VeriSign Onsite 4.0 PKI Solution Integrated With Cisco Systems IOS Software
Jointly Developed Solution Enables Customers to Deploy Secure Virtual Private Networks
October 12, 1998 10:40 AM
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Oct. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- VeriSign, Inc. VRSN today announced that VeriSign OnSite 4.0, the world's first fully-integrated public key infrastructure (PKI) platform, provides digital certificate support to Cisco IOS software through the use of the jointly developed Certificate Request Syntax (CRS) protocol. With this announcement, Cisco's 20,000 customers worldwide will be able to automatically integrate network devices such as routers and firewalls into a PKI to administer lifecycle functions such as digital certificate registration and response, certificate revocation, and certificate revocation list (CRL) retrieval. Digital certificates issued to routers and firewalls using the IPSec protocol will enable these devices to utilize the Internet to establish low-cost, multi-point virtual private networks (VPNs).
Prior to today's announcement, enterprises were required to maintain expensive private leased lines and racks of modems to securely connect remote network devices and remote users to the corporate network. Other expensive and complex options included using encrypted tunneling products placed at each end of a network link or utilizing a satellite connection from a remote site back to the corporate network. These options were costly, proprietary, and required significant manual administration. By integrating with VeriSign's newly-introduced OnSite 4.0 enterprise PKI solution using the CRS protocol, Cisco firewall and router products will be able to authenticate network devices and remote client applications using IPSec digital certificates, harnessing the power of the Internet.
"As more and more enterprise customers leverage virtual private networks for remote access and other critical business applications, they need the proven technologies, reputable services, and management guarantees to reap the benefits of this powerful new communications vehicle," said Roger Farnsworth, manager, Security Internet Services at Cisco Systems. "VeriSign OnSite 4.0 allows Cisco to deliver these critical security needs, making the deployment of networking security features more practical, cost-effective, and secure than ever before."
CRS is a digital certificate management protocol which enables enterprises to conduct lifecycle management functions, such as enrollment, renewal, revocation, and replacement in conjunction with a certificate management system without having to employ a Web user interface. CRS was crafted by a consortium of industry leaders including VeriSign, Cisco, Microsoft, Netscape, and Sun Microsystems and has been submitted to the IETF for consideration as a PKIX standard. The protocol demonstrates the industry's commitment to developing interoperable rather than proprietary solutions for the enterprise.
"VeriSign's strategy is to partner with industry leaders to create open, scalable and cost-efficient end-to-end security solutions for our customers," said Richard Yanowitch, vice president of marketing for VeriSign. "Cisco's networking technology forms a critical part of the Internet backbone and we're extremely pleased to unveil this best-of-breed networking security solution to our combined global customer base in conjunction with our release of VeriSign OnSite 4.0."
VeriSign OnSite 4.0
VeriSign OnSite 4.0 is the world's first integrated PKI platform, combining advanced PKI functionality with a global PKI backbone, guaranteeing high-availability enterprise PKI to secure a wide range of intranet, extranet, virtual private networking, and e-commerce applications. OnSite 4.0 comes complete with support for transparent VPN enablement using the IPSec protocol, allowing the integration of clients, servers and network devices within a common PKI. In addition to Cisco, Ascend, Check Point, Shiva, 3Com, TimeStep and VPNet have previously announced plans to support the OnSite offering from within their products for VPN enablement.
OnSite 4.0 includes new features including the industry's most secure key management/key recovery solution, enterprise integration tools, enhanced PKI administration, and broad application support -- all backed by carrier-class provisioning delivered by VeriSign and its network of global affiliates in the U.S., UK, France, Taiwan, Japan, and South Africa. OnSite 4.0 includes best-of-breed PKI software and VeriSign's 24 x 7 PKI processing, maintaining a high level of PKI security at the customer site regardless of customer crises, security emergencies, hacker attacks, and technology changes. Over 120 major enterprises including Morgan Stanley Dean Witter & Co., First Union Bank, NationsBank, and Texas Instruments have chosen VeriSign OnSite 4.0 to secure a broad range of network applications using digital certificate technology.
VeriSign OnSite for IPSec Availability
Joint Cisco and VeriSign products are available today. Cisco's support for digital certificates and IPSec first shipped in the 11.3T version of IOS software.
VeriSign, Inc.
VeriSign, Inc. is the leading provider of Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and digital certificate solutions used by enterprises, Web sites, and consumers to conduct secure communications and transactions over the Internet and private networks. VeriSign's enterprise PKI solutions are available through VeriSign regional account representatives, resellers, and global affiliates. The company's Digital IDs and Secure Server IDs are available through the company's Web site at www.verisign.com. For more information visit VeriSign's Web site at verisign.com.
NOTE: VeriSign is a registered trademark exclusively licensed to VeriSign, Inc. OnSite and VeriSign Trust Network are service marks of VeriSign, Inc. All other trademarks are properties of their respective owners.
SOURCE VeriSign, Inc.
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