[CLUG] FW: Anyone buyin or sellin a PKI?

[adam beecher]

Nice bit of business here for someone with a strong neck.

adam



Revenue seeks new PKI partner
Wednesday, November 05 2003
by Dick O'Brien

http://www.enn.ie/frontpage/news-9380529.html

The sale of Baltimore Technologies' PKI business has prompted the Revenue
Commissioners to issue a tender seeking an alternative supplier.

The tender was published on 31 October and the tender process will be
accelerated, with a closing date of Monday, 24 November. Explaining the
acceleration of the tender process, the document states that the existing
service provider has sold the elements of its business that supported the
Revenue Online Service PKI (Public Key Infrastructure).

"This is a critical element of Revenue's service which cannot be
terminated," the document said. "There are very few potential contractors in
the market and an accelerated restricted procedure is the most efficient
means of identifying, and appointing, a suitable contractor in the shortest
period," it continued.

The new contract will last for two years, beginning on 1 March 2004 and
finishing on 28 February 2006. According to the tender document, its object
is to contract a service provider to host, manage and support the Public Key
Infrastructure for the Revenue Online Service.

The Revenue Commissioners will act as the Certification Authority and the
Digital Certificates will be issued and serviced by the contractor, on
behalf of The Revenue Commissioners. It also requires a secure hosting
facility and a cost effective service for the issue, support and maintenance
of its Digital Certificates. Important considerations, it said, in selecting
a contractor will include proven and demonstrable track record for all
aspects of the service, technical merit of the proposed solution, ability of
the contractor to integrate its solution with the ROS application.

Baltimore has been providing this service to the Revenue Commissioners since
the launch of the service three years ago. However, Baltimore recently sold
its PKI business to American security firm beTRUSTed. The business was sold
for STG5 million and represents the last of Baltimore's operating
businesses. At the time of the sale it was announced that all of the PKI
unit workers were expected to transfer to beTRUSTed.