HP ProLiant 4500 Compaq Enterprise Security Framework - Page 15

WHITE PAPER (cont.) ... enough to be implemented immediately at the local level, without coordination with other network devices. Digital certificates are paving the way for interoperable, secure identification across the Internet. Digital certificates are small pieces of software that use public-key cryptography to create a unique digital signature (or ID), reliably identifying a party across a network. These certificates enable previously unaffiliated parties, such as E-Commerce transactors, to identify one another with the aid of a trusted third party known as a certificate authority. Once digital certificates have been fully implemented, they allow for enterprise-wide single-sign-on, secure E-Commerce, easy establishment of VPNs, and many other applications. The certificate infrastructure and technology is still developing. Certificate server products are still in development and Certificate Authority services are in their infancy. For example, Secure Electronic Transactions (SET), the new E-Commerce credit card protocol, will depend heavily on digital certificates but has been delayed because of procedural and performance issues. As a result, applications using SET have been delayed as well. Therefore, certificate-based security will develop more slowly over the near-term. These vendors will need to focus on setting standards, marketing, and partnering to extend this solution. Over the long term, local access control and certificate-based security will eventually merge (see Figure 10). - Local Identification/ Authentication Market - - Certificate-based Security Market - Fast Market Development Slower Market Development Local Identification Capabilities Combined with Certificate-based Security Infrastructure Figure 10 Certificates contained and coordinated between smart-cards and browsers could become the universal ID for a variety of identification and access control functions. In another scenario, biometric identification software could become an additional identification factor integrated into a certificate-based security architecture. For example, a server or PC can require that a user submit his/her fingerprint description, which will be matched with the fingerprint description on a corresponding certificate. Security Market: Balanced Hardware/Software Solutions Complete security solutions will need to provide products that balance hardware and software. Individually, neither provides an adequate solution. A number of issues are driving the emphasis on software in security. Each of these factors increases the importance of software in the security market. As a result, enterprises will more likely invest in software solutions (see Figure 11). Analysts are recognizing this trend, and network software is projected to grow rapidly over the next several years, bringing with it a significant security component. IDC projects the Internet/Intranet Web server market will grow from $40 million in 15