy staff at CRT the months have flown by. This winter we had the chance to meet with many of you during conferences such as February’s Data Topics in the Tropics, AEI and the 2005 MLS Connection. These meetings helped us learn more about the pressing technology challenges you face. We then spent the winter developing innovative applications that respond to your concerns.
I’m particularly proud of the work our staff has done on PolicyPage, a new software application that allows MLSs and associations to scan member Web sites automatically for compliance with IDX policies. With this new application, associations and MLSs will save staff time and money they previously had to spend on manual compliance monitoring.
This quick response to an industry-specific problem is right in line with CRT’s mission. Our goal is to find unique ways to apply innovative technologies to the real estate business, and then make them available to you in a timely manner. PolicyPage is the latest example of that commitment.
To learn more about PolicyPage, read the story below. Or visit us at the NAR booth or at the CRT wireless hot spot during the Midyear Meetings in Washington, D.C., in May. In addition to our PolicyPage demos, CRT will also be sponsoring an education session, “Information Security—It’s Everyone’s Business” during Midyear. We’ll focus on cost-effective ways to protect you and your organization from hackers, pirates and other electronic threats. The session will take place on Thurs., May 12 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. in Maryland Suite C at the Marriott Wardman Park.
CRT will also be facilitating a meeting of leading vendors of transaction management systems in conjunction with Midyear. At this meeting, we hope to determine what role interoperability standards play in developing a more efficient real estate transaction. As a representative of REALTORS® CRT believes it is in a unique position to assist in moving any necessary standards forward. CRT representatives will also presenting technology updates to a variety of committees at Midyear including the Multiple Listing Service Issues & Policies Forum, the Business Technology & Information Systems Forum, the AEC State Executive Officer Forum, and the Large Firm Directors meeting. As always, we’ll be manning our hot spot outside the Maryland ballroom at the Wardman Park.
We look forward to seeing and talking with you in Washington, D.C.
Mark Lesswing
Vice President, Center for REALTOR Technology
mlesswing@realtors.org
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| PolicyPage - Checking Member Compliance the Easy Way |
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Future Innovations
The Challenge: Coming up with the staff time and budget to check local Web sites for compliance with NAR Internet display policies.
The CRT Solution: PolicyPage, a new software program that will automatically inspect member Web sites for compliance with IDX standards. Instead of spending countless staff hours and funds manually reviewing sites, associations and MLSs will be able use this time-saving tool from CRT to do the job quickly. Associations will save money, and brokers can be assured that all members are following the same rules.
After scanning a member’s Web site, PolicyPage automatically generates compliance reports, sending an e-mail to the site operator identifying any problem areas. The software also provides separate, customizable letters for pass and fail situations. A separate report identifies exactly where in the site the problem occurs and which policy governs the issue.
The PolicyPage project grew directly out of member concerns. During the February “Data Topics in the Tropics” meeting in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., MLSs and associations described the difficulties they faced policing complaints about IDX compliance. Immediately, CRT began crafting a solution. By the time the Association Executive Institute took place in March, CRT already had a prototype for AEs to preview.
If you missed the show in Vancouver, CRT will be demonstrating PolicyPage during the NAR Midyear Meetings in Washington, D.C., this May. Demos will take place at the NAR booth (#1020) on the Expo floor and the WiFi hot spot in the Marriott Wardman Park.
The first version of this free product will be available in June. The initial release will test only for text-based components such as disclosure notices, copyrights, and links to the association. With Version 2.0, which is scheduled for release in September 2005, PolicyPage will be able to check listings using a RETS data feed from the local MLS. Version 2.5, scheduled before year-end, will include a “spidering” capability that gives users a way to check for the presence of listing data on nonmember sites.
Learn More:
Go to the PolicyPage web page.
Go to the PolicyPage project site that includes online documentation.
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| The First Steps Toward Information Security |
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Current Solutions
The Challenge: Creating a comprehensive information security program for your organization before your valuable files are compromised.
The CRT Solution: Expert tips and guidelines on security best practices to help you and your technology staff create a top-quality program—from CRT and REALTOR® Secure.
At a time when data security breaches regularly top the headlines, “I’m been meaning to get to that,” or “I’m sure our technology people have something in place,” are no longer acceptable responses. Laws, regulations, and court cases underline your duty of care for customers’ and employees’ information. Today, information security is as critical as sound accounting practices and regular ethics training to protect a company’s reputation.
