GlobalSign Extends Webtrust Accreditation After Successful Audit By Deloitte
GlobalSign, Europe’s leading certificate service provider offering digital certificates and co-sourced PKI solutions, has announced that it received the WebTrust Seal of Assurance for Certification Authorities for the second time in a row after an audit conducted by Deloitte. In November 2002, GlobalSign was the first pan-European public Certification Authority to attain this accreditation level.
The WebTrust Seal of Assurance combines high standards for e-commerce activities with the requirement for an independent verification/audit. Together they build trust and confidence among consumers and enterprises conducting business over the Internet. By demonstrating compliance with WebTrust criteria, entities earn the right to display the WebTrust Seal of Assurance. The fact that GlobalSign succeeded to extend the WebTrust accreditation confirms that its processes, procedures and control mechanisms still meet the highest standards.
“The WebTrust Seal of Assurance has become a quality standard in our industry. Companies like Microsoft now require the WebTrust seal to be accepted in their root inclusion program, determining which root certificates are accepted by their browser and email software,” said Johan Sys, general manager of GlobalSign. “Unlike many local Certification Authorities (CA), GlobalSign has succeeded to be in all major root inclusion programs since 1999. The WebTrust Seal of Assurance helps us to sustain our unique position of being one of the few CAs in the world that is by default included in all leading browsers and e-mail clients. The fact that GlobalSign was chosen to rootsign the certificates used in the Belgian e-ID project is a good illustration of this competitive advantage.”
Audit and consulting firm Deloitte is licensed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (AICPA/CICA) to audit Certification Authorities that want to attain the WebTrust Seal of Assurance. Deloitte has a strong international track record in providing these assurance services. It advised GlobalSign throughout the initial certification process in 2001, and have now reevaluated and tested whether the services provided by GlobalSign still meet the principles and criteria set forward by the WebTrust program for Certification Authorities.
“The WebTrust Seal of Assurance has become a de facto standard. As an example, the Belgian government has based its e-ID accreditation scheme on the WebTrust criteria,” said Chris Verdonck, enterprise risk services partner at Deloitte. “We are therefore very pleased that we could successfully audit GlobalSign for the second year in a row. It demonstrates GlobalSign’s commitment to deliver trust services that meet the highest industry standard.”
About GlobalSign
GlobalSign is Europe’s leading Certificate Service Provider offering digital certificates and co-sourced PKI solutions. GlobalSign’s digital certificates allow individuals and businesses to secure e-mail communication, to conduct fully authenticated and confidential online business and to set-up trusted software distribution. GlobalSign also offers CorporateSSL and CorporateRA, two out-of-the-box co-sourced PKI solutions and a unique service called RootSign(tm) for corporate Certification Authorities who do not have their Root Certificate embedded in popular browsers.
GlobalSign’s public root key is embedded by default in all major Internet applications such as e-mail clients and browsers. Consequently, GlobalSign certificates are globally accepted and are not limited by any application, geographic area or business sector. Furthermore GlobalSign is one of the few Certification Authorities in the world that attained the WebTrust accreditation level. GlobalSign is part of the Ubizen group. Ubizen has a majority stake of 91% in GlobalSign.
About Deloitte
A leading audit and consulting practice in Belgium, Deloitte offers value added services in audit, accounting, tax, consulting and corporate finance.
In Belgium, Deloitte has more than 2.100 employees in over 16 offices across the country, serving national and international companies, from small and middle-sized enterprises, to public sector and non-profit organizations. The turnover reached 312 million euro in the financial year 2002-2003.
The Belgian firm is a member of the international group Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, an organization of independent member firms devoted to excellence in providing professional services and advice.
We are focused on client service through a global strategy executed locally in nearly 150 countries. With access to the deep intellectual capital of 120,000 people worldwide, our member firms (including their affiliates) deliver services in various professional areas covering audit, tax, consulting, and financial advisory services. Our member firms serve over one-half of the world’s largest companies, as well as large national enterprises, public institutions, and successful, fast-growing global growth companies. In 2002-2003 Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu’s turnover reached 15,1 billion dollars.
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