Firms face encryption deadline

Integrators have until April 1 to adopt encryption certificates that will let them communicate securely with the Defense Department.

Companies that do not implement Interim External Certification Authority (IECA) certificates risk being cut off from crucial parts of the department's network, said an executive at VeriSign Inc., one of three companies approved to sell the certificates.

Some 350,000 companies doing business with the Defense Department need IECA certificates, said Barry Leffew, VeriSign's vice president for the public sector. The IECA program has been in place for about two years, he said, but only recently has adoption begun to pick up.