Special FeaturesSecuring Your Brand In Cyberspace
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Executive Summary
There is little doubt that the Internet and ‘E-business’ are revolutionizing our world, both on a commercial and social basis. The impact of the Internet will continue to grow as specific technologies are put in place that extend its functionality and reach. Organizations, therefore, have no choice other than to embrace the Internet and ensure that they fully utilize the medium to optimize operational efficiency and protect competitiveness.
However, since the Internet was first used as a channel
An Intangible Asset
A set of company accounts will detail the assets that an organization possesses. But it is well known that a company is worth more than the value of the materials, buildings and the equipment it owns. However, assessing the real value of a company is something of a black art. There are so many intangibles to take into account including quality of staff, future earning potential, brand value and ‘goodwill’ — or the reputation that a company trades upon. Included in these intangibles is ‘trust’.
Who Manages the Trust in Your Brand?
As we have seen, relying on a third-party to provide a complete certificate infrastructure is risky. Without control of the Certificate Practice Statement the level of security offered is out of your hands (and can never exceed that offered by the ‘root PKI’). In addition the certificates offered may be unsuitable for your type of business. Finally, if the provider you are using suffers a crisis of confidence, then so does your brand (after all, the certificate they have given your customers
Summary
As we move into the ‘Internet Age’ and increasingly trade online new methods of establishing identity are required. Without the fulfillment of this simple requirement there can be no trust in Internet transactions. Public Key cryptosystems are now widely accepted as the most sensible solution for establishing identity online. However, whilst the mathematics of Public Key Encryption itself is robust, the provision of key-pairs and certificates is dependent on an associated administrative
Biography
Bob is an acknowledged expert in smart card and Biometric systems and has lectured worldwide on how these technologies will impact on the payment market place. He represents InterClear at the Trust Services Association, the DTI and the CBI. In addition, Bob represents InterClear at EEMA/ECAF in Europe, and is a member of the tScheme management board (the UK Certificate Authority self regulatory body created to satisfy the government’s Electronic Communications legislation). E-mail: //[email protected]
Bob Carter is Executive Chairman and founder of InterClear a De La Rue company. During a 30-year career with Midland Bank, Bob held various senior management roles, including head of research and development in the plastic card division, where he played a leading role in the creation and introduction of the Switch Card System. On leaving Midland Bank Bob joined Card Clear plc — the plastic card fraud prevention and transaction authorizing company — as one of the founding directors and was
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Bob Carter is Executive Chairman and founder of InterClear a De La Rue company. During a 30-year career with Midland Bank, Bob held various senior management roles, including head of research and development in the plastic card division, where he played a leading role in the creation and introduction of the Switch Card System. On leaving Midland Bank Bob joined Card Clear plc — the plastic card fraud prevention and transaction authorizing company — as one of the founding directors and was responsible for the design and implementation of the technology used by Card Clear. Having completed research projects for the European Commission exploring the pre-paid smart card market and the role of key management, in addition to research carried out with major banks and retailers, it was clear that there was a role for a dedicated Certification Authority to provide strongly authenticated digital certificates. As a result, Bob designed and developed the systems and procedures that are now in place at InterClear.