News

Contact:
Julie Della Cioppa, IBM
Phone: 415-545-2640
Fax: 415-545-2132
juliedc@us.ibm.com

Dave Mooney
Public Relations, Equifax
404-885-8117
dave.mooney@equifax.com


IBM AND EQUIFAX TO BRING NEW LEVELS OF TRUST TO E-BUSINESS
IBM Launches Digital Certificate Solution; Equifax Announces Certificate Authority Service

New York, June 8, 1998
Equifax and IBM today announced services and software that bring new levels of trust to e-business by helping customers identify the people and organizations with whom they do business online. These offerings are designed to give customers the confidence that electronic commerce is as safe and secure as commerce is today in the physical world.

Leading today's announcements are:

IBM Vault Registry*, a digital certificate software solution that provides customers with a trusted way to register and certify users for access to online information, services and business applications. New digital certificate services from Equifax, a trusted global provider of consumer and business information, specifically designed for customers who prefer an outsourced solution for their digital certificate needs.

A digital certificate can be used to establish people's identities online and define their relationships or privileges within a certain business, group or community, much like a driver's license or passport can be used for identification in face-to-face transactions. Digital certificates also allow users to encrypt and send information over open or private networks with the confidence that unauthorized persons are not permitted to view the data and that any compromise to the the data en route can be detected.

"In the physical world of business, it is easy to identify people because we can see them. We are certain of who they are because we've checked their credentials, taken their picture and issued a badge or a key that gives them a defined set of privileges," said Irving Wladawsky-Berger, general manager of IBM's Internet Division. "How do you trust when you cannot see? IBM Vault Registry, through digital certificates, translates our physical symbols of trust to the world of e-business."

"Certificate issuance and distribution is a business about trust and identity, and Equifax is an established global leader in providing knowledged-based information and secure processing to businesses worldwide," said Thomas F. Chapman, president and chief executive officer of Equifax. "Customers needing certificate services to conduct a broad range of e-business activities will benefit from the combined strengths of IBM's world-class technology and Equifax's history as a trusted service provider." IBM Global Services will provide consulting and implementation services for IBM Vault Registry along with business partners Deloitte & Touche and SRA International.

Announcement highlights:

IBM Vault Registry (See today's related release, "IBM Vault Registry Enhances Trust for E-Business")

For customers to bring their business applications - such as banking, enterprise resource planning and e-commerce - online, they need confidence that the parties they are dealing with are, in fact, who they claim to be and are authorized to participate in a given transaction. E-businesses also need to trust that their information is secure and private -- not readily vulnerable to tampering, view or access by prying eyes. In addition, they must be comfortable that people in a transaction wll not deny having been part of that transaction. IBM Vault Registry, through digital certification, addresses these issues and provides the identification technology customers need to conduct e-business with confidence.

By building key components into one solution, IBM Vault Registry simplifies for customers the cost and complexity of building their own digital certificate solutions with offerings from multiple vendors. With IBM Vault Registry, which uses encryption and digital signatures to help safeguard stored data and applications, customers can have confidence that only people possessing an appropriate digital certificate can access specific applications or personal data over the Internet. The approach can be compared to a safe deposit box at a bank that protects your valuable assets, even from bank employees.

IBM Vault Registry, part of IBM's SecureWay family of offerings, is designed to grow with customer needs. Scheduled for general availability in July 1998, IBM Vault Registry is the first member of the IBM Vault Solutions family of trusted e-business solutions; other solutions are expected to be announced in the near future.

Developers and customers can find out more about Vault Registry on the Web at http://www.software.ibm.com/commerce/registry.

About Equifax's Certificate Authority Service (See today's related release, "Equifax Launches E-Business Alliance with IBM to Help Build Trust on Internet, Other Networks")

Equifax will offer a wide range of certificate authority services to corporate customers including banks, financial institutions and retailers on an outsourced basis. A certificate authority is a trusted third party that manages the issuance, renewal and revocation of digital certificates. Equifax and IBM plan to enter into a marketing alliance under which Equifax will provide outsourced digital certificate services to IBM customers. This alliance is initially expected to cover North America, with expansion to other geographies anticipated in the future.

"This relationship between IBM and Equifax is a prime example of how successful alliances will be formed in the world of electronic commerce. Each brings strong core competencies to the table, and the sum of their individual parts will present a major force in the digital certificate market," said Allen Weiner, chief analyst, Dataquest. "Not only are IBM and Equifax leaders in their markets, each brings strong, unique customer relationships to this alliance."

Equifax's service, to be based on IBM Vault Registry and Payment Registry solutions (formerly known as IBM Registry for SET), is intended to relieve customers from having to invest the time and resources needed to set up and manage their own digital certificate solution. The new Equifax service would also be an option for customers who want to pilot the use of digital certificates in new e-business applications, before implementing an in-house solution.

As part of its planned services, Equifax will authenticate customers, trading partners and employees based on criteria unique to each organization's needs. Authentication is the process of determining if someone is who they claim to be. Equifax also plans to issue server certificates to enable secure transactions via the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol. These certificate services extend Equifax's long-standing expertise in secure information processing to enable trusted transport of information and payment messages over the Internet, corporate intranets and extranets.

Current plans call for the Equifax digital certificate service to be marketed by Equifax and IBM. It is intended to be integrated with the full line of IBM e-business offerings, and to be interoperable with solutions offered by other leading technology providers. General availability is expected in the third quarter this year.

About Equifax

Equifax's worldwide knowledge-based information, transaction processing, consulting and software businesses are designed to bring buyers and sellers together...changing the shape of global commerce. Equifax serves the banking, financial, retail, credit card, telecommunications/utilities, automotive, government and health care administration industries. It is a leading supplier of business information in Canada, the UK and Latin America. Equifax operates in 17 countries with sales in more that 42 countries. Founded in 1899 in Atlanta, Equifax (NYSE: EFX) today has 10,000 employees around the world. For more information, visit the company's Internet Web site at http://www.equifax.com.

IBM SecureWay

SecureWay is IBM's portfolio of security hardware, software, consulting and services designed to help customers protect their information assets and resources. These offerings range from a worldwide I/T Security consulting practice to help customers manage and design systems with dependability and security, to firewalls and other preventive and emergency response services. They also include hardware and software products that put our security technologies into action such as cryptographic co-processors and smart cards, to mention a few. Whether addressing an individual client or creating a total enterprise solution, IBM SecureWay provides customers with the ability to plan, design, implement and operate security-rich solutions for e-business. Additional information on these offerings can be found through the IBM SecureWay web site at http://www.ibm.com/Security.

IBM

As the industry's leading provider of solutions to help customers become e-businesses, IBM was the first company to bring to market a comprehensive suite of security-rich end-to-end solutions that enable commerce and on the Internet. IBM is a leader in the development of the Internet and is dedicated to helping customers and developers exploit the potential of network computing. Developers and customers can find out more about IBM's Internet software and services on the Web at http://www.software.ibm.com.

* Indicates trademark or registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation.
** Indicates trademark or registered trademark of the respective company.