Pointsec Mobile Technologies, a subsidiary of IT security company Protect Data and a global leader in enterprise security software for laptops, desktops, PDAs and smart phones, proudly announced today that it has become the world`s first provider of a full hard disk encryption solution to be certified under Evaluation Assurance Level 4 (EAL4) of the Common Criteria, an international IT security standard mutually recognised by many of the world`s leading industrialised nations.
Pointsec`s Common Criteria certification, the culmination of an extensive testing and evaluation process conducted by an accredited third-party testing organisation, has been awarded to Pointsec for PC, the company`s flagship product. Pointsec provides uniquely efficient and effective security protection for all information stored on enterprise desktop PCs, laptops, PDAs and smart phones. Pointsec products feature enforceable mandatory access control, automatic real-time encryption of all data on the hard drive, and centralised administration.
The Common Criteria (CC), established in 1996, defines concepts and principles of IT security evaluation that meet the needs of governments across the industrialised world. Initially supported by the US, UK, Germany, France, Canada and the Netherlands, the CC has since been adopted by 19 nations. It has also been codified as ISO Standard 15408.
"Pointsec is immensely pleased to have been awarded this certificate under EAL4, the highest level of Common Criteria validation possible for commercial products," said Peter Larsson, President of Pointsec Mobile Technologies. "This certification has been the product of a long and rigorous process, and gives Pointsec for PC the international standing necessary to meet the needs of both governments and the most demanding multinational companies, including those in finance, securities and defence. Currently, Pointsec for PC is the only mobile data protection solution on the market to be certified at this level."
Third-party testing
Because the Common Criteria is a worldwide mutually recognised standard, certification in one country automatically establishes validation by governments of the other participating nations.
Pointsec for PC underwent evaluation in the US beginning in June 2002. The evaluation process was administered by SAIC (Science Applications International Corporation), a Fortune 500 research and engineering firm authorised to conduct Common Criteria evaluation by the National Information Assurance Partnership (NIAP), the US government`s sanctioning body.
The Common Criteria defines seven EALs in its standard. Each EAL is a superset of the next lower level, meaning that as the level of assurance goes higher, the amount of requirements and information for each class also increases. Levels beyond EAL4 are considered non-commercial in nature and are generally reserved for restricted and/or national security purposes; however, commercial products used by US government agencies are required to have an EAL4 certificate.
"Pointsec for PC offers a combination of strong security and robust enterprise management tools that make it suitable for enterprise deployment," said Micah Tapman, Senior Security Engineer at SAIC. "Corporate, organisational and government bodies will benefit from the unique benefits of Pointsec for PC."
Enterprise mobile data protection solution
Pointsec is a world leader in strong security solutions for an enterprise`s most vulnerable data repositories-its mobile computing devices. Desktops, laptops, PDAs and smart phones are the most critical entry points to an organisation - and the points most open to integrity violation and theft.
As a provider of enforceable, centrally-managed and multi-platform encryption software, Pointsec ensures that intellectual property stored on any kind of portable computing device remains private and secure. Its transparent and automatic protocols allow comprehensive security to take place with no performance penalty for users.
Pointsec for PC can be purchased directly from Pointsec Mobile Technologies via the company`s extensive network of sales offices in the US, Europe and Japan. For more information about Pointsec for PC, of Pointsec`s other robust security software for desktop and mobile computing environments, log on to www.pointsec.com.
For further information, please contact: Andre Grove, Product Director, Condyn, South Africa telephone (012) 665 4356 or andre@condyn.net
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Pointsec Mobile Technologies AB is a wholly owned subsidiary of Protect Data AB. The company develops and markets access-controlling and encrypting systems for stationary and portable computers, palmtop computers, WAP telephones, etc. Pointsec Mobile Technologies has 47 employees and offices in San Francisco, Chicago, and Washington DC in the US, Cambridge in the UK, D"usseldorf in Germany, and Stockholm, Falun and Sundsvall in Sweden.
The Protect Data Group offers tailor-made IT security solutions to large companies and organisations. The company focuses on four business areas: digital identities and resource security, network security, anti-virus and content security, and consultancy services for information security. Within these areas, the company offers comprehensive IT security solutions based on aspects such as access control and encryption systems, anti-virus systems, digital sentry services, firewalls, user identification and content control, secure VPN and PKI solutions, digital signatures and systems for secure transactions.
Protect Data is the market leader in its business area in the Nordic region and has subsidiaries in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, the UK and the US. Protect Data has approximately 100 employees and is listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange. See ProtectData.com for more info.
Condyn
Condyn is an SA-based private company that has numerous distribution contracts for best breed of security product suppliers around the globe. Condyn has the sole distribution for the Africa market in all these products. Condyn is the number one distributor for security solutions for Africa. Our focus is to take all aspects of security requirements into consideration when selecting our products for distribution to ensure a total solution for our end-users. You can visit us on www.condyn.net for more information.
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