PGP Updates Emphasize Automation

Chief among new features in the corporate edition of PGP Desktop 9.0 are PGP Whole Disk encryption, which secures notebooks and removable media, and PGP Instant Messenger, which works to secure AOL Instant Messenger traffic, said Andrew Krcik, vice president of marketing for PGP, Palo Alto, Calif.

The most far-reaching addition to PGP Universal 2.0, the vendor's management software, is the ability for network administrators to set master encryption policies that can be changed and augmented on a group-by-group basis. Once set, the policy automates encryption and decryption on the fly, Krcik said. Both products support major message formats including X.509, OpenPGP and S/MIME.

Indeed, a central theme of both upgrades was automation, both in terms of how quickly the software can be installed and in making it simpler for encryption tasks to be handled in the background, said one solution provider who has been testing the product.

"Someone sets the policy once. It checks these policies automatically," said Ralph Figueiredo, sales manager at Aurora Enterprises, a PGP VAR in Torrance, Calif., that was closely involved with beta testing the new products.

For example, the system could be set up to encrypt all outgoing e-mail containing the word "confidential."

Another point of differentiation for the server product is technology that can be downloaded for free on predesignated client systems that allow administrators to extend encryption/decryption capabilities outside the enterprise, Figueiredo said. For example, a customer or consultant's system could be set up to send and receive secure e-mails.

Figueiredo said the full-disk encryption feature should go a long way toward addressing concerns about new privacy regulation, as well as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

"It's a great product, especially for the financial sector," he said. "The product sells itself; all we need to do is educate the clients."

PGP's Krcik said the professional edition of PGP Desktop 9.0 lists for $199; a home edition currently carries an introductory price of $69, which will increase to $99 at some point in the future.

PGP Universal comes in several different bundles including PGP Universal Series 100, which offers regulatory compliance for e-mail leaving the company, and starts at $129 per e-mail account for a perpetual license that includes upgrade protection and basic support; and PGP Universal Series 200, which offers centralized management and policy enforcement and starts at $329 per e-mail account for a perpetual license.