U.S. State Department Standardizes on Entrust to Secure Internal Communications
Extended global deployment enables Department staff to encrypt and digitally sign sensitive documents, email and Web resources
12 Aug 2003
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Entrust, Inc. [NASDAQ: ENTU], a world leader in securing digital identities and information, today announced that the U.S. Department of State has expanded its relationship with the company by selecting Entrust's digital identity and digital signature solutions to fulfill many of the Department's enterprise and inter-departmental secure communications needs.
Like most Federal agencies, the State Department faces an increasing need for its employees to securely communicate and exchange information internally and with other Federal government agencies. Using Entrust Digital IDs stored on smart cards, Departmental staff will be able to encrypt and digitally sign documents and e-mail messages.
Under the agreement, the State Department's staff will be bolstered by professional services experts from CygnaCom Solutions, a U.S. government accredited laboratory and Entrust unit focused on providing PKI and Information Assurance consulting to government agencies around the world.
"We are pleased to partner with the U.S. Department of State as it continues to secure its global digital identities and information," said Bill Conner, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Entrust. "With this announcement, the State Department has strengthened its leadership position as an innovator in the area of information security, while realizing the enormous productivity gains and cost efficiencies enabled by the use of digital signatures."
This deal expands the State Department's relationship with Entrust, which began in January 2001, when it selected Entrust to implement solutions based on Public-Key Infrastructure (PKI) across the Department.
Entrust is a leading security solution provider for more than 320 global government customers and has deployed cyber security solutions in more than 50 U.S. Federal government departments and agencies, including Department of Energy, Department of Agriculture National Finance Center (USDA/NFC), Treasury Department, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), NASA, Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and more.
About Digital Signatures
Digital signatures provide unique capabilities for securing digital information; for example, they enable the recipient to verify the authenticity of the information's originator. In addition, a verified digital signature assures the recipient that the information has not been tampered with since it was originally signed. These two benefits of digital signatures are essential for enabling secure online transactions and information distribution.