This guide is a useful introduction to Public Key Infrastructure Technology. PKI provides the key to unlocking the benefits of a secure electronic world. We are in the middle of an electronic business revolution. The new global culture of electronic information exchange and networking poses a greater threat than ever before of fraud, e-mail eavesdropping and data theft for both companies and individuals.
Information security is now a major issue facing today s electronic society.
As the information highway transcends borders, locked doors are no longer sufficient to protect one of the corporation s most valuable assets - information. On the other hand, the Internet provides corporations with new and exciting opportunities to develop an additional channel for service delivery. Organizations recognize the need to respond strategically to this explosive growth, rather than reactively, carefully balancing concern for the protection of corporate data, with the desire to leverage this new medium for competitive advantage. Information security is at the heart of both of these demands. We need information security not only to protect our assets, but also to enable us to take advantage of this new market opportunity.