EDS Adds Cybersecurity Offerings

By Jennifer Freer, Staff Writer


NOV. 13 ? Electronic Data Systems Corp. of Plano, Texas, unveiled new cybersecurity offerings for communications and business transactions via the Internet. The company announced the four new offerings at the Comdex technology conference in Las Vegas.


With spending on information security services expected to reach approximately $15 billion worldwide by 2004, EDS is aiming to grab at least 10 percent to 15 percent of this growing market, a company official said.


"Our goal is to remove a major roadblock in the transition from e-commerce to the digital economy," said Shakil Kidwai, vice president of Global Information Assurance Services. "The digital economy means more than e-business. It's a new way of working in which every aspect of a business is digital."


The new offerings are:


* Secure Digital Communications: Providing real-time transaction, authentication and payment processing;



* Cyberintelligence Services: A Web-based system for warning clients of cyberthreats and advising how to avoid them;



*Global Web Assurance: Subscription-based managed services that allow clients with multiple sites to manage traffic by protecting e-commerce sites from being overwhelmed by incoming traffic and tailoring traffic needs;

* CyberForensics: A service to investigate cybercrimes against its clients and track down the criminals.


Surveys have indicated that a majority of Americans believe not enough is being done to protect consumers from cybercrime, and that they are less likely to do business over the Internet or provide personal information to the government because of the fear of crime, according to EDS.