IBM and RSA Form Strategic Security Alliance

Security Leaders Partner to Strengthen Today's Cryptography

SAN JOSE, Calif., May 1 (Internet World, Booth # 1207) . . . In a
significant strategic alliance, two leaders in computer security, IBM and
RSA Data Security, Inc. (RSA)**, today announced that they have signed an
agreement to broadly license RSA technology and products to IBM, providing
open cryptography for the Internet and other networks to enable secure
electronic commerce. The two companies will provide interoperable security
across IBM products and other vendor platforms. Their efforts will provide
customers and developers with safe universal access to the Internet,
consistent with U.S. and non-U.S. export regulations governing
cryptographic products.

As part of its strategy to secure the enterprise, IBM plans to incorporate
RSA's public key cryptography throughout its SecureWay* product line of
hardware, software, middleware and Internet offerings. Currently, RSA
cryptography is part of IBM's Cryptolope* secure container; IBM Lotus
Notes*; the newly announced Net.Commerce system; Internet Connection
Secure Web servers and browsers, and IBM's mobile work station.

Previously, the two companies announced a project to modify RSA's BSAFE
encryption engine** and IBM's Common Cryptographic Architecture (CCA)* for
interoperability between RSA's toolkits and IBM's CCA-based hardware
products. This joint effort is working to enable existing applications
developed with RSA's toolkits to take advantage of IBM's hardware-based
cryptography.

"IBM and RSA are forming a long-term alliance as part of IBM's SecureWay
initiative," said Kathy Kincaid, director, I/T Security Programs, IBM.
"The complementary skills, technology and experience of IBM and RSA will
greatly benefit our customers and the security industry. This is another
step towards our commitment to secure network computing."

Commenting on the expanded IBM and RSA relationship, RSA chief executive
Jim Bidzos said: "This further establishes RSA as the de facto standard
and makes the technology much more available."

Both companies have been testing interoperability across Virtual Private
Networks in support of the IETF IPSec specification with other members of
the S/WAN working group. The S/WAN initiative is a secure wide-area
network technology based upon the standard "Security Architecture for the
Internet Protocol" RFC 1825-1829, commonly known as "IPSec."

RSA Data Security, Inc. is the world's brand name for public key
cryptography, with more than 15 million copies of RSA encryption and
authentication technologies installed and in use worldwide. RSA
technologies are part of existing and proposed protocols for the Internet
and World Wide Web, CCITT, ISO, ANSI, IEEE, and business, financial and
electronic commerce networks around the globe. The company develops and
markets platform- independent developer's kits and end-user products and
provides comprehensive cryptographic consulting services. Founded in 1982
by the inventors of the RSA Public Key Cryptosystem, the company is
headquartered in Redwood City, Calif.

IBM

IBM has been a pioneer in the development of the Internet. It designed
special hardware and software, and provided operations support for key
networks that make up today's Internet, including the Internet's primary
backbone, the NSFnet. IBM also helped form Advanced Network & Services
(ANS), the organization which had been responsible for managing and
servicing the NSFnet from its inception until the beginning of 1995.

IBM offers hardware, software, consulting and services to help customers
take advantage of the potential of the Internet. Whether addressing an
individual need or creating a total enterprise solution, IBM provides the
expertise required to plan, design, implement and operate an Internet
solution for businesses.

To learn more about IBM's Internet activities, visit the IBM Internet home
page at: http://www.internet.ibm.com or the IBM Corporation home page at
http://www.ibm.com. Additional information on IBM's security offerings can
be found through the IBM I/T Security home page at
http://www.ibm.com/security.

IBM's security products support the security component of the Open
Blueprint. A white paper on security in the Open Blueprint is available
for reference on the Internet at
http://www.torolab.ibm.com/openblue/openblue.html.

Please Note: Questions about the content or currency of this press release
should be directed to your local IBM representative.
 
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