For more info on a specific newsletter, click the title. Details will be displayed in a new window.
Subscribe to
Computerworld 40 years of the most authoritative source of news and information for IT leaders.
Microsoft, U.S. Postal Service offer electronic postmarking
or
Other Security Stories
|
|
|
|
October 21, 2003 (IDG News Service) -- A new software plug-in from the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) and Microsoft Corp. being unveiled today is designed to provide the same kind of security for digital documents that a sealed envelope and postmark provide for paper mail.
Slated to be announced at the launch for Microsoft's Office 2003, the Electronic Postmark, or EPM, extension to the new version of the software provides a way for the product's broad user base to sign and secure documents in a way that is legally binding, according to Chuck Chamberlain, manager of business development at the USPS.
The program uses technology developed by Microsoft and content security company AuthentiDate Inc. It allows a document's creator to save a unique time- and date-stamped record based on the file's exact content in an EPM repository maintained by the USPS, according to AuthentiDate.
At any time over the next seven years, subsequent recipients can check a document against the version stored in the repository to verify its authenticity, the company said.
The EPM technology complies with standards set forth in the U.S. Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act of 2000, which gave legal status to digital signatures. However, without a case to test the validity of the technology, there is no way to know whether courts will accept EPMs, Chamberlain said.
To use the service, customers must be running either Microsoft Office XP or Office 2003 and download a special Office EPM extension developed by the USPS and AuthentiDate, according to Richard Reichgut, vice president of marketing at AuthentiDate.
Customers must also set up an EPM account through the USPS Web site and have a valid digital certificate to sign the documents, Chamberlain said. While certificate authority GeoTrust Inc. is offering digital certificates for use with the program, certificates from other authorities can be used as well.
Once installed, the Office extension adds an EPM toolbar to Microsoft Word with options for applying electronic postmarks to documents, checking the EPM on a document and managing the USPS EPM account, Reichgut said.
Clicking the Apply EPM button will launch a step-by-step process for locking the document's content, signing it with the user's digital certificate and placing a record of the signed document in the USPS EPM repository. Once the document has been signed, a USPS EPM logo will be affixed to the document, indicating that it has been signed and the content is valid.
For documents that need to be signed by multiple parties, such as contracts and nondisclosure agreements, the document's author can attach multiple EPMs that must be signed by each party. The USPS EPM ensures that the document's content is not altered as it is passed from party to party, AuthentiDate said.
Through their USPS accounts, customers can purchase blocks of EPMs, just as they would buy blocks of stamps. The per-postmark price will range from 80 cents for a block of 25 EPMs to 10 cents per EPM for a block of 1 million or more electronic postmarks.
There is no charge for subsequent readers to verify the document, and Office 97 and 2000 users can verify EPM marked documents, though they can't generate new electronic postmarks, Reichgut said.
The Microsoft Office extension streamlines what was a loosely developed effort to bring EPM technology into the mainstream, according to Chamberlain.
The USPS and AuthentiDate previously offered a software development kit that interested parties could download and use to build their own EPM plug-ins. The Office plug-in has already been integrated with Microsoft Office 2003 and tested by the USPS, Chamberlain said. "Previously, buying an EPM was like buying an engine, whereas now you can buy the whole car," he said.
Only a handful of organizations have tried out the EPM technology, largely because of integration hurdles, Chamberlain said.
With the new "ready-to-use" plug-in, the USPS hopes companies will begin to see EPM as a replacement for slow and costly courier and fax services -- especially in organizations that handle a high volume of sensitive documents such law offices and federal, state and local governments, he said.
Reprinted with permission from
For more news from IDG visit IDG.netStory copyright 2006 International Data Group. All rights reserved.
|
Print this Story |
|
Send Us Feedback |
|
E-mail this Story |
|
Digg this Story |
|
Slashdot this Story |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
All Zones Application Performance Zone Enterprise-Class Security Zone Enterprise Solutions Zone The File Data Management Zone Grid Computing on Windows Zone Security Management Zone ITIL Best Practices Zone The SAS Zone Storage Virtualization Zone The Data Center Management Zone |
 See your link here
|
 |
||||||||
| ||||||||
| ||||||||
| ||||||||
|
Why SaaS is Vital to Email and Web Security
Download this Executive Bulletin (a $49.95 value) for free, compliments of MessageLabs.
Get this white paper now!
Read up on the latest ideas and technologies from companies that sell hardware, software and services.
- Microsoft: Don't misunderstand UAC, other Vista features
- HP confirms XP SP3 endless reboot snafu, promises patch
- Microsoft pulls Windows Home Server backup feature
- More top stories
Security Management ZoneSecurity management is the process of developing a comprehensive data protection plan. It takes into account all potential threats, the existing network environment, the future needs of the organization, and lays out a multi-tiered blueprint to integrate the security technology needed to combat these threats. CDW can help keep your network and data secure. Visit the CDW Security Management Zone now See All Zones
|
 Fired up about IT? Join Sharkbait and share your true tales of IT. SharkBait is the place for you to sound off about everything IT – the good, the bad, and the rest of the weird stuff you deal with every day.New baits 
|
"Security Directions" virtual trade show2008's Code-Red Security Issues for Protecting the EnterpriseWebcasts, white papers, demos, and more. Presented in a unique 3-d environment. Enter our show right now! Click here to enter
|
 In SecurityThere's plenty of talk about how to behave during a Customs search of your computer and gear, but Jon Espenschied's got tips for securing your data (and privacy) before you reach the border. Click here to read the latest column by Jon Espenschied |
 |
 |
Layered Security Solutions
Although basic network security issues have changed very little over the past decade, the
network security landscape has changed dramatically. Today's IT professionals still have the
primary responsibility of protecting the confidentiality of corporate information, preventing
unauthorized access, and defending the network against attacks. Security experts and analysts agree that a security solution comprised of multiple layers is the best defense against today's increasingly sophisticated attacks.Download this white paper
|
Universal Threat Management - Because Conventional UTM is Not Enough!
This white paper, written by Mark Bouchard of Missing Link Security Services, examines the challenges confronting today's enterprises with respect to managing threats on a network. It also discusses the need for "Universal Threat Management", which is a security solution approach for all physical locations within an enterprise that require threat protection.Download this white paper |
Selecting the Right Threat Management Solution
This short demo will guide you through key considerations for selecting a solution to manage threats on a network. Learn about the popularity of Unified Threat Management (UTM), and how it fits into an overall security solution. Explore critical elements of a network-wide solution for multisite and large network-size deployments and identify the four key features of a threat management solution.View this demo
|
CIO
Computerworld
CSO
DEMO
GamePro
Games.net
IDG Connect
IDG World Expo
Infoworld
The Industry Standard
ITworld
JavaWorld
LinuxWorld
MacUser
Macworld
Network World
PC World
Playlist
Copyright © 2008 Computerworld Inc. All
rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium
without express written permission of Computerworld Inc. is prohibited.
Computerworld and Computerworld.com and the respective logos are
trademarks of International Data Group Inc.
|