Yet only 45 percent of respondents in CRT’s 2005 MLS Technology Survey indicated that their MLSs had any type of information security program. And only 21 percent of respondents said they had a security education program in place.
The first step in developing a comprehensive, organization-wide security program is to craft a well-thought-out security policy. Your policy provides a security program baseline. Formulating a policy also helps you to better understand what security areas your company needs to address.
The good news is that you don’t have to start from scratch. CRT, in conjunction with the NAR Leadership Programs and Planning group, has developed educational tools to help you assess your organization’s current security situation. The tools will also show you what your next steps should be. The program includes a security survey, a site scan, an overview of current threats to information security, and a summary of the impact added security needs can have on your business. It also describes how NAR’s REALTOR® Secure program can bring your procedures in line with industry best practices. This program was initially designed for association executives and local leadership but may eventually be available more widely.
You can jump-start your security efforts by attending the CRT-sponsored session, Information Security—It’s Everybody’s Business, at the NAR Midyear Meeting in Washington, D.C. Speakers will explain best practices in security policies and procedures for every size organization, from one person to 1,000. Bring your questions and get advice from CRT and other industry experts on Thurs., May 12 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
Don’t wait for a security breach to implement a data protection program. Let CRT help you safeguard your most valuable business asset—your information.
Learn More:
For more on CRT’s security assessment and educational tools, email info@crt.realtors.org.
Get details on how the REALTOR® Secure can help you assess and improve your security.
Read about CRT-sponsored programs at the Midyear Meetings.
View the 2005 MLS Technology Survey.
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| Better Spam Blocking |
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Current Solutions
The Challenge: Preventing unwanted spam without blocking valuable business e-mails from new prospects.
A Solution: Greylisting. White lists let in e-mails from specified sources. Blacklisting keeps persistent spammers out by adding them to a rejection list. Greylisting is somewhere in between.
According to SpamCop (http://www.spamcop.net), over 366 million spam messages were sent between April 2004 and March 2005. So it’s no wonder Internet service providers and brokerages are ramping up their spam filtering. Unfortunately, some spam still gets through. Greylisting helps solve this problem.
Greylisting works on the principle that e-mail servers are programmed to make several attempts to deliver each message. If an e-mail is rejected by the receiving ISP or company mail server on the initial delivery attempt, that receiving server sends a message that it is having a temporary server failure. At the same time, the receiving server stores information about the sending server in its database. When the sending server resends the message (as is specified by e-mail standards), the receiving server recognizes it and delivers it to the recipient. The results of this simple strategy are astounding. One e-mail server was receiving 11,000 e-mails a week before greylisting. After adding greylisting, that number dropped to 4,000; the remaining 7,000 were rejected as spam.
There are some drawbacks to greylisitng. The resending technique delays the time you or your agents receive e-mails from prospects—sometimes for several hours. In a hot real estate market, that lag could create problems with listings, showings, and offers. And if the second attempt is sent from a different e-mail address, as is sometimes the case with large ISPs like Yahoo and AOL, there’s a good chance it will be rejected again.
But even with the risks, greylisting is a valuable tool for reducing the flood of spam that clogs your e-mailbox. Ask your ISP or your IT staff to look into this new spam-fighting option.
Learn More: For more on how greylisting works, go to: http://greylisting.org
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| Sharing Listings Safely |
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Current Solutions
The Challenge: Protecting sensitive information in your listings when it's transferred from the MLS using the Real Estate Transaction Standard.
The CRT Solution: Business rules and other security features from RETS software vendors that can help you protect your listings.
With privacy breaches like ChoicePoint and LexisNexis making headlines, brokerage companies and MLSs are understandably concerned about the safety of client listing information. They fear that other companies—or even hackers—might be able to access confidential facts and figures. In some cases, these fears have centered on the Real Estate Transaction Standard. It's true that RETS greatly simplifies the transfer of listing data from one server to another. But it's not a spigot that just lets data flow unrestrained and insecure.
In addition to the RETS users' required authentication, MLSs can safeguard confidential information with special security features in their RETS software. For example, vendors can incorporate business rules into their software that limit user access to certain specified data fields. These rules can be established so that one group of users—such as newspapers, agent Web sites, or consumers—see only the fields specified for that group.
