Under terms of the multi-year agreement, the two companies will endeavor to integrate key products and market new and enhanced security services to enterprise customers.
VeriSign is the world’s leading provider of digital trust services that enable enterprises to authenticate users, authorize what they are allowed to do and secure Web-based and other digital transactions. IBM is the world’s leading infrastructure and technology provider. Today’s announcement provides a roadmap for the future of e-business on the Internet, signaling a collaboration between IBM and VeriSign on Internet technology, infrastructure and security.
As part of the multi-year agreement, the two companies will:
Create and market services: IBM and VeriSign plan to develop standards-based solutions for secure e-business. These services are expected to enable secure messaging, secure extranets, intranets, and e-commerce sites as well as secure document management. As part of this, the companies plan to develop and market a new Entitlements Management Service based on VeriSign’s managed public key infrastructure (PKI) services and technology and Tivoli Policy Director, IBM’s enterprise-class security management and access control software. The new service is expected to combine online authentication, Web single sign-on, digital credentialing and signatures, authorization and policy management with dynamic updating of customer and partner information.
Forge a global services and marketing alliance: IBM’s Global Services Group, VeriSign’s Consulting Services Group and VeriSign’s network of global affiliates intend to work together to provide world-class managed services and support for companies deploying PKI technology.
Collaborate on Web services: The companies plan to collaborate to advance key security standards such as XKMS and SAML for enabling dynamic Web services. IBM, for example, plans to embed XKMS and leverage SAML in Tivoli Policy Director. This collaboration would enable seamless, native XML interfaces with VeriSign’s managed PKI and other trust services.
Deploy IBM server and software infrastructure components in VeriSign’s IT operations.
As businesses increasingly use the Internet for e-business, consumers are beginning to look for the digital ‘signposts’ that ensure trusted commerce and communications, said Stratton Sclavos, president and CEO of VeriSign. Our alliance with IBM reflects the importance that companies are placing on generating cost advantages and revenue opportunities by doing business in a trusted digital environment.
IBM’s alliance with VeriSign marks a turning point in the delivery of technology over the Web, said Rusine Mitchell-Sinclair, general manager, Safety and Security Services, IBM. Our alliance will present customers with an unprecedented combination of infrastructure services and security solutions to securely transact e-business. The scope and breadth of our alliance with VeriSign underscores our commitment to provide an open Internet infrastructure that enables e-business to be transacted ever more securely and reliably.
The new relationship between IBM and VeriSign aims to provide customers with a powerful combination of computer security technology, software and services in options ranging from stand-alone software to managed software services delivered as a utility service over the Internet. Combining VeriSign’s secure infrastructure capabilities and authentication services with IBM’s security products will also provide an industry-leading outsourced solution for organizations wishing to leverage identity, authentication and authorization services.
Today’s announcement will enable IBM to add VeriSign’s security-related services to the portfolio of information technology services it currently offers to customers. Similarly, the announcement enables VeriSign to significantly expand availability of its VeriSign managed PKI services to a broader range of customers and furthers its mission of enabling everyone, everywhere to engage in digital commerce and communications with confidence.
