Singapore, 25 April 2001 - Biodata Information Technology introduces Biodata SecureDesk, the only email encryption platform in the world that uses the two most prevalent international encryption standards, OpenPGP and S/MIME. In doing so, this latest encryption technology will protect businesses against industrial espionage.

E-mail has become an integral communication tool in business. While saving companies time and money, it has also exposed companies to greater risks of information leakages as it is very easy for e-mails to be read by other people. Biodata SecureDesk enables companies secure communication via the Internet. Due to its outstanding features, Microsoft awarded the Biodata product as the best partner software of the year 2000.

Said Mr K K Chan, Country Manager of Singapore, "E-mails have formed the heart of business communication in Singapore. However, most people forget that unencrypted e-mails are like 'postcards'. Reliable security technology is needed to send 'registered letters' over the Internet. The most important encryption protocols S/MIME and OpenPGP offer strong protection. "

"With the ability to combine the two otherwise incompatible standards on the world market, Biodata SecureDesk can exchange encrypted messages with users of S/MIME as well as OpenPGP users," he said.

The software automatically chooses the appropriate encryption standard. Strong encryption and long keys leave no backdoor for industrial espionage. The modular architecture of the software allows integration of the latest encryption technology.

Digital Signature
Besides encrypting electronic correspondence, Biodata SecureDesk also enables verification of sender identity. By allowing the option of digitally signing messages, the software eliminates any doubt about the true identity of the sender that is particularly important for orders over the Internet (e-commerce).

Qualities
'Biodata SecureDesk Outlook' is the base module for enabling e-mail security. It can easily be installed as a plug-in for Microsoft Outlook. The Biodata PKI Enterprise Keyserver is responsible for the key management for all users and business partners. Key exchange between the users and key-servers takes place automatically over standardised interfaces. The Biodata PKI Certificate Authority generates and certifies user keys that serve as electronic IDs in public networks. Biodata therefore offers a complete public key infrastructure (PKI) for medium and large enterprises.

For private users, Biodata SecureDesk is available as freeware on http://as.biodata.com/as/. Business users interested in the product can contact the Biodata Singapore office.

The Biodata SecureDesk and Biodata PKI product ranges (both formerly known as CryptoEx) are produced by Biodata Application Security AG (previously Glück & Kanja) in Offenbach, Germany. Clients include the largest German electronics manufacturer, Siemens, using Biodata SecureDesk on over 70,000 workstations worldwide including Asia, and GZS (Gesellschaft für Zahlungssysteme mbH), Germany's leading credit card transaction company.

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