The WISeKey-Microsoft Trust Platform based on Windows Server 2003 fastens the deployment of Public Key Infrastructure technologies in the Asia Pacific region
Singapore (ots)
With widespread adoption of the new legal framework guaranteeing Asia Pacific (APAC)-wide recognition of electronic signatures, Microsoft Corporation and WISeKey today announced an unprecedented growth in the deployment of PKI (public key infrastructure framework), a jointly developed digital signature solution based on Microsoft Windows Server 2003, in APAC. Countries that have deployed PKI successfully include China (Sinotrans) and Korea (World Trade center). This follows the announcement in Europe where WiseKey collaborated with Microsoft EMEA to deliver a secure Trusted PKI Platform for e-government applications http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2004/aug04/08-16wisekey.a sp
"Governments in the APAC region have recognised the need to change their procedures to provide services and information centered on the citizen. By harnessing the advances in technology - making services more accessible through multiple channels and more responsive by providing joined up services - the citizen has access to information relating to services through a unique point of contact," said Peter Moore, Managing Director - Public Sector, Asia Pacific, Microsoft Corporation.
"To address the resultant issues and challenges raised by the move to Information Age government, WISeKey and Microsoft have developed a public sector strategy that brings their combined technologies, applications and skills together to enable all tiers of Public Services to move towards electronic government" he added.
The WISeKey-Microsoft E-Government Solution based on Windows Server 2003 is a suite of applications providing a breadth of functionality with the double objective of communicating actively to the citizen or business as well as to gather knowledge about the citizen or business within the community, and then use this to provide a better degree of service provision.
The "secret" of WISeKey is its institutional framework endorsed by International Organizations, Governments and Standard Bodies, its location within a neutral country (Switzerland), its unique policies oriented towards security and neutrality across the world and its leveraging of this position by using Microsoft Windows Server 2003 as a digital certificate authority (CA) for the secure and mass deployment of digital certificates. In combination with WISeKey's overall approach, the CA built into Windows Server, originally designed to manage end-user licenses, can issue digital certificates for a fraction of the cost of a traditional certificate authority systems and providers.
According to WISeKey Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Carlos Moreira, "The combination of Windows Server 2003 and WISeKey technology can be implemented for less than $20,000, creating a full identity infrastructure which until recently would have cost $1 million or more."
Several Asia Pacific countries are presently implementing this technology such as Sinotrans in China for a nation-wide E-Portal using the WISeKey-Microsoft Trusted Platform and Federated Digital ID to allow a Single Sign On access to its numerous services and portals. Also at Vitranet in Vietnam where WISeKey is assisting in developing a National Public Key Infrastructure using Vitranet as the Certification Authority. The World Trade Center E-Commerce Platform developed in cooperation with World Trade Centers in the Asia Pacific region and in particular the World Trade center Seoul and WTC in China is another example where WISekey Trusted Platform is used to establish a secure e-marketplace allowing World Trade Centers and Trade promotion Organizations to trade securely and perform their Trade facilitation activities. In the medium to long term, the Microsoft-WISeKey partnership aims to provide Asia Pacific customers the core security upon which the deployment of secure computing platforms will be undertaken by providing manufacturers, service providers, organizations, application developers and others to manage digital certificates for persons, organizations and devices.
Full version of this article at: http://www.wisekey.com/pressrelease/mswkasiapacific.htm
Contact:
Sanjay Nair
Edelman Singapore
Phone: +65/6733-1110 ext 208
E-Mail: sanjay.nair@edelman.com
Charlene Chian
Microsoft Asia Pacific
Phone: +65/6433-5672
E-Mail: cchian@microsoft.com
Daniel Ybarra
WISekey
E-Mail: Daniel@wisekey.ch