Thanks, Eric. Everybody's hopping on the bandwagon. Check out the capabilities of this card...it has everything including the kitchen sink. Not sure why you'd need it all on the same card, but I guess it would be flexible.
Monday January 10, 8:03 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
SOURCE: Certicom Corp.
Certicom and Datakey Partner to Deliver First Smart Card Solution That Bridges the Wired & Wireless Worlds
Industry-leading Elliptic Curve Cryptography Technology Further Enhances Security Infrastructure of Datakey's Newest Cryptographic Smart Card
HAYWARD, CA, and MINNEAPOLIS, MN, Jan. 10 /CNW-PRN/ - Certicom Corp., a leading provider of next- generation encryption technology, and Datakey, Inc. (Nasdaq: DKEY - news), a leading provider of smart card solutions for public key infrastructure (PKI), today announced that Datakey will use Certicom's elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) technology to enhance its Model 330 smart card. The partnership will empower best-of-breed smart card solutions that address a wide spectrum of public key security issues in both the wired and wireless technology environments.
Through its relationship with Certicom, Datakey will augment its latest generation Model 330 smart card with ECC technology. Datakey selected Certicom's ECC solution to enable high-performance, efficient, bandwidth-friendly encryption ideal for use in constrained and wireless settings. Available in Q2'00, the ECC-equipped 330 smart card will provide a full range of algorithm support for computing environments. In turn, Certicom will provide its OEM customers with a complete smart card solution using Datakey's Model 330 card that supports a robust set of standard offerings, including PKCS No.11 and Microsoft CryptoAPI, as well as RSA and DSA algorithms. Certicom plans to market this solution as the SC-500 personal enterprise access card(TM), available to OEMs in the second quarter of 2000.
''Certicom's elliptic curve cryptography technology extends the already impressive feature set of Datakey's Model 330 smart card,'' said Tim Russell, vice president and general manager of Datakey's Information Systems Security business unit. ''When we combine the 32K storage capacity and 2048-bit RSA keys from our Model 330 smart card with Certicom's ECC technology, it allows us to provide the most comprehensive smart card solution on the market today. Specifically, Certicom's elliptic curve cryptography is ideal for users who want to protect their e-business communications while operating within a wireless setting or any other place where bandwidth is limited.''
Rick Dalmazzi, Certicom's president and CEO, said the partnership opens the door for Certicom to work with a much larger group of security providers. ''We are pleased to partner with Datakey to offer an advanced smart card solution to our OEM customers,'' Dalmazzi said. ''Now Certicom can provide a smart card that supports legacy authentication systems in addition to wireless and high-performance applications.''
Benefits of ECC Technology
Developed for a broad range of computing platforms and maximum interoperability, Certicom's ECC technology enables strong, high-performance security for every piece of the computing infrastructure, including the new generation of small form-factor products such as handheld computers, pagers, cell phones and smart cards. These products are the new Internet appliances for electronic commerce, demanding strong, highly efficient security. Certicom's ECC implementation is optimized to provide more efficient, high-strength security at smaller key sizes than those of traditional cryptographic systems. ECC minimizes power and bandwidth requirements and addresses today's demand for compact, full-strength security for all electronic communications and e-commerce applications.
Certicom's ECC technology brings numerous benefits to the Datakey Model 330 smart card solution. Most importantly, it adds the ECC algorithm to Datakey's smart card-based information security products, allowing them to support the many high-performance and wireless applications that are currently making use of this technology.
ECC has gained widespread acceptance in many circles, including the government sector, as the strongest form of public key encryption technology available per bit. As researchers challenge cryptographic algorithms over time, they test the capacities and limits to find the strongest security technology. Because ECC key sizes grow at a linear rate compared to other algorithms, such as RSA, documents signed with ECC technology will remain secure many times longer.
Model 330 Smart Card Demo at RSA 2000 Trade Show
The new Model 330 smart card and Certicom's ECC will be demonstrated together at the RSA 2000 trade show at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center, January 16-20, 2000. For more information and a complete demonstration of this technology, please visit both the Datakey booth (No.839) and Certicom booth (No.836).
About Model 330 Smart Card
Datakey's Model 330 Smart Card enters the market as the first-ever 2048-bit RSA smart card offering 32K of EEPROM space for the storage of multiple digital credentials and application data. It employs up to 2048-bit RSA key lengths for increased information security and offers the largest demonstrated PKI interoperability in the industry. The Model 330 card is currently undergoing FIPS 140-1 Level 2 certification -- a government standard that specifies the necessary security requirements for a cryptographic module used to protect unclassified information. Datakey smart cards always have featured on-card key generation, which means that private keys are never available for someone to copy or steal. The Model 330 smart card and Datakey's crypto-software continue to adhere strictly to industry standards such as RSA's PKCS No.11 and Microsoft's CryptoAPI. The addition of ECC technology to the Model 330 cards gives users the flexibility and advanced security that elliptic curve technology offers, especially for wireless applications and for other applications with limited bandwidth.
About Datakey, Inc.
Datakey, Inc. is a leading international provider of smart card solutions for PKI. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn., the company offers a family of smart card-based information security and digital signature products under the SignaSURE(TM) umbrella. Using state-of-the-art cryptographic technology, these products fill growing market needs for secure, smart card-based user authentication and data privacy. Datakey's smart card-based information security products play an integral role in any public key infrastructure (PKI) system by providing two-factor security -- something that is owned (a smart card) and something that is known (a password).
Shares of Datakey's common stock are traded on Nasdaq under the symbol DKEY. You can find more information on the Datakey Web site at www.datakey.com. You can view all Datakey press releases on the Web site, at www.prnewswire.com or via fax by calling Company News On-Call at 1-800-758-5804, ext. 231950.
About Certicom
Certicom is a leading provider of next-generation encryption technology used to build strong, fast, and efficient security solutions. Major computing and communications companies, such as 3Com/Palm Computing, BellSouth Wireless Data, Hewlett-Packard, Motorola, Pitney Bowes, QUALCOMM and VeriFone, incorporate Certicom's technology into electronic commerce software, wireless messaging applications, and smart cards. Certicom is a leading source for a complete range of OEM security products and services, including cryptographic toolkits, custom implementations, and security integration services and consulting. Certicom's worldwide sales and marketing operations are based in Hayward, California, with cryptographic research and product development in Toronto, Canada. Certicom shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol ''CIC.'' For more information, visit Certicom's Web site at certicom.com.
Certicom is a registered trademark of Certicom Corp. All other companies and products listed herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
This press release contains forward-looking statements relating to Certicom's encryption technology. The statements contained in this press release that are not purely historical are forward looking statements including among other things, statements regarding Certicom's expectations, beliefs, intentions, or strategies regarding the future. Our actual results could differ significantly from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of the risks identified in the documents that we file with the Ontario Securities Commission and other securities regulatory authorities from time to time including our current Annual Information Form.
SOURCE: Certicom Corp.
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