Network Associates Inc and VeriSign Inc have struck an agreement that will see the companies providing cross-product support and joint offerings. VeriSign, which provides digital certificates to enable secure commerce and communication transactions, and Network Associates, which specializes in network management and security, will have their first commercial offering ready at some point in the third quarter. This will see VeriSign enabling its OnSite digital certificate system that enables organizations to establish themselves as a certificate authority, interpreting with Network Associate’s Gauntlet GVPN firewall product. In the fourth quarter, OnSite will be updated so it can issue DSA X.509 standard certificates as well as RSA X.509 certificates. VeriSign and Network Associates claim their tie-up will fuel the growth of electronic commerce and secure communication transactions on the Internet. The companies will establish combined Public Key Infrastructure systems, covering all aspects of their life cycle from when they are issued through to their expiration or revocation. VeriSign already has over 100 such agreements in place with independent software vendors and the company’s corporate marketing manager Kelly Ryan explained it is important for VeriSign to have agreements with as many software companies as possible, so they can use the software of their choice, and automatically gain access to VeriSign’s digital certificates. The companies claim that as a result of the tie-up they will have access to more than 1,500 enterprises and 9 million individuals who use digital identities across the world. VeriSign, based in Mountain View, California, was established in May 1995, and has 200 staff. It launched OnSite in November 1997. Network Associates came to life as a result of McAfee Associates Inc acquiring Network General Co last October (CI No 3,267). It has a staff of 1,500 and recently boosted its security interests when it bought encryption expert Pretty Good Privacy Inc for $35m in December (CI No 3,302) and two weeks ago announced it is buying UK anti-virus software company, Dr Solomon’s Group Plc, in a $642m transaction.
