Global E-Commerce Leaders Join with Entrust Technologies; Entrust Worldwide Enables Global PKI Networking

Business Wire, Jan 18, 1999

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 18, 1999--RSA Data Security Conference -- Entrust(R) Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:ENTU), the global leader in managed public-key infrastructures (PKI), today announced Entrust(R) Worldwide(tm) which will enable the widespread use of PKI Networking to facilitate electronic commerce and communications.

Global e-commerce leaders including ABAecom, Bell Emergis/MPACT Immedia, BNL Multiservizi, Digital Signature Trust Co., Entrust Japan, SECOM Co. Ltd., The Royal Mail, PriceWaterhouseCoopers and Deloitte & Touche have agreed to participate and use Entrust Worldwide's product offerings as the foundation for this initiative.

By establishing defined business practices and policies, the Entrust Worldwide offer functions as the first step on the evolutionary path to enable companies to engage in e-commerce activities utilizing PKI services and practices. As reliance on e-commerce grows in companies, these services and practices will also support the linkage to the capabilities offered in the recently announced Global Trust Organization (formed by CertCo and eight leading fiigh-trust, certificate service capability for high-value e-commerce activities.

The infrastructure for the worldwide trust network will provide a flexible, open architecture permitting CAs from multiple technology vendors such as Entrust Technologies, Baltimore Technologies, Microsoft, Netscape, VeriSign and others to interoperate. The Entrust(R) Worldwide(tm) trademark will signify that providers of CA services comply with the procedures established for use of the mark. Deloitte & Touche and PriceWaterhouseCoopers will serve in an audit capacity.

Founding members who act as Certification Authorities may issue digital certificates to businesses or individuals. These CAs will contractually agree to business practices and procedures that will enable a more secure exchange of information with other individuals and businesses served by the network, regardless of which organization issued the digital certificate. Using a technology known as cross-certification, multiple CAs may selectively choose to trust each other. The first production cross-certification facility for this purpose began operations today.

"The founding principle behind the creation of Entrust(R) Worldwide(tm) is to open the doors to new methods of electronic communication among businesses and individuals," said John Ryan, president and chief executive officer, Entrust Technologies Inc. "Entrust Technologies is proud to be the first company to unite both Certification Authority service providers and enterprise-based CAs under one PKI networking umbrella. We believe that this offer, combined with an evolutionary path to high-trust, high-value PKI networks, will expand e-commerce on a global scale."

According to Yoichi Tao, CIO of SECOM, Co., Ltd. and president of Entrust Japan, "This effort is a significant initiative to standardize Internet commerce trust models worldwide. The flexible, open architecture design from Entrust provides the framework necessary for trusted e-commerce networks today and in the future."

Additional operational CAs across a variety of industries in global markets will be invited to participate. Organizations desiring additional information can visit http://www.entrust.com/worldwide or call 877/466-8513 in North America and 613/248-3027 outside of North America.

About ABAecom

ABAecom is a for-profit subsidiary of the American Bankers Association (ABA) dedicated to furthering electronic banking and commerce over the Internet by creating a secure environment for financial institutions and their customers. ABAecom will act as a root CA, assuming a trusted third party position and will issue digital certificates to legitimate financial institutions. ABAecom will serve a registration role for Entrust(R) Worldwide(tm); ABAecom is headquartered in Washington, DC, USA.

About Bell Emergis/MPACT Immedia

Bell Emergis/MPACT Immedia is a leading global provider of network-centric business solutions, including secured e-commerce transactions. Based on its experience in PKI services, Bell Emergis/MPACT Immedia serves, for certain requirements, as Entrust's preferred provider of outsourced CA services and preferred partner in pursuit of new sales opportunities in Canada. Bell Emergis/MPACT Immedia is headquartered in Montreal, Canada and has more than 500 employees in Canada and the United States.

About BNL Multiservizi

BNL Multiservizi, is the IT outsourcing subsidiary of Banca Nazionale del Lavoro (BNL), one of Italy's largest financial services groups. BNL is based in Rome, with nearly 800 branches throughout Italy.

About Deloitte & Touche

Deloitte & Touche is one of the largest providers of professional services in the world, with over 75,000 professionals world wide operating in 129 countries and offices in every major business center around the world, we serve some 700 of the world's biggest companies. Deloitte & Touche is a global leader in the Information Systems Protection and Secure e-Business solutions.