Entrust Customers

Federal Government Department Uses Entrust-Ready™ Forms Application to File Documents Online

As the Internet increases in popularity as a medium for doing business, the Investment Review Division of Industry Canada (IRD) is taking advantage of new technologies to enhance their collection and filing process. The IRD is responsible for administering the Investment Canada Act. This Act requires that foreign investors provide specified information to the IRD when they establish a new business in Canada and when they acquire control of a Canadian business. Up to this point, this information has been provided on paper and submitted to the IRD, either by fax, mail, or courier. Depending on the industry and size of the investment, the information may be fairly basic or in the case of a reviewable investment, it may be quite detailed. All information submitted remains strictly confidential.

General Network Services, Inc. (GNS), an Entrust Partner, is assisting the IRD in adopting the latest technology to assist foreign investors to provide the necessary information in the most efficient manner possible. Not only will IRD's operating costs be lowered but their client's turnaround time will be reduced. IRD took the first step to electronic filing of information when it developed its Web site. Standard filing forms are available on this site but it was only through a partnership with General Network Services that IRD is now moving rapidly towards full electronic filing capability. The strict confidential nature of the information will be maintained by having the body of the message digitally encrypted on a local computer (by Entrust Software) and sent to IRD using a Netscape® browser and the FormLock™ plugin, a GNS product built to work with Entrust software.

During the pilot phase of the IRD project, a small trial group of the largest users have been fully equipped with Entrust and FormLock. Within the year, all businesses that are required by the Investment Canada Act to provide information and who have access to the Internet will be able to file electronically using the security of Entrust and the FormLock plugin.

Entrust software provides two things: encryption of the secure information, and authentication of the senders. By using Entrust software, IRD is assured that the information it receives is secure and that the sender has been authenticated. With FormLock, Entrust users, like IRD, are able to submit standard WWW forms with confidence using the Netscape browser. The sender can trust that their information has not been viewed by people who are not supposed to see it, and the recipient is secure in the knowledge that the information actually comes from the person the submitter claims to be.

To participate in the pilot, all IRD personnel installed Entrust and were provided with keys. Their users in the private sector were also supplied with the same. The FormLock installation program seamlessly installs into an existing copy of Netscape, and from there users have a secure interface for submitting the forms, with digital signature included, ensuring that the submitted information is not altered and providing proof that the information is from the sender.

"We have a test group of law firms and have successfully completed initial trial submissions. We are now in the process of widening the pilot and identifying new participants," says Tyson Macaulay, Chief Information Officer of General Network Services.

The primary characteristic of FormLock is that it uses a standard WWW form interface. This feature, combined with the security that comes with the Entrust public-key infrastructure, has generated interest in FormLock worldwide.