VeriSign Approved to Provide Digital Certificate Services for U.S. Department of Defense
PR Newswire, Tuesday, October 26, 1999 at 12:14
350,000 DOD Trading Partners Eligible for Online Transactions
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Oct. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSN), the world's
leading provider of Internet trust services, announced today it has been accredited by the U.S.
Department of Defense (DOD) as an Interim External Certificate Authority (IECA). The accreditation
means that the 350,000 DOD trading partners will have the option to obtain VeriSign digital certificates
to secure their e-commerce transactions with the DOD.
The DOD has long recognized the need for digital certificates and public key infrastructure
(PKI) as a critical enabler of their Information Assurance initiatives. As an IECA, VeriSign will provide
digital certificate management and directory services for government trading partners in selected DOD
programs including Electronic Document Access, Defense Travel System, and Wide Area Work Flow.
The DOD program office has estimated that the total number of non-DOD users from the three
programs alone could top 300,000 in the next year.
"We have made a policy decision to rely on commercial certificate authorities for our trading
partners," said Art Money, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Command, Control, Communications
and Intelligence. "VeriSign's IECA services fill a critical need in our evolving Information Assurance
strategy by enabling us to securely and reliably communicate with our contractor and vendor
community."
To meet the DOD PKI requirement for in-person identity proofing for both DOD members and
their commercial trading partners, the VeriSign IECA service will utilize a combination of VeriSign's
established Internet authentication practices along with commercial notary services to validate
individual identities. Companies with in-house notaries will enjoy the added convenience of a single
notarized transaction to prove both the individual identities and the corporate affiliation of their
representatives.
"We are pleased to be part of the DOD IECA initiative and to add this program to our growing
list of federal and state government initiatives," said Stratton Sclavos, president and CEO of VeriSign.
"By enabling secure online transactions with their trading partners, the DOD is leveraging the power of
the Internet to increase operational efficiency and reduce transaction costs."
VeriSign's managed digital certificate services are currently being used to provide the
underlying trust infrastructure for a broad range of online applications at many Federal and State
agencies. Additional VeriSign Government initiatives:
-- Recently awarded part of the contract with the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA)
for Access Certificates for Electronic Services (ACES).
-- Over 40 federal pilot programs including: the Internal Revenue Service, the Department of
Defense, the Veterans Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, and the Federal Trade Commission
-- Named a licensed Certification Authority in four states, most recently in California (see
related releases at: verisign.com )
The IECA service leverages the same world-class technology and infrastructure as VeriSign's
commercial digital certificate and PKI services. These services currently support tens of thousands of
on-line businesses conducting secure electronic commerce and communications.
IECA subscribers selecting VeriSign as their IECA will achieve several unique advantages, in
addition to those afforded by secure, interoperable communications with the DOD. VeriSign's
unsurpassed attention to high system availability and highly-experienced customer service will provide
subscribers the peace-of-mind necessary to rely on PKI as an integral part of their business
processes. In addition to exceeding the DOD policy requirements, VeriSign's IECA service includes
the company's unique NetSure(sm) protection plan, providing a safety net of compensation in the
event of a financial loss due to certificate theft or loss.
VeriSign, Inc. is the leading provider of Internet trust services and digital certificate solutions
needed by Web sites, enterprises and individuals in order to conduct trusted and secure electronic
commerce and communications over IP networks. VeriSign's digital certificate services for Web sites
and consumers are available through the company's Web site at www.verisign.com and a growing
number of ISPs and Web hosting companies. The company's digital certificate services for enterprises
and electronic commerce service providers are available through regional account representatives,
resellers, and global affiliates.
NOTE: All trademarks are properties of their respective owners.
SOURCE VeriSign, Inc.
-0- 10/26/1999
/CONTACT: Jennifer Haas of Edelman Public Relations Worldwide, 650-968-4033, or
jennifer_haas@edelman.com, for VeriSign/ |
