Baltimore helps C&W package PKI

Leading ebusiness security vendor Baltimore Technologies (LSE:BLM) and international telco Cable & Wireless today announced plans for an integrated suite of e-security solutions for Application Service Providers (ASPs).


The pair plan to provide a broad range of services including secure web access, comprehensive e-mail content security, and secure hosting.


One of the first beneficiaries is Cable & Wireless’ own ASP venture, a-Services, which launched last month in the US – see related ASP News story on internetnews.com, Cable and Wireless Unveils New FSP, Sep 26th 2000.


Using Baltimore’s technology helps allay customer concerns about the ASP model, a-Services’ VP marketing, Stuart Keeping, told ASP-News. “The number one concern on all customer’s lips is security and trust,” he said.


C&W will be offering the technology through other sales channels, too. “C&W is also looking to make its infrastructure assets available to oher ASPs, or to enterprises on a one-to-one outsourcing basis,” said Keeping.


Cable & Wireless is the first of a small number of global premier partners in Baltimore’s ASP program, which it launched earlier this month (Oct 9th). Other ASPs in the scheme will benefit from access to the global infrastructure of partners like C&W, said Tim Dunn, Baltimore’s regional business development manager for the UK.


“[Some] may want to have the infrastructure directly from Baltimore, but more and more ASPs are going to want to use the platforms of organisations like C&W,” Dunn told ASP-News.


As part of the program, Baltimore offers ASPs an integrated suite of e-security solutions. The technology allows ASPs to build digital certificate and security functionality into their existing e-service applications, as well as creating new revenue streams through the provision of secure hosted services.


The Cable & Wireless announcement came as part of a broader alliance to develop Trusted Third Party (TTP) secure e-business services for large enterprises. Based on Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) technology, the services will be offered through Cable & Wireless, and are scheduled to start rolling out in Europe and the US in the first half of next year. See related internetnews.com story, Cable & Wireless, Baltimore in Secure Solutions Deal, Oct 23rd 2000.


The companies are currently implementing the secure infrastructure upon which the new services can be deployed. The first service on offer will be a PKI-based secure Virtual Private Network (sVPN) solution.


Robin Parr, global business development manager for C&W, told ASP-News the objective was to package PKI so businesses can easily build security into their dot-com initiatives.


“PKI is a very complex technology and is quite difficult and expensive to integrate into any normal infrastructure. We’re aiming to package this in a way that it’s available to smaller enterprises that want to offer it and build trust into their offerings,” said Parr.


Dublin, Ireland-based Baltimore is a global leader in Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and cryptography products, with 800 staff worldwide and operations in Dublin, Ireland; London, UK; Boston, USA; and Sydney, Australia. It recently announced the acquisitions of MIMEsweeper developer Content Technologies and user authorization technology specialist Nevex.

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