NETSCAPE ANNOUNCES PLATFORM-INDEPENDENT INTERNET SECURITY SOLUTIONS
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (October 16, 1996) -- Netscape Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: NSCP) announced today that it plans to integrate the security API documented in Intel's Common Data Security Architecture (CDSA) specification into Netscape Communicator client software and next generation Netscape SuiteSpot server software. Netscape's implementation is designed to give developers the tools needed to introduce security capabilities and eventually smartcards into a full range of Intranet and Internet applications. Netscape plans to support the CDSA API across major operating systems including Windows, popular versions of UNIX, Macintosh, and OS/2.
CDSA is platform-independent security technology that gives developers the freedom to easily build network-centric applications with security features. It enables developers to add security capabilities such as smartcards, secure sockets layer (SSL), and public/private key cryptography to banking, electronic data interchange (EDI) and other applications. It also manages trust, data storage and modular cryptographic services under a highly flexible security API framework.
"Netscape's development of a CDSA API implementation is the result of understanding the security needs of Intranet and Internet customers and translating them into a multi-platform security framework," said Mike Homer, senior vice president of marketing at Netscape. "The CDSA multi-platform security framework fits well into the Netscape ONE open network environment architecture, allowing businesses to quickly integrate security features into applications."
"Intel is pleased to see that Netscape plans to use the CDSA API as the basis for its product security infrastructure needs," said Craig Kinnie, vice president and director of Intel Architecture Labs. "CDSA is one of the first extensible security solutions that has been widely reviewed and accepted by the industry. We believe CDSA provides an open standards-based approach to security that is critical to the growth of Internet commerce."
Since March of 1996, Netscape's Security Infrastructure Group (SIG), a collaboration of more than 50 companies, has provided input into Netscape's security strategies. Leading smartcard technology companies including Gemplus and G&D America have pledged support for Netscape's CDSA implementation.
Companies supporting Netscape's products include Chrysler Corporation, First Data Corporation and Wells Fargo Bank. Security hardware and software pioneers supporting Netscape's security implementation, include AssureNet Digital Pathways, Atalla, Chrysalis-ITS, Consensus Development, Datakey, Fischer International, Integrity Arts, Litronic Corporation, Mytec Technologies, SIT International, TriNet, Trintech, VASCO Data Security and Verisign.
"Security is a critical enabler for Internet electronic commerce," said Jim Bidzos, president of RSA Data Security. "Netscape is a leader in bringing cryptography to the masses on the Internet by shipping SSL, now in use by millions of users worldwide. Netscape is continuing to lead the way by driving open standards in this area."
Netscape's security implementation is expected to include a scalable trust model, which allows administrators to manage security policies for an entire organization from a single point. By using the extensibility of the trust module, enterprise trust policies can be linked directly into applications.
This implementation is expected to allow developers to program in Java or C for both hardware and software-based security systems. Features such as security context management make it easier for developers to build applications without worrying about the difficulty of cryptographic functions. Security functions such as certificate management can become data intensive. Netscape's security implementation will offer a scalable architecture that will enable data storage methods from simple all the way through full featured SQL-based databases, to be used to store security-related information.
Netscape Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: NSCP) is a leading provider of open software for linking people and information over enterprise networks and the Internet. The company offers a full line of clients, servers, development tools and commercial applications to create a complete platform for next-generation, live online applications. Netscape Communications Corporation is based in Mountain View, California.
Additional information on Netscape Communications Corporation is available on the Internet at http://home.netscape.com, by sending email to info@netscape.com, or by calling 415/937-2555 (corporations) or 415/937-3777 (individuals).
Netscape, the Netscape Communications Corporation logo, Netscape Communicator and Netscape SuiteSpot are trademarks of Netscape Communications Corporation. Java is a trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc. All other product names are trademarks of their respective companies.