Entrust Integrates Public-Key Software With Lotus Notes

Entrust Technologies Inc. has signed a pact with Lotus Development Corp. to integrate its public key infrastructure (PKI) software with Lotus Notes and Lotus Domino software.

The integration, pulled together by a special security extension to Notes called Entrust/Express for Lotus Notes, will give Lotus users a mechanism to automatically encrypt and digitally sign E-mail and other Notes communications using digital certificate technology.

PKI uses a set of "keys," or mathematical codes, to encrypt documents to protect them from unauthorized access and then decrypt them for users who are authorized to open the files. The system relies on certificate authorities and uses a public key stored in a database to verify that senders are who they say they are, and that recipients are the intended ones.

Entrust/Express for Lotus Notes will support Entrust Single Login, which lets users enter a password to gain access to Entrust-enabled applications. The software for Lotus Notes is slated to ship in the fourth quarter. The beta for the security extension will be ready in the third quarter.