EDS Locks Up Alliance with TriStrata

By Nick Wakeman, Staff Writer


JUNE 7 ? Electronic Data Systems Corp. is bringing some cutting-edge technology to its data security offerings by forming an alliance with TriStrata Inc., a company that develops security offerings for applications such as e-mail, virtual private networks, laptop security and Web-based applications.


Plano, Texas-based EDS will be offering products by TriStrata of Redwood Shores, Calif., through its Program Safeguard contract, which offers a variety of information assurance and critical infrastructure protection services.


"As an underpinning to all that we do, EDS is committed to doing business with companies that are also involved in cutting-edge information assurance research," said Shakil Kidwai, vice president for information assurance services at EDS.


TriStrata founder John Atalla invented the Atalla Box, which secures about 80 percent of the world's automatic teller machine transactions.


Using TriStrata technology, EDS will be able to build a single infrastructure that identifies, authenticates and authorizes users and provides confidentiality, information recovery and detailed policy controls, Kidwai said.


"This is a revolutionary approach to protecting an organization's most sensitive, mission-critical data," he said.


"The teaming of EDS with TriStrata fills a void in the application service provider market," said Dorothy Denning, a security expert and professor of computer science at Georgetown University in Washington.


"Most third-party application hosting services do not pay enough attention to security or attempt to provide it as an afterthought," she said. This will provide e-business clients with managed applications that are secured at the outset."