IRE Products Selected as Key Driver for Automobile Consortium's VPN Initiative
21 April 1998
IRE Products Selected as Key Driver for Automobile Consortium's VPN Initiative
SafeNet(TM) Approved by Automotive Industry Action Group for Automotive
Network eXchange(R) Service
BALTIMORE, Md., April 21 -- Information Resource Engineering
(IRE) Inc. , a leading provider of pure Virtual Private Network
(VPN) solutions for secure business communications, announced today that IRE's
SafeNet/Soft-PK(TM) was selected by the Automotive Industry Action Group
(AIAG) for the Automotive Network eXchange(R) (ANX(R)) service. After passing
stringent IPSec interoperability tests for the network, IRE has been selected
to participate in a pilot VPN program to link major automobile and heavy
equipment manufacturers with parts suppliers.
The ANX network will enable General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler, and heavy
equipment companies John Deere, Caterpillar, and Paccar to communicate with
more than 10,000 suppliers and contractors using an IPSec-based VPN. IPSec, a
mechanism for securing data sent across the Internet, is an industry standard,
supported by major manufacturers of network products. Communications among
these major manufacturing companies and their suppliers are confidential, and
full security is considered essential. SafeNet provides critical network
security functions, such as encryption and user authentication, to be
controlled in the user environment.
"Due to the competitive nature of the automobile industry, security is a
crucial component for the ANX network," said Karl E. Schohl, ANX business
manager at AIAG. "We are pleased that IRE has passed our most recent IPSec
interoperability tests and plans on gaining ANX Release 1 IPSec certification
through the International Computer Security Association so it can provide ANX
subscribers with the high-performance, standards-based security needed for
secure electronic commerce and data transfer."
"Participation in the pilot ANX VPN project gives IRE the opportunity to
demonstrate SafeNet to some of America's top manufacturing companies," Anthony
Caputo, IRE's chairman noted. "We believe the upcoming pilot will provide a
model for secure communications over the Internet and allow SafeNet products
to serve as an example for other secure extranets."
The SafeNet product line, targeted to Internet, intranet, extranets and
remote access applications, delivers protected, high-performance private
communications over public networks. In addition, through its SafeNet-Trusted
Services, IRE is the only VPN company that provides comprehensive services
for managing and monitoring VPN security.
About IRE
IRE removes the performance and security barriers that prevent
organizations from taking advantage of the cost savings of using public
networks for private communications. IRE's SafeNet family of Virtual Private
Network (VPN) products delivers comprehensive enterprise solutions that enable
organizations to securely use the Internet, the public telephone system and
other shared networks for private communications. IRE, the developer of the
first commercial VPN in 1985 and the first Internet VPN solution in 1995,
specializes in offering integrated, standards-based VPN products for any
organization requiring an affordable, private communications solution over
public and shared networks. Based in Baltimore, MD, IRE offers a broad range
of VPN solutions that leverage IRE's extensive security expertise, featuring
the industry's most sophisticated encryption technology. IRE's solutions are
deployed worldwide by many Fortune 1000 organizations, over 1500 banks
worldwide, including 13 of the top 15 U.S. banks, and several government
agencies, including the U.S. Treasury and the Federal Bureau of Investigation
(FBI).
NOTE: ANX(R) and Automotive Network eXchange(R) are registered in the
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as service marks by the Automotive Industry
Action Group (AIAG), Southfield, Michigan. SafeNet is a trademark of
Information Resource Engineering, Inc.
SOURCE Information Resource Engineering