Although RETS allows for this level of security, not all RETS-compliant software vendors offer this option. Check with your MLS's IT staff to be sure that the RETS software they use has adequate security protection. Without it, your sensitive listing information may be at risk.
Learn More:
Go to the RETS information site.
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| Keeping Information Secure |
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Best Practices
The Challenge: Safeguarding valuable client and personal information from hackers and identity thieves.
The CRT Solution: Eight ways to keep your information safe—courtesy of CRT.
1. Install antivirus software. Top brands of antivirus programs such as Norton AntiVirus and McAfee protect your files from destructive programs. Once you install the software by following the program prompts, run an antivirus scan every week.
2. Keep your antivirus software up to date. With new viruses appearing constantly, antivirus software loses its value if you don’t keep it current. Download updates from your software vendor’s site at least once a week. Or make it easy by configuring the software to update automatically. Check your software manual for details on how to do this.
3. Use an Internet firewall. Firewalls help block malicious users and viruses from your files and programs. Some operating systems such as Windows™ XP come with firewall software, but you need to enable it to protect your system. Learn information on the value of firewalls and how to enable the firewall in Windows XP™.
4. Keep your operating system updated. Bugs in operating systems sometimes give hackers or viruses a backdoor to infiltrate your computer. Keep operating systems updated, and download patches regularly to fix bugs that let in viruses. Operating systems such as Microsoft Windows XP can be configured to download and install patches automatically. Learn more about Windows operating systems updates.
5. Install antispyware software. Spyware, also called adware or malware, is a type of software that sneaks onto your computer and grabs information about your personal Web usage. Spyware can also hijack your browser and direct it to an undesirable Web site. You can remove these programs with antispyware software such as Ad-Aware and Spybot-S&D. Scan your computer weekly with antispyware software. Learn more about spyware.
6. Keep your antispyware software updated. Like antivirus software, antispyware software requires regular updates to do its job. Download updates at least monthly from your software vendor’s Web site. Or configure the antispyware software to update the program automatically.
7. Use strong passwords and change them periodically. Passwords that are hard for malicious users to crack are one of the best ways you can protect your sensitive data. Passwords should not use easily found personal information such as birthdays or children’s names. The best passwords are at least eight characters long and consist of a combination of letters and numbers. Read more about how to create strong passwords.
8. Turn off wireless devices. Computers, PDAs, and other devices with WiFi or Bluetooth wireless connectivity can pose a data security risk. The same always-on wireless feature that lets you connect to the Internet anywhere gives hackers an entryway to your files. To reduce your risk, always disable all wireless connection devices when you aren’t using them. New devices often have a switch to turn off WiFi. Otherwise, look for the disabling function under Network Settings.
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| CRT at the Midyear Meetings |
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Look for CRT at the Midyear Meeting in Washington DC from May 9-14. In addition to the wireless hot spot you can find CRT at:
REALTORS Trade Expo May 11 9:00 am - 6:00 pm and May 12, 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Multiple Listing Issues & Policies Forum & Committee May 12, 9:00 am
Information Security - Its Everyones Business May 12, 1:00 pm
Business Technology Forum May 12, 3:00 pm
Large Firm Directors May 12, 3:00 pm
AEC State EO Forum May 13, 9:00 am
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| New CRT Surveys Available |
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Two new CRT surveys are now available.
The 2005 MLS Technology Survey reviews MLS technologies and the Realtor® business practices they support.
The 2005 REALTOR® Technology Effiiciency Survey reveals areas where technology can be used to improve real estate processes.
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| Is Your IT Professional Current? |
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Don’t make your IT professionals work in a vacuum. Now technology professionals working for real estate brokerage companies, MLSs, CIEs, or REALTORÒ associations can receive a free subscription to a special technology update newsletter from the Center for REALTORÒ Technology. If you’d like your IT staff or outside consultant to receive this quarterly update on technology trends and tips, have them subscribe at http://www.crt.REALTORS.org/newsletter-tech
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| Make CRT Your Tech Resource |
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Let CRT help you find the best solution to your toughest tech challenge. If there are technology issues or products you’d like the CRT to investigate or just a question you’d like answered, please e-mail your suggestions to info@crt.realtors.org
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| Opt-out |
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To unsubscribe go to http://www.crt.REALTORS.org/newsletter-broker
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Copyright© 2009, National Association of REALTORS®
About CRT
Questions? Send an email to info@crt.realtors.org
CRT Report Editor - Jeanne Tillman
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