THE ROLE AND BENEFITS OF A PUBLIC KEY INFRASTRUCTURE: Introduction

Do you need to exchange information online securely across government agencies? Do you need to turn on the security inherent in your existing applications? Do you need to authenticate users, devices, or applications? If so, you need a certificate. With the challenges around Cybersecurity and eletronic transactions globally, it is very key for the Federal Government of Nigeria to implement a National Public Key Infrastructure to be driven by the Ministry of Communication Technology. In simple terms, the PKI Certificates, which contain a users public key and identity, are issued and managed by an entity called a Certification Authority (CA). A CA is a component of Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)the technology behind public-key encryption, authentication, and digital signature services and is necessary to establish and maintain a trustworthy networking environment using certificates. It will also fast track the delivery of certain government services either through G2C (Government to citizens) or B2B (Business to Business) transactions via a secured channel. The challenges of E-payments to 3rd parties, email security, file security and identity fraud within Government operations will be reduced to very minimal level. PKI systems, however, can be complex and time-consuming to deploy as well as expensive to operate and maintain. Furthermore, individuals with the necessary skill set required to run a CA are scarce, making it difficult to obtain and retain PKI-savvy staff or organization. A PKI system also consists of many different features (often misunderstood), which organizations must decide to include or exclude, as they affect both PKI cost and quality. So how can you obtain the services of qualified PKI staff, at a cost-effective rate, to quickly deploy security for your organization? Outsource your CA to Entrust Managed Services PKI in a Public Private Partnership model. Preferably NITDA will serve as the CA but co-ordinating the SPV (Special Purpose Vehicle) in collaboration with the private sector partners to achieve this inovative idea.

Overview
The purpose of this document is to highlight key benefits and differentiators of the Entrust PKI over other PKI solutions. It is assumed that the reader is already familiar with PKI technology, and has access to more detailed information about Entrusts solutions.

Executive Summary
When Entrust released its first PKI in 1994, there were no other commercial PKI solutions in the

market and it is now on its 7th generation. Over time, especially in the last few years, a number of other PKI solutions have been developed by other vendors. Customer choice in the PKI space has led to exciting product improvements, better interoperability, and validation of PKIs effectiveness in securing digital identities and information. As the leaders in PKI, Entrust is committed to delivering high customer value to governments and businesses, allowing our customers to achieve top quality security at lower total cost of ownership. We understand that PKI is not just about standing up a Certification Authority (CA) and pumping out certificates. Its about managing those certificates, having confidence in the security of the software, and having 24/7 access to PKI experts when something goes wrong. Its also about having confidence that your PKI solution will fit into your heterogeneous IT environment, and being able to work with a vendor that provides a complete solution set. Most of all, its about choosing a solution that lowers your organisations risk, and provides a lower total cost of ownership. That solution is Entrusts PKI.

Lower Risk
Trusted Security Experts and Market Leader Entrust is a recognized leader in information security solutions, and is trusted by over 1500 customersin more than 50 countries. Entrust is committed to its customers success with offices throughout the world, including North America, Europe and Asia, our approximately 500 employees are dedicated tomeeting the needs of our global customer base. Our customers include:

7 of the top 10 global commercial savings banks 8 of the top 10 e-governments worldwide 8 of the top 10 global telecom companies 7 of the top 10 global pharmaceutical companies 8 of the top 10 global aerospace and defense companies 4 of the top 5 global petroleum companies Unlike many other PKI vendors, our sole focus is information security. Our employees, whether they are in Research and Development, Customer Support, Professional Services or Sales, are focused on one thing: helping our customers secure the digital lives of their citizens, customers, employees and partners. We do this by providing software solutions that: 1) protect digital identities through authentication; 2) enforce policy via advanced content scanning; and 3) protect information assets through encryption. Entrust has over 100 patents and patent applications pending, and has received numerous awards for the superior quality and performance of our security solutions. We are active in the development of leading security technology standards, and support interoperability and standards compliance in our product portfolios.

Entrusts roots lie in public key infrastructure. Back in 1994, we released the worlds first commercially available PKI, and have continued to build upon this foundation, leading us to become the industrys most relied-upon PKI. Now in its 7th generation, the Entrust PKI is used by Governments that have taken egovernment as a strategic initiative, including Saudi Arabia, The United Kingdom, The U.S, Singapore, Denmark and Canada and is deployed in over 60 Federal agencies and departments within the United States government. We have helped close to 1000 organisations deploy their PKIs, a level of experience that is unmatched in the industry. By selecting a PKI vendor that is focused on security and has more deployment experience than any other vendor in the industry, organisations can help to lower their risk. They can be assured that governments and organisations around the world have evaluated and examined the Entrust PKI, and have chosen it to secure their most highly sensitive information.

A Broad Solution Set

Entrust provides a complete suite of PKI servers, client applications and security toolkits, as well as complementary security solutions that extend beyond PKI. All are supported by Entrusts highly regarded services organisation. By working with a single vendor for all of their PKI requirements (and more), our customers enjoy increased interoperability and better customer support, and reduce the risk inherent in dealing with multiple vendors and solutions.