What makes a qualitative research platform enterprise-ready?

Typically, signing up on a platform is dependent on how stringent the security review is. For teams considering a new platform subscription, anticipating what IT will ask, is the fastest way through.

Enterprise teams typically look for recognised security certifications, encryption in transit and at rest, clear AI data terms, and role-based access. For such teams, a public trust page and a signed data-processing agreement usually speed up IT approval.

Which security certifications to ask for

The most common enterprise requirements are ISO 27001 certification, SOC 2 Type II compliance, and GDPR readiness. These are mutually exclusive, not interchangeable. ISO 27001 covers information security management broadly. SOC 2 is specific to how a vendor handles customer data. GDPR applies to any data involving EU residents.

Asking for certification documents before procurement starts usually saves time upfront, for teams negotiating with platforms. A vendor who cannot produce certifications on-demand is unlikely to smoothly pass a security review. flowres.io's trust centre lists its current certifications and compliance posture.

How to ask for clear AI data terms 

Enterprise clients regularly ask whether their session data is used to train AI models. This is a legitimate concern when transcripts contain proprietary research, participant opinions, or unreleased product information.

If you are someone evaluating a platform, ask explicitly: Does the platform train on customer data? If so, on what, under what conditions, and can you opt out? 

flowres.io's position on responsible AI practices covers how the analysis environment is scoped, what happens to research data after a session ends, and what the AI does and does not learn from.

What to ask for in Role-based access

Enterprise research often involves multiple moderators, clients, observers, analysts, and administrators. Not all of them should have access to all platform functionalities.

At the bare minimum, a platform should support role-based access that separates who can run sessions, who can view recordings, who can access transcripts, and who has administrative control over the account. Single sign-on via Okta or a similar identity provider removes the need to manage platform passwords separately.

flowres.io supports Okta SSO for enterprise customers, along with role-based permissions across moderators, observers, and account administrators.

What helps IT approve procurement faster

Three things significantly shorten procurement timelines. 

1. A public trust page that addresses standard security queries that IT would typically raise

2. A data-processing agreement (DPA) available on request. 

3. Clear documentation on data residency: where is the data stored, under which jurisdiction, and for how long.

If you are stepping into a procurement process, ask your vendor for these three things in early interactions. 

FAQs

What security questions will IT ask about a research tool?

The most common ones are: What certifications do you hold (ISO 27001, SOC 2)? Where is data stored and under what jurisdiction? Is data encrypted in transit and at rest? Is customer data used to train AI? What is your data retention and deletion policy? Can we sign a data-processing agreement?

What is a data processing agreement (DPA)?

A DPA is a contract between a company and a vendor that specifies how personal data is processed, stored, and protected. Most enterprise data protection policies require a signed DPA before any tool handling participant or employee data is approved.

Do research platforms use my data to train AI?

It depends on the platform. Some general-purpose AI tools use customer inputs to improve their models by default. Purpose-built research platforms typically operate in a closed environment and do not train on customer data.