Entrust PKI: The Unified Security Architecture for U.S. Department of
Homeland Security
Entrust, XTec to deploy PKI and provide secure smartcard login, encrypted communication </pre> <p><location>DALLAS</location>, <chron>Nov. 17</chron> /CNW/ -- Drawing on years of success securing various U.S. federal agencies and departments, Entrust, Inc., and their proven public key infrastructure technology, will now provide the unified security infrastructure for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) components. This agreement helps DHS enable cost-savings, meet HSPD-12 requirements, encrypt communications and data, and deploy secure credentials for both physical and logical access.</p> <p/> <p>"PKI technology remains such a valuable and versatile tool, regardless of the scope or type of environment it secures," said Entrust President and CEO <person>Bill Conner</person>. "The Department of Homeland Security should be lauded for not only unifying their security architecture, but for doing so in a manner that enhances cross-component efficiency and helps save money by reducing the number of solutions securing different offices and locations."</p> <p/> <p>Facilitated by partner XTec Inc., who is the key HSPD-12 solution provider for DHS, the Entrust deployment will provide PKI services and digital certificates for all DHS components and their employees. The two-year implementation will leverage Entrust's PKI architecture, Entrust Authority, as well as Entrust Entelligence Security Provider and XTec's AuthentX platform for the management and secure distribution of the agency's internal digital certificates. These certificates will provide DHS proven smartcard login, network authentication, as well as encryption for e-mail and desktop environments.</p> <p/> <p>"XTec has years of proven experience as a security solutions provider for the U.S. government, and opting for a strong, proven PKI will help DHS meet their immediate and long-term security needs," said XTec CEO <person>Albert Fernandez</person>. "We're looking forward to collaborating with Entrust on this critical government project, and our team innovation will serve as a strong security model for other U.S. agencies to follow."</p> <p/> <p>Entrust's PKI solution has been implemented to perform critical security tasks in various U.S. federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of State for advanced ePassports and the Shared Service Provider (SSP) PKI for the U.S. Department of Treasury. Entrust's hosted PKI service is also identified by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) as an approved SSP for use within federal environments.</p> <p/> <p>Additional state and federal PKI deployments include the State of Illinois, State of Virginia, the Departments of Energy and Justice, NASA, the Government Printing Office, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.</p> <p/> <p>XTec provides the knowledge, products and experience to help U.S. federal departments and agencies deploy solutions to comply with HSPD-12 and PIV requirements, as defined in FIPS 201 and related NIST standards. The specific solution, XTec's AuthentX Identity Management System, includes all required components for an HSPD-12 PIV II solution. XTec was among the first companies -- and was the first small business -- to be certified by GSA to provide a "complete end-to-end solution," including each of the HSPD-12/PIV system components. XTec also has a long-standing relationship with the DHS for document security, which relies on XTec technology to assist in the forensic tracing of counterfeit cards.</p> <p/> <p>Entrust Entelligence Security Provider is an enterprise-wide security platform for Microsoft Windows desktops, domain controllers and authentication servers that allows organizations to deploy the digital identities that enable the strong authentication, encryption and digital signature capabilities within a number of authentication applications and other applications such as data encryption and secure e-mail.</p> <p/> <p>Entrust's first public key infrastructure -- the world's first commercially available PKI -- was released in 1994. Now in its eighth edition, the Entrust Authority public key infrastructure product portfolio is the industry's most relied upon PKI solution. By managing the full lifecycles of digital certificate-based identities, Entrust Authority PKI enables encryption, digital signature and certificate authentication capabilities to be consistently and transparently applied across a broad range of applications and platforms.</p> <p/> <p>The U.S. Department of Homeland Security leverages resources within federal, state and local governments, coordinating the transition of multiple agencies and programs into a single, integrated agency focused on protecting the American people and their homeland. More than 87,000 different governmental jurisdictions at the federal, state and local level have homeland security responsibilities. The comprehensive national strategy seeks to develop a complementary system connecting all levels of government without duplicating effort.</p> <pre> About XTec </pre> <p>XTec is a leader in secure, interoperable authentication and verification systems. XTec develops, produces and licenses enterprise-level security solutions for credentialing, access control, information systems and electronic commerce for a wide range of government and commercial uses. XTec's focus is on providing a foundation from which customers can build secure, Web-based enterprise applications and cryptographic systems. XTec is a recognized leader in both government and commercial circles for its expertise and products for credentialing, identity, secure payment and access control. For more information visit <a href="http://www.xtec.com">www.xtec.com</a>.</p> <pre> About Entrust </pre> <p>Entrust provides trusted solutions that secure digital identities and information for enterprises and governments in 2,000 organizations spanning 60 countries. Offering trusted security for less, Entrust solutions represent the right balance between affordability, expertise and service. These include SSL, strong authentication, fraud detection, digital certificates and PKI. For information, call 888-690-2424, e-mail <a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a> or visit <a href="http://www.entrust.com">www.entrust.com</a>.</p> <p/> <p>Entrust is a registered trademark of Entrust, Inc. in the <location>United States</location> and certain other countries. In <location>Canada</location>, Entrust is a registered trademark of Entrust Limited. All Entrust product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of Entrust, Inc. or Entrust Limited. All other company and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.</p> <pre>
For further information: Lindsey Jones, Media Relations of Entrust, +1-972-728-0374, [email protected] Web Site: http://www.xtec.com http://www.entrust.com
Share this article