VeriSign Launches E-Commerce Suite

Online trust and payment services company VeriSign Inc. rolled out a new suite of e-commerce solutions aimed at the small- and medium-sized business market.

The Mountain View, Calif.-based company also got a boost today when Paul Saunders, an analyst at Soundview Technology Group cited VeriSign, via Zacks.com, as a leader in its niche.

The new product suite is called Web Business by VeriSign and the company said it integrates many of VeriSign’s Internet services including a professional Web Site with a unique address and matching e-mail address; real time credit and debit card processing; a VeriSign digital certificate; payment gateway set up; and a VeriSign Silver Secure Site Seal.

In addition, the product offers Web site publishing tools, inventory tracking tools, shipping tools, appointment scheduling, Request for Quote (RFQ) tools, an online catalog and marketing tools.

The product “… enables businesses to be part of a trusted digital environment that lets their customers use the Internet with confidence,” said Champ Mitchell, executive vice president and general manager of the Mass Markets Division at VeriSign.

VeriSign said it is offering interactive “wizards” to assist customers online in the decision-making process as they build an e-commerce site. Also, an optional package called “We Build It” is available for SMBs that want VeriSign to build their site. Web professionals will design and build custom Web site, and will provide ongoing maintenance and support, including graphic design and layout, logo design and uploadable images and text — in effect becoming the company’s online information technology department.

Pricing for the basic module — Web Business Basic — starts at $34.95 per month and scales upward depending on the bells and whistles added.

VeriSign, which has quietly been moving former CyberCash clients to its own payment services operation, saw its stock get a boost in the early going today, up 76 cents to $46.93. The company is also branching out to the telecom and wireless realm with its planned acquisition of Illuminet.