SAN FRANCISCO, RSA CONFERENCE, -- Feb. 14, 2005 -- GeoTrust, Inc., a leader in identity verification solutions for e-business and the world's second largest issuer of SSL (secure sockets layer) certificates for web security, today announced the availability of GeoRoot(TM), an enterprise solution that allows organizations to chain their internally issued digital certificates to GeoTrust's publicly recognized roots. GeoRoot allows organizations with their own Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) to extend the use of SSL server and client certificates by leveraging a highly ubiquitous GeoTrust root, supported by over 99% of browsers.
"Today, many large organizations utilize Microsoft's free Certificate Authority to create digital certificates for securing their servers, email and employee remote access," stated Neal Creighton, CEO of GeoTrust. "However, these 'self-signed' certificates are only recognized within the issuing organization or other allied organizations that have chosen to share trust. By chaining to our widely supported public root, these organizations can easily enable trusted e-business transactions outside of their organizations."
"Server-based digital certificates for SSL have become increasingly important to organizations because they provide enhanced security," stated Vic Wheatman, Managing Vice President, Gartner, Inc. "However, we recognize that some organizations need to extend acceptance of their own certificates beyond their enterprise. By chaining their certificates to a widely recognized root, organizations can elevate trust levels and SSL functionality while using their own internal PKI system."
GeoRoot is designed to complement the existing capabilities of an in-house Certificate Authority, allowing organizations to maintain full control over Registration Authority (RA) functions for the issuance of SSL server certificates and client certificates (x.509). By chaining to GeoTrust's public root, certificates gain compatibility with virtually all browsers and digital certificate and public key security applications, including commerce sites, intranet, extranet, S/MIME and VPN hardware and clients. This ubiquitous recognition allows certificates, whether for electronic documents, secure email or other transactions, to be trusted globally.
Certificate lifecycle management is a key feature of GeoRoot, allowing organizations to easily issue, renew and revoke certificates. Other functions, such as authenticating individuals, deploying and managing SSL server certificates and client certificates, as well as managing the distribution of public keys to appropriate parties, are all handled by the organization. GeoRoot also allows an enterprise to maintain its own brand identity when issuing certificates, an attractive feature for certain applications such as email certificates.
In addition to GeoRoot, GeoTrust offers a full line of digital certificates for identity verification, including client certificates for secure access, SSL certificates for e-commerce and web services security, code signing certificates for software developers and the recently announced certified signing solution for Adobe(R) Acrobat(R). Its customers include the world's largest hosting companies, Global 1000 companies, educational institutions and government agencies worldwide.
Pricing and Availability
GeoRoot is available today in several configurations, with annual licenses to meet the needs of low volume to high volume users. GeoRoot is only available for internal use, and organizations must meet certain eligibility requirements, including financial net worth, insurance minimums, policy, implementation and compliance guidelines, and hardware security specifications. Complete details are available from GeoTrust sales at 866-511- 4141 or sales@geotrust.com.
About GeoTrust, Inc.
GeoTrust is a leader in identity verification and trust services for e- business. Its products include web security services for secure e-commerce transactions, identity verification services for secure access, digital signing and consumer verification, managed security services and TrustWatch, a free toolbar and search site that helps consumers recognize whether a site has been verified and is safe for the exchange of confidential information (http://www.trustwatch.com). With more than 80,000 companies in over 150 countries using its technology for online security, GeoTrust has rapidly become the second largest digital certificate provider in the world. Visit http://www.geotrust.com or call 781-292-4100 for more information
