PKI Forum News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For further information:
Judith Vanderkay
781-876-6208
jvanderkay@virtualmgmt.com

See the PKI Forum at CardTech/SecurTech
New Orleans, April 22-25, Booth H, Hall G

PKI Forum Publishes New Papers On PKI In the Business Environment and On the Use of Smart Cards

NEW ORLEANS, April 23, 2002 -- The PKI Forum, Inc., a multi-vendor and end-user industry consortium created to accelerate the adoption of public-key infrastructure (PKI) technologies, (www.oasis-pki.org), today announced the public release of two new papers entitled PKI Basics - A Business Perspective, and PKI Note: Smart Cards. The papers were developed by the PKI Forum's Business Working Group and are first being made available to the public at CardTech/SecurTech 2002 in New Orleans.

"With the release of these papers only six weeks after our annual meeting, the PKI Forum is off to an excellent start in meeting its objectives for 2002," said Patricia Lareau, Chair of the Forum's Business Working Group. "These papers further our efforts to promote the understanding and value of PKI as an enabler of business applications."

PKI Basics - A Business Perspective, which examines the use of Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) in a business environment, came about as a result of the fact that PKI has come to be used in such a wide range of applications that business managers need a better understanding of the issues involved. Starting from the current security concerns of businesses, the paper reviews the necessary components of information security. It also delineates the key security services that enable risk mitigation in digital environments, and explains how PKI cohesively enables the systematic approach to information security that businesses need.

Publication of the PKI Note: Smart Cards reflects a significant shift in approaches to security. For many years, particularly in the United States, smart cards were considered a technology solution in search of a business problem. However, noting the recent increasing use of smart cards with certificates, the PKI Forum determined that it was important to provide an overview of authentication tokens in the context of a discussion on smart card technology. The PKI Note: Smart Cards also presents the overall benefits of deploying smart card technology.

The new deliverables are part of a growing set of PKI Notes and White Papers created by the PKI Forum as part of its mission of educational outreach about the benefits of PKI. Among the six complementary titles previously published are a PKI Policy White Paper that discusses the role that policy plays in deploying PKI systems and the PKI Note: CA Trust, which provides an overview and background of two PKI-related standards. All the Forum's deliverables can be downloaded from the Resources section of its Web site, www.oasis-pki.org./resources.html.

The PKI Forum's next two meetings will be held June 18-20 in Amsterdam and November 5-7 in Dallas. Both will include a one-day public seminar, entitled, "PKI Today: Issues and Applications." Registration is now open for the Amsterdam meeting on the Forum's Web site, www.oasis-pki.org. The PKI Forum will also be represented at CardTech/SecurTech in New Orleans, April 22-25, by several presentations from Executive Board members, and in exhibit booth H in Hall G. Forum leaders will be on hand for interviews, as well.

About Public-Key Infrastructure
A public-key infrastructure (PKI) is a combination of hardware, software, policies and procedures. It provides the basic security required to carry out electronic business so that users who do not know each other, or are widely distributed, can communicate securely using a chain of trust. End users of PKI cross industry lines, are often globally widespread and include anyone from the small office/home office client to large corporations, and from complex businesses to specific verticals.

About the PKI Forum, Inc.
The PKI Forum is an international, not-for-profit alliance comprised of technology and service providers, integrators and end-users whose purpose is to accelerate the adoption and use of PKI applications, digital certificates and other real world solutions, as well as to facilitate interoperability through multi-vendor testing of industry standards and educational outreach. The PKI Forum serves as a global information resource for PKI and advocates cooperation and market awareness enabling organizations to understand and exploit the value of PKI in applications relevant to their businesses. For more information about the PKI Forum, see the PKI Forum Web site at www.oasis-pki.org.

Editor's Note: PKI FORUM PRESS CONFERENCE will be held
Tuesday, April 23, 12:00 Noon
Room 264, CardTechSecurTech
Morial Conference Center, New Orleans

Please join PKI Forum president Lisa Pretty as she unveils two new deliverables from the Forum: PKI Basics -- a Business Perspective and PKI Note: SmartCards.

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