VeriSign and Covalent Join Forces to Enable
Secure E-Commerce Web Sites
Top Provider of Apache Web Server Software Integrates VeriSign as
Default Provider of Web Site Digital Certificates
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA - VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSN), the leading provider of Internet trust
services, and Covalent Technologies, Inc., a leading provider of Apache web server e-commerce
solutions, today announced an agreement to integrate VeriSign’s web server digital certificate
services into Covalent's Apache server products, providing customers with a one-step, out-of-thebox process to deploy e-commerce web sites. VeriSign's web server digital certificates authenticate
intranet, extranet, and e-commerce sites, enabling encrypted transactions and communications
between browsers and servers across the Internet. (See related release, “VeriSign Trust Services
Integrated Into E-Commerce Offerings of More than 70,000 ISVs, ISPs, ASPs, Web Hosting
Companies and Other Leading Providers,” dated September 19, 2000).
“As the number of companies deploying web sites continues to increase significantly, security
remains a top concern for our customers,” said John M. Jack, CEO of Covalent Technologies.
“This new registration process for digital certificates not only alleviates some of the concerns
about security, but also simplifies implementation. By partnering with VeriSign, Covalent can
offer our customers an efficient method for provisioning a secure web site in a highly
streamlined manner.”
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Under terms of the agreement, Covalent is integrating VeriSign's web site digital certificate
enrollment module into their server. This enables the automatic generation of digital keys
required for issuing digital certificates for a web site. Previously, a customer would be required
to manually generate these keys during enrollment, resulting in a multi-stage process. System
administrators can now seamlessly enroll and purchase a digital certificate from VeriSign.
Covalent's management interface allows administrators to determine the progress of a certificate
application at any time. Once the VeriSign authentication process is complete, the Covalent
server verifies the user’s certificate and installs it on the server.
“With a growing rate of roughly 1.5 million new Apache units sold each month, the Apache user
community is relying on companies such as Covalent to conduct secure e-commerce,” said Ben
Golub, director of product marketing for the Internet Services Group at VeriSign. “By working
with VeriSign, Covalent can now automatically offer a one-step process to create secure ecommerce sites for the eight million Apache server installations currently in operation.”
About Covalent Technologies, Inc.
Covalent Technologies, Inc. is the leader in e-commerce solutions and secured data applications
for the open-source Apache web server platform. Covalent maintains its role as a founding
member of the Apache Project and actively participates in the research, development and
administrative efforts of the Apache Software Foundation. More information about the company
can be found on its web site at www.covalent.net.
About VeriSign
VeriSign, Inc. (Nasdaq:VRSN) is the leading provider of trusted infrastructure services to web
sites, enterprises, electronic commerce service providers and individuals. The company's domain
name, digital certificate and payment services provide the critical web identity, authentication
and transaction infrastructure that online businesses require to conduct secure e-commerce and
communications. VeriSign's services are available through its web sites (www.verisign.com and
www.netsol.com) or through its direct sales force and reseller partners around the world.
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All rights reserved. VeriSign is a registered trademark exclusively licensed to VeriSign, Inc.
Covalent is a trademark of Covalent Corporation. All other trade names mentioned are trademarks
or registered trademarks of their respective companies.