Press Release

GlobalSign Launches New SSL Certificate Offerring Targeted Towards Large Enterprises

GlobalSign CorporateSSL introduces a unique license model encouraging organisations to install an SSL server certificate on every corporate web server.

London, UK - April 27, 2004 - GlobalSign Ltd (www,globalsign.co.uk), Europe's leading Certificate Service Provider offering digital certificates and co-sourced PKI solutions, today announced the availability of a new SSL Server Certificate offering called CorporateSSL. It allows organisations to issue and manage their own SSL server certificates, based on a unique license model that encourages a policy to secure every web server with an SSL server certificate by default.

SSL server certificates prove the identity of an organisation and make sure that all communication between the user and the organisation's web server or web application happens in a complete encrypted confidence. "Security is not only about being secure. It is also about being visibly secure." says Johan Sys, General Manager of GlobalSign. "SSL server certificates offer a visible, trust-building solution. The little padlock that appears at the bottom of the browser when a web server is protected with an SSL Server Certificate, assures the end-user that the organisation on the other side is indeed the company it claims to be, and that this organisation takes security seriously."

Although the advantages of using SSL server certificates are obvious, many organisations still operate without them. Market research conducted by GlobalSign in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom reveals that the most important reason for not using SSL server certificates is the fact that acquiring and renewing SSL Certificates takes too much time and is perceived as expensive. For each SSL server certificate an organisation has to go through an extensive registration and verification process with the Certificate Service Provider of its choice, as well as renew the certificates each year. This alone consumes a substantial amount of administrative time and cost.

In addition, Certificate Service Providers charge a fee per 'fully qualified domain name', which is the combination of a hostname (www, ftp, support) and a domain name (company.com, company.net). So if an organisation wants to secure both www.mycompany.com and support.mycompany.com, it will need to purchase two SSL server certificates. Consequently, a policy of installing an SSL server certificate on every server, though highly commendable, can also be highly expensive.

"We recommend to install an SSL server certificate on every corporate Web server." continues Johan Sys. "Therefore we have introduced a pricing scheme that does not charge you per fully qualified domain name, but only per domain name. In practice that means that at the cost of a flat fee, an organisation can issue as many SSL server certificates as it requires for a pre-defined number of domain name. Furthermore we allow organisations to issue, revoke and renew their certificates whenever it is convenient for them, rather than having to wait until the individual certificate expiration dates. As a result, Corporate SSL significantly lowers the Total Cost of Ownership."

CorporateSSL allows an organisation to issue and manage its own SSL server certificates, eliminating the need to involve a third party Certificate Service Provider in the routine administration. Certificates issued through CorporateSSL carry the same level of trust as those issued by GlobalSign itself. They are covered by the same insurance (GlobalSign Liability Program covering up to €37,500), have the same profile and are issued under the same conditions as described under the GlobalSign Certificate Practice Statement. Each SSL server certificate includes a Web seal 'Secured by GlobalSign' that asserts the security verification and certificate status.

About GlobalSign
Established in 1996 and as a WebTrust accredited public certificate authority, GlobalSign offers publicly trusted SSL, including SSL Certificates, EV SSL, managed SSL services, S/MIME and Code Signing Certificates for use on all platforms including mobile devices. Its Trusted Root solution uses the widely embedded GlobalSign Root CA certificates to provide immediate PKI trust for Microsoft CA and enterprise CAs, eliminating the costs of using untrusted Root Certificates. Its partnership with Adobe to provide Certified Document Services (CDS) enables secure digitally signed PDF documents, certified transcripts and e-invoices.  These core Digital Certificate solutions allow its thousands of authenticated customers to conduct secure online transactions, data transfer, distribution of tamper-proof code, and protection of online identities for secure email and access control.  The company has a history of innovation within the online security industry and has offices in the US, UK, Belgium, Japan, and China. 

GMO Internet Group
GMO Internet Group, headquartered in Japan, is a leading force in the Internet industry offering one of the most comprehensive ranges of Internet services worldwide. The group holds top domestic market share in domain registration, web hosting, and payment processing and provides a host of other Internet services including global online security services, e-commerce solutions, and Internet advertising to both businesses and individuals. At the centre of the group is GMO Internet, Inc. a company listed on the prestigious first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE: 9449). Please visit www.gmo.jp/en for further details.

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