Features
Global Accessibility
With state-of-the-art servers in data centers in the US, Canada, Europe, and Asia, we’re able to provide 24-hour access to our global customer base. Furthermore, our certified IT team and staff work a mix of U.S., E.U., and Asia-Pacific hours to provide customers with personalized support in case they encounter any obstacles. Backups are made once a day and stored in separate off-site secure data centers. Customer sites are accessible through a robust network that includes full support for IPv6 – the next generation of Internet technology, and an option for SSO (Single Sign-On) authentication.
Strict Privacy
In addition to meeting compliance regulations, we provide full access control so researchers can only view sign ups for their own studies, and participants can never see information about other participants. To ensure studies cannot recruit participants past their approval date, we enforce IRB (ethics) approvals and expiration dates. We also supply electronic acknowledgements for human subject policies, privacy policies, SSL encryption, and anonymous ID codes for added privacy. And, for universities needing data to reside outside of the U.S., we provide alternative data facilities in Europe, Canada, and Asia so that data never resides on U.S. soil.
Fully compliant
Sona Systems is in compliance with all major research regulations and guidelines worldwide. Participant data is safe and secure, guarded 24/7 at our data facility, and we take extra steps to protect universities across the globe. We have no-show handling options that are in compliance with OHRP guidelines, and meet all EU data privacy guidelines, including EU GDPR compliance that has been verified by a third-party auditor.
We help customers comply with: Common Rule (45 CFR 46), HIPAA, HITECH, PIPEDA, Tri-Council Policy, EU GDPR, CCPA, SSL, FERPA, Section 508, VPAT, WCAG 2.0, EN 301 549, Switzerland-U.S. Safe Harbor, HECVAT, and SOC2.
3rd-Party Integration
Our integrations allows researchers to use the best tools for their research needs, while still managing sign-ups, qualifications and participant tracking in Sona Systems. Researchers can use our integration feature to allow participants to receive credit for their sign-up as soon as they complete the online study. Integrations include Qualtrics, SurveyMoney, REDCap, SurveyGizmo and more.
Multilanguage Support
Our software is currently available for participants in several languages in addition to English, including Spanish, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Japanese, Korean, French, German, Turkish, Portuguese, Hebrew, Polish, Czech and Russian, and for researchers in English and Japanese. If the preferred language is different from the above, users are still able to seamlessly enter data, like study names and prescreen questions, into the English interface.
Mobile App for iOS and Android
Our free mobile app provides an additional way for users to engage. Participants can sign up for studies, check their schedules, and track credits using an iPhone, iPad, or Android device. Researchers can view study sign-ups, mark participation, and check in participants for a study.
