CPA2Biz Extends VeriSign Services to CPAs, Including Digital Certificates, Secure E-mail and Future Registrations Of .pro and .cpa.pro Domain Names

Business Wire, Oct 18, 2001

Business Editors

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 18, 2001

CPA2Biz announced today that it has signed an agreement with VeriSign, Inc., to extend VeriSign services to more than 425,000 CPAs represented by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the state CPA societies.

Through CPA2Biz, CPAs will be able to register for domain names (including the new .pro and .cpa.pro domain names when they become available), purchase digital certificates, send secured and digitally signed e-mail, and integrate secure commerce functionality into Web sites. In addition, CPA2Biz will be integrating VeriSign Security and Authentication technologies into aspects of its internal operations, as well as into upcoming outsourced financial services offerings.

.Pro is one of the seven new generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs) established by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and is expected to be introduced beginning in early 2002. .Pro domain names are for "professionals" and will be administered by RegistryPro located in Dublin, Ireland. Only third-level domain names will be permitted for the .pro web extension -- for example, maryjones.cpa.pro. Initially, only cpa.pro, med.pro, and law.pro will be available.

VeriSign digital certificates provide the infrastructure for sending encrypted, signed and non-repudiable messages, including secured e-mail and secured financial transactions.

"Research shows that CPAs are among the most trusted business advisors, and we believe VeriSign services support CPAs' efforts in the e-business marketplace," said Brett Prager, President and Chief Executive Officer of CPA2Biz. "CPAs offering assurances like the AICPA's WebTrust and SysTrust will be able to supplement them with additional fee-based services such as VeriSign digital certificates and secure e-mail. Our mission is to provide best-of-breed solutions and tools to CPAs, and VeriSign helps us meet our goal. CPAs will also be able to further distinguish themselves in the marketplace through the use of the new domain names from VeriSign, most notably .cpa.pro."

"Businesses and professional organizations are constantly looking for the most convenient, cost-efficient ways to get the Web identity authentication services they need to serve their customers," said Ben Golub, Vice President of VeriSign. "CPA2Biz has designed a very effective platform for delivering Web-based services to hundreds of thousands of CPAs. VeriSign services fit very naturally into this platform, and will provide CPAs and their clients with the full range of offerings they need to power their business."

"The VeriSign products offered by CPA2Biz to our members fit with the AICPA's portfolio of existing services and those we have under development," said Anthony Pugliese, Vice President of Member Innovation at the AICPA. "Much like the CPA brand is respected and trusted in the business community, the VeriSign brand will enhance the trust that CPAs can provide for the e-business marketplace. We always keep an eye towards finding products that fit well with the services we have developed for our members."

VeriSign will also provide an investment in CPA2Biz. Through its investment in CPA2Biz, VeriSign joins the AICPA, state CPA societies, Microsoft, Thomson and Aon as a strategic partner with CPA2Biz. VeriSign is a leader in online trust services and was the first to meet the criteria of the WebTrust for Certification Authorities program from the AICPA. Under this program, VeriSign undergoes a yearly examination from KPMG indicating that all VeriSign digital certificates are issued in compliance with the ANS X9.79 technical standards governing Certification Authorities.

About VeriSign

VeriSign, Inc. is the leading provider of providing digital trust services that enable businesses and consumers to use digital networks with confidence. Digital trust services create a trusted environment through three core offerings - Web identity, authentication and payment services - powered by a global infrastructure that manages more than 5 billion communications and transactions a day. Additional news and information about the company is available at www.verisign.com.

Statements in this announcement other than historical data and information constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause VeriSign's actual results to differ materially from those stated or implied by such forward-looking statements. The potential risks and uncertainties include, among others, VeriSign's limited operating history under its current business structure, failure of the Illuminet merger to close due to the failure to obtain regulatory or other approvals; failure of the Illuminet stockholders to approve the merger; the risk that the VeriSign and Illuminet businesses will not be integrated successfully and unanticipated costs of such integration; uncertainty of future revenue and profitability and potential fluctuations in quarterly operating results; increased competition; risks associated with the company's international business and risks related to potential security breaches. More information about potential factors that could affect the company's business and financial results is included in VeriSign's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, especially in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2000, Registration Statement on Form S-4 filed on October 10, 2001 and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31 and June 30, 2001. VeriSign undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this press release.