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Sun, Echoworx and Lucent increase email privacy

Sun Microsystems, Inc., Echoworx and Lucent Technologies announced the launch of Sun Secure Mail, a fully-hosted managed service that will make it possible for any email subscriber to benefit from increased security and privacy protection in their email communications.

Sun Secure Mail is one of the first subscription-based, fully-hosted services that give individuals the ability to encrypt their email at their desktop, without changing their email application . Sun Secure Mail is managed by the complementary expertise of Sun and Lucent Technologies, and powered by the email encryption software technology of Echoworx. Lucent will host the service at its Global Network Operations Centers worldwide. The new Sun Secure Mail service will be offered to any email service provider, such as ISPs and Cable and Multiple-Service Operators, as a Managed Service from Sun. Service Providers can immediately re-brand Sun Secure Mail and offer it as an instant- on service to their email subscribers for a premium.

"Internet messaging is no longer a 'nice-to-have'; it is a business- critical communication tool. As with any Internet-based communication comes vulnerability: these messages are vulnerable to being intercepted, triggering the crucial need for email privacy protection, " said Andy Sheldon, executive director, partner and industry marketing, Sun Microsystems. "We are essentially delivering IT as a service. Rather than worry about the infrastructure needed to set this up themselves, the ISP or email provider can offer it quickly to customers as a hosted service."

Simple, Secure and Rapidly Deployed

The Sun Secure Mail service is user-friendly for consumers -- when a subscriber activates the Sun Secure Mail service from their service provider, a small plug-in is automatically downloaded into their email application. With the click of a button, subscribers can then send encrypted messages from their existing email or web mail applications. Messages are digitally signed and encrypted using a trusted authority before they leave the sender's email application, and can only be opened by the intended recipient using their private key. The recipient need not be a subscriber to the service nor download any software.

As for Service Providers, this is a hassle-free, easy-to-deploy service. Service Providers are not required to install any infrastructure to deploy Sun Secure Mail. Service Providers can benefit from speed-to-market and can avoid the complexities and costs associated with creating a whole new secure mail infrastructure and maintaining related billing and provisioning functions. Sun seamlessly manages the provisioning and maintenance of digital identities, credentials searching and the delivery of messages to users who may not be subscribers of the Sun Secure Mail service.

"Anyone with a bit of know-how can easily intercept email as it travels through cyberspace and gain access to business and personal information, " warned Michael Ginsberg, chief executive officer of Echoworx. "Consumers and enterprises are looking for ways to secure their Internet communication. Echoworx, Lucent and Sun have launched a service that is reliable and cost- effective and that can be quickly and seamlessly deployed. ISPs offering Sun Secure Mail will not only increase revenues, but also capture new customers by enabling anyone with an email account to sign-up for the service."

"The agreement with Sun expands our portfolio of managed services offerings and positions us to grow faster than the market by rapidly deploying value-added managed services solutions to our customers, " said David Dial, vice president, managed services, Lucent Worldwide Services. "By working with Sun and Echoworx, we can ensure our customers have a secure email solution that can be fully managed and hosted from our carrier-class Global Network Operations Center facilities."

The Sun Secure Mail is a complementary offering to the secure email capabilities of Sun's Java Communications Suite. It can be deployed to work with any existing messaging infrastructure.



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