VeriSign Introduces the VeriSign® Security
Certification Program To Help Enterprises Meet Strict Regulatory and
Business Security Compliance Requirements
Latest Addition to VeriSign Compliance Solutions Leverages Company
Expertise and Experience to Help Enterprises Assess and Certify Their
Security Programs
WASHINGTON, DC. – Gartner IT Security Summit 2005 – June 6, 2005
– VeriSign, Inc., (Nasdaq: VRSN), the leading provider of intelligent
infrastructure services for the Internet and telecommunications networks,
today introduced the VeriSign® Security Certification Program.
The program is designed to both assess an enterprise’s information security
program and certify it meets VeriSign’s requirements, which are based
on best practices drawn largely from a variety of international regulatory
and industry compliance requirements. The certification can also
be performed at a business unit, infrastructure or application level.
With more businesses opening their networks to customers,
partners, suppliers and remote employees, the potential for theft of
sensitive information is increasing. As a result, many governments
and industry associations are enacting legislation and requirements
that compel enterprises to secure their networks and maintain the integrity
of stored information. Key compliance standards and regulatory
drivers include: Sarbanes-Oxley, Health Information Portability
and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Gramm-Leach-Bliley (GLBA), British Standard
7799/ISO 17799 for Information Security and the Payment Card Industry
(PCI) Data Security Standards. Failure for an enterprise to meet
these requirements can result in increased audits, penalties, transaction
costs and lower revenues.
Through the VeriSign Security Certification Program,
VeriSign’s Global Security Consulting team utilizes the experience gained
from the hundreds of compliance audits it performs annually. By
implementing a single-service approach to assess the integrity of a
network environment, enterprises can keep pace with these standards
and regulatory requirements. Certification by VeriSign provides
a vehicle for companies to communicate to third parties that their information
security program follows best practices. Additionally, given that
those best practices are based largely on regulatory and industry compliance
requirements, the assessment data can be used during the performance
of other audits to reduce cost and complexity. The program consists
of two parts:
- Assessment: Enterprises undergo
detailed assessments of their business, network and data flows, performed
through document reviews, interviews and technical analysis. The
assessment includes a comprehensive report of the findings, a gap analysis
for activities required to meet certification, and a standalone database
that allows granular access to the results.
- Certification: Enterprises
are certified for one year upon achieving compliance with the program,
renewable annually. Deliverables include a one-page certification
letter, indicating that their program complies with VeriSign’s standards
for best practices, that can be shared with regulators, business partners,
industry associates and other third parties and access to certification
documents to generate reports detailing the assessment data associated
with each regulatory and industry standard.
The program is one of a range of VeriSign services
that help customers address compliance issues. Another critical
component of any security program is the presence of on-going management
and monitoring of security activities that can be performed by an enterprise,
or managed externally. To help with these efforts, VeriSign has
a comprehensive suite of compliance-related services. In addition
to the VeriSign Security Certification Program the VeriSign Compliance
Solutions include:
- VeriSign Host Log Monitoring Service: Performs the detailed
work associated with monitoring device logs, alerting enterprises to
potential security breaches and storing them for as long as an enterprise
requires – a key component of many regulations.
- VeriSign Managed Firewall/IDS/IPS Services: Manages and
monitors industry-leading firewalls, intrusion detection and intrusion
prevention platforms that utilizes VeriSign’s intelligence to flag only
events that require immediate action. Sarbanes-Oxley, HIPAA and
PCI all require the ability to detect and respond to potential intrusions.
- VeriSign Managed Vulnerability Protection: Provides cost-effective
vulnerability assessment and management services for enterprises.
Sarbanes-Oxley, HIPAA, GLBA and several financial institutions require
regular assessments for technical vulnerabilities in network devices.
- VeriSign Email Security Service: Provides anti-virus,
spam, and content filtering capabilities. Anti-virus protection
and electronic communications transparency are requirements of many
regulations and specific mandates from the Securities Exchange Commission
(SEC), National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) and U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services (HHS).
“In order for businesses to truly be successful in
today’s digital economy, their networks must be opened to a variety
of different organizations. The introduction of compliance standards
and legislation now requires enterprises to vouch not only for the integrity
of their own network, but for the integrity of the networks with which
they do business,” said Judy Lin, executive vice president and general
manager, VeriSign Security Services. “The VeriSign Security Certification
Program can help enterprises reduce the cost and complexity of multiple
audits through one assessment that includes best practices gleaned from
a variety of sources.”
For more information on the VeriSign Security Certification
Program and the rest of the VeriSign Compliance Solutions, please go
to: www.verisign.com/dm/security-certification-program
About VeriSign
VeriSign, Inc. (Nasdaq: VRSN) operates intelligent infrastructure services
that enable businesses and individuals to find, connect, secure and
transact across today’s complex global networks. Additional news and
information about the company is available at http://www.verisign.com/
For more information, contact:
VeriSign Media Relations: Brendan Lewis, brlewis@verisign.com,
650-426-4470
VeriSign Investor Relations: Tom McCallum, tmccallum@verisign.com,
650-426-3744
Statements in this announcement other than historical
data and information constitute forward-looking statements within the
meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These statements involve risks
and uncertainties that could cause VeriSign's actual results to differ
materially from those stated or implied by such forward-looking statements.
The potential risks and uncertainties include, among others, the uncertainty
of future revenue and profitability, potential fluctuations in quarterly
operating results, and increased competition and pricing pressures.
More information about potential factors that could affect the company's
business and financial results is included in VeriSign's filings with
the Securities and Exchange Commission, including in the company's Annual
Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2004 and quarterly
reports on Form 10-Q. VeriSign undertakes no obligation to update any
of the forward-looking statements after the date of this press release.
# # #
Worldwide Sites
