Sterling Commerce Selects Entrust to Broaden Security Capabilities
Secure Commerce Foundation provides Multi-Enterprise Services Architecture with unparalleled plug-and-play security services
15 Nov 2004
COLUMBUS, OHIO – Business integration leader Sterling Commerce today announced a strategic partnership with Entrust, Inc. [Nasdaq: ENTU], a world-leading provider of identity and access management solutions, to offer enterprises of all sizes a highly secure platform for Multi-Enterprise Collaboration.
This platform, which is part of the Secure Commerce Foundation of Sterling Commerce’s Multi-Enterprise Services Architecture (MESA), will consist of a security services solution set provided by Entrust to bolster the security capabilities required for business integration and collaboration outside the four walls of an enterprise. The partnership also will provide Sterling Commerce customers in retail, financial services and manufacturing with a plug-and-play solution for secure commerce supporting the most stringent business requirements and regulatory mandates.
“Security continues to be one of the top concerns of IT professionals,” said Jim Hendrickson, vice president of Corporate Development, Sterling Commerce. “This becomes an even greater concern when critical business information is distributed in a multi-enterprise environment, which extends beyond the edge of the enterprise. To operate successfully in this new integration paradigm, enterprises must employ a new level of security before access to internal systems can be granted to external parties such as customers, partners, and suppliers.”
Hendrickson added, “The benefits of this strategic partnership for customers, regardless of vertical industry, is access to a broad set of application security capabilities such as secure identity management, policy-based security, authentication, single sign-on, encryption, and certificate services - all from a single, comprehensive solution.”
A 2004 Forrester report entitled Securing the Enterprise: Best Practices in Operational Excellence, Regulatory Compliance, and Infrastructure Security stated: The increased business pressures of achieving integrity and compliance, and effectively managing risk are driving information security into an expanded role and function in protecting organizations from peril.
Michael Warrilow, research analyst for META Group added, “Traditional approaches to network security, based predominately on hardened external perimeters and unsegmented internal networks, are proving insufficient. The need for secure, layered controls is becoming apparent. Before 2006, trust management will become the dominant paradigm for communicating requirements and designing secure solutions.”
“The Sterling Commerce and Entrust partnership brings together years of experience in implementing secure infrastructure solutions and will address a broad set of verticals needs,” said Kevin Simzer, senior vice president of Marketing at Entrust, Inc. “By using the Entrust security solution set within the Secure Commerce Foundation of MESA, we help make it possible for organizations to securely extend new online services to their customers, partners and employees in accordance with regulatory compliance and meet more stringent demands for data integrity and privacy.”
Entrust manages digital identities and information securely across a wide variety of devices, applications, platforms and environments. By using Entrust security capabilities with Sterling Commerce’s Multi-Enterprise Services Architecture, customers can extend the reach of their sensitive applications and business processes safely throughout their business ecosystem and safeguard them from unauthorized access.
Sterling Commerce will make Entrust’s security solution set available globally as part of MESA in early 2005, including:
- Secure Messaging: Automatic and transparent security for enterprise and B2B e-mail traffic, including content analysis to improve compliance with regulations;
- Secure Data: FIPS-validated protection of data at rest and in transit on mobile devices such as laptops and PDAs; and,
- Secure Identity Management: Securely manages identities and access for users, applications and devices across client-server, Web and Web services architectures.
The Sterling Commerce Multi-Enterprise Collaboration strategy enables organizations to more effectively work with customers, suppliers and partners and their own employees to increase revenue. MESA is a multi-enterprise, service-oriented architecture that supports the necessary scalability, security and performance required for collaboration within a business ecosystem.
About Sterling Commerce
Sterling Commerce, a wholly owned subsidiary of SBC Communications Inc. (NYSE:SBC), is one of the world’s largest providers of business integration solutions. For more than 29 years, thousands of companies have depended on Sterling Commerce expertise to optimize collaborative relationships through the integration of applications, external partners, suppliers and customers. With more than 29,000 customers worldwide, Sterling Commerce is the dominant business integration solutions provider in retail, consumer packaged goods, manufacturing, financial services and telecommunications. For detailed, up-to-date information on Sterling Commerce and our solutions, visit www.sterlingcommerce.com.
SBC Communications Inc. is a Fortune 50 company whose subsidiaries, operating under the SBC brand, provide a full range of voice, data, networking, e-business, directory publishing and advertising, and related services to businesses, consumers and other telecommunications providers. SBC holds a 60 percent ownership interest in Cingular Wireless, which serves 25 million wireless customers. SBC companies provide high-speed DSL Internet access lines to more American consumers than any other provider and are among the nation's leading providers of Internet services. SBC companies also now offer satellite TV service. Additional information about SBC and SBC products and services is available at www.sbc.com.