nCipher plc, a leader in protecting critical enterprise data, has announced its keyAuthority enterprise key management suite now supports the IBM System i and AS/400 platforms through a partnership with Patrick Townsend & Associates, a System i software development and consulting firm.

This partnership brings together nCipherÆs cryptographic key management expertise with Patrick Townsend & AssociatesÆ extensive capabilities developing solutions for System i environments. Townsend has licensed nCipherÆs key management protocol to enable its suite of encryption and data protection solutions to communicate with nCipherÆs keyAuthority enterprise key management product line. Together, nCipher and Townsend will enable organizations to encrypt data on the System i and to securely manage the usage and distribution of cryptographic keys from a central location.

ôWe see growing demand from our customers to secure their data through the use of encryption,ö says Patrick Townsend, president of Patrick Townsend & Associates. ôOne of the primary benefits of System i is that large enterprises are able to deploy a centrally managed IT infrastructure at remote locations, being able to centrally manage the encryption and cryptographic keys is therefore a must-have feature. nCipherÆs keyAuthority solution gives our customers the centralized key management capabilities they need to underpin our data security solutions.ö

ôEncryption is the last line of defense for data protection and this partnership with Patrick Townsend & Associates allows us to expand the reach of our keyAuthority solution into the System i environment and offer the most comprehensive general purpose enterprise key management system on the market,ö says Richard Moulds, vice president marketing at nCipher.

ôThrough the combination of our open approach to key management we have been able to bring together two best-in-class technologies and enable our joint customers to address the growing need for data level security without needing to establish new security procedures and skills at remote locations, branch offices, and other System i based facilities,ö says Moulds.

Encrypting sensitive data has become a priority for many large organizations, especially since the Payment Card Industry (PCI) released its requirements for protecting credit card numbers. PCI requires not only that companies store credit card data in an unreadable form, but also that they fully document and implement key management processes and procedures for the secure generation, distribution, storage, archiving, replacement and retirement of all keys used to encrypt credit card numbers.

Taking advantage of encryption has always been a particular challenge on platforms such as the System i where there has been a reliance on manual techniques for the management of cryptographic keys. nCipherÆs centralized key management system solves this problem and removes the barrier to the deployment of encryption on these types of transactional systems and distributed networks.

Critical data can take many forms; from user PIN values, credit card details, customer information and healthcare records to corporate secrets and regulatory filings. To manage risk and meet regulatory requirements organizations must identify, classify, and protect this data. They must apply additional security controls and enforce such controls through the use of technology and management processes. About nCipher

nCipher protects critical enterprise data for many of the world's most security-conscious organizations. Delivering solutions in the fields of identity management, data protection, enterprise key management and cryptographic hardware, nCipher enables businesses to identify who can access data, to protect data in transit and at rest, and to comply with the growing number of privacy-driven regulations. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE:NCH).