Certifications and Memberships

DRC’s commitment to providing quality products and services is demonstrated by the certifications we have achieved and the professional memberships we maintain. Through decades of successful research programs, DRC has developed and refined our systems to ensure the highest levels of quality, security, and customer satisfaction.

Security Standards and Certifications
The foundation for DRC’s information security policies and procedures is based on the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) criteria (NIST 800-53). This is a nationally recognized standard with extensive requirements for information security practices and, to meet the U.S. Government’s high cyber security and privacy standards, it is the required security framework for all U.S. Government contractors.

To further demonstrate that DRC meets international security requirements, DRC holds ISO 27001 certification. Published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), ISO 27001 is the most internationally recognized information security standard. The ISO 27001 standard specifies requirements for establishing, implementing, maintaining, and continually improving information security management systems and includes requirements for the assessment and treatment of information security risks.

As well as the ISO 27001 certification, DRC annually performs a FISMA NIST 800-53-based assessment of our survey systems and assesses compliance with the NIST Risk Management Framework (RMF). NIST RMF compliance encompasses a stringent set of security requirements for processing and storing Department of Defense data and is a requirement for DRC’s contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense. DRC is one of only a few full-service research firms with this high-level of certification.

With this level of certification, clients can be assured that our solutions are protected. DRC can be trusted to securely host and report on your data.

Quality Management Certification
DRC attained ISO 9001 certification in 2007 and was re-certified in 2019. Our current certification—ISO 9001—is an internationally recognized quality management standard that defines a set of core quality requirements with which an organization must comply. DRC proudly holds the most comprehensive scope of ISO certification of any company in the industry. 

The scope of our ISO 9001 registration is based on a business process approach, rather than the functional approach that many companies use. Embedding the ISO 9001 standard has enhanced an already strong foundation of business process controls for which DRC has been known for many years.

Professional Associations
As an active member of Insights Association, a national trade association representing U.S. commercial survey firms, our team has strong research knowledge and is dedicated to maintaining the highest standards of scientific research and integrity, staying current with the latest developments, and maintaining professional memberships in several professional associations (such as the American Psychological Association, American Association of Public Opinion Research, the Society for Industrial-Organizational Psychology, the Market Research Association, the American Marketing Association, and ESOMAR).