News
IBM, Industry Group Unveil Secure Platform
- By Scott Bekker
- 01/30/2001
IBM Corp., in conjunction with an industry
group, today published standards for building secure platforms. The
Trusted Computing Platform Alliance (TCPA)
released version 1.0 of its guidelines for secure computers.
TCPA lays
out guidelines for creating secure computers in the specification released
today. IBM and other vendors plan to ship TCPA-compliant machines later this
year. Jim Ward, senior solutions architect at IBM’s personal systems group,
says that the TCPA guidelines ensure computers have increased security.
The TCPA
specifications center on two main areas: trusted reporting and public key
infrastructure (PKI). The TCPA reporting guidelines create profiles of a
machine’s security settings as the machine boots. Ward says content providers
such as Bloomberg or Hoover’s may take advantage of this feature to ensure
users do not redistribute content.
PKI, the
second area of the specification, creates digital certificates for identifying
and authenticating machines on the Internet. IBM has created encryption chips
to automate PKI processes, and has added these chips to its NetVista line of
desktops.
Ward
expects that enterprises will be among the first companies to purchase TCPA
compliant machines. Large companies with many branch or remote offices will
want to ensure that data remains within the organization.
While the
1.0 specification treats only PC-type devices, Ward anticipates the TCPA will
tackle security on wireless and handheld devices in the near future. “The spec
should come soon,” Ward says. “Expect IBM to be the first to offer embedded
security.”
Compaq, HP,
IBM, Intel, and Microsoft founded the TCPA in 1999 to establish standards for
secure computing. Since its founding, over one hundred security-related
businesses have joined the consortium. – Christopher McConnell
About the Author
Scott Bekker is editor in chief of Redmond Channel Partner magazine.