Estonia's Certification Authority, AS Sertifitseerimiskeskus, Adopts Safelayer's PKI Technology

BARCELONA, Spain, April 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- AS Sertifitseerimiskeskus, Estonia's principal certification authority and provider of certificates for authentication and digital signing for the Estonian eID card, has chosen to adopt Safelayer's technology for implementing public key infrastructure (PKI) services. To modernize its infrastructure, AS Sertifitseerimiskeskus opted for Safelayer's technology because of the robustness, flexibility and cost-effectiveness of the software company's solutions for certification services providers (CSPs).

AS Sertifitseerimiskeskus (SK) has provided certification and digital signature services to Estonians since 2001. Its presence extends throughout the Baltic region, and it has participated in numerous R&D International projects. Since 2002, SK has issued digital certificates for the Estonian eID card and worked to develop and foster the implementation of electronic applications for the card. SK was a pioneer in the creation of electronic signature verification services (with the deployment of the DigiDoc service) and in developing identification systems using mobile devices (Mobile-ID).

"This project strengthens Safelayer's strategy for major authentication and eSignature trust management projects requiring solutions for critical infrastructures, such as those offered by CSPs", says Francisco Jordan, Safelayer's CEO and cofounder. Safelayer's KeyOne technology-used in the Spanish eID card (DNIe), the largest eID project of its kind with more than 21 million cards issued- features infrastructure solutions for eID and PKI services. The company's solutions are complemented by the TrustedX product, which implements digital identification and electronic signature platforms. TrustedX was found to be the most complete technological solution of its type in the EC's IDABC Programme's study "European Federated Validation Service", which examined a number of European validation services and tools.

According to Kalev Pihl, SK's CEO, "SK is a pioneer in continuously developing new trust services based on digital certificates and in assuring the legal validity of the electronic signature. Safelayer offers one of the most flexible and cost-effective solutions, which is characterized by its capacity to adopt advances and new technical standards." SK's client portfolio includes the Estonian court system and notaries, the Estonian Central Bank and other commercial banks, and law enforcement agencies, which means its services are used across a range of sectors that require secure digital identification systems.

Safelayer is Common Criteria for Information Technology Security Evaluation certified to EAL4+ (ALC_FLR.2) for its KeyOne and TrustedX products. EAL4+ certification, which assures an independent and systematic review of a product's completeness, is the benchmark adopted by the ICT sector for providing the necessary and sufficient guarantees for quality and reliability.

About AS Sertifitseerimiskeskus (SK)

Sertifitseerimiskeskus (SK) was established in 2001 and is still owned by Swedbank, SEB Pank, EMT and Elion (EMT and Elion are Estonian Telecom subsidiaries). Its mission is to provide reliable and widely used eID on the market. To fulfill its mission, SK provides certification, validity confirmation and time-stamping services and develops and distributes the technology for digital signing and authentication. AS Sertifitseerimiskeskus http://www.sk.ee

About Safelayer

Founded in 1999, Safelayer Secure Communications S.A. http://www.safelayer.com is a Spanish company that specializes in developing security solutions for managing digital identity and trust in information. Its infrastructure solutions are used in government agencies, banking and finance, insurance, large corporations, and security service providers, such as CSPs. It is currently present in 13 countries across EMEA and LATAM via a distribution channel of 21 VARs.

Source: Safelayer Secure Communications, http://www.safelayer.com

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