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connectsoft & encryption

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Date: Tuesday, 25-Jul-95 07:26 AM

ConnectSoft Licensing Agreement with RSA Data Security Includes
Revolutionary S/ MIME Technology; ConnectSoft's early 


BELLEVUE, WASH. (July 24) BUSINESS WIRE -July 24, 1995--ConnectSoft,
Inc.,  provider of the most powerful, easy-to-use interfaces to
digital  communication and commerce, announced today it has licensed
a new  interoperable security technology from RSA that will provide
ConnectSoft  customers with added privacy and security to their daily
communications.  The agreement gives ConnectSoft products compliancy
with the S/MIME  specification (Secure Multipurpose Internet Mail
Extension) that ensures a customer's e-mail is read only by the
designated recipient -- regardless of the e-mail platform they are
using.  The new security features will be included in the newest
versions of ConnectSoft's E-Mail Connection(tm) and Internet
Connection(tm) products that will be released this fall.  

"In today's networked world, security is a growing concern as we rely
on  e-mail for more of our day-to-day communications,"  said Bob
Dickinson,  ConnectSoft's vice president and general manager,
Consumer Online Products & Services division.  "Our arrangement with
RSA provides encryption and authentication technologies giving our
customers the most protected and secure communication available
today."  

The S/MIME specification is based on the popular Internet MIME
standard and allows a customer's S/MIME message to be composed and
encrypted on one vendor's system and be successfully received and
decrypted on a different one. The specification also uses the
intervendor PKCS (Public Key Cryptography Standards), the most widely
implemented commercial standard for public-key cryptography in North
America.  

Global Security Standard  

- ------------------------  

Encryption and authentication have been viewed as crucial enabling  
technologies for electronic commerce on the World Wide Web -- but
encryption has been slow to come to e-mail, with most packages
offering nothing at all.  "ConnectSoft's early support of S/MIME
demonstrates its commitment to provide customers with secure digital
communication as well as its sophistication in developing future
electronic commerce solutions,"  said Jim Bidzos, RSA president.  

According to RSA, a global security standard is essential for the
development of a global digital economy.  "If one public-key system
is used everywhere for authentication, then signed digital documents
can be exchanged between users in different countries using different
software on different platforms,"  Bidzos said.  "This
interoperability is necessary for a true digital economy to
develop."  

RSA Data Security is the world's "brand name"  for cryptography, with
more than 12 million copies of its software encryption and
authentication installed and in use worldwide.  RSA is part of
existing and proposed standards for the 

Internet, CCITT, ISO, ANSI, IEEE and business and financial networks
around the globe.  The company develops and markets
platform-independent developers kits, end user products, and provides
comprehensive cryptographic consulting services.  Founded in 1982 by
the inventors of the patented RSA Public Key Cryptosystem, the
company is headquartered in Redwood City, California.  

ConnectSoft is a privately held company based in Bellevue, Wash. It
was  founded in January 1988 and operates three divisions -- Consumer
Online  Products and Services, Commercial Software Development
Services and Commercial Network Services -- targeted at providing
customers with innovative products, custom software and network
services for conducting digital commerce.  The Consumer Online
Products division markets the company's award winning products, such
as E-Mail Connection, Internet Connection and KidMail Connection.  
The
Commercial Software Development Services division develops custom
software which enables secure, digital communications, commercial
transactions, and Integrated Logistics Systems for Fortune 1000
companies such as United Parcel Service (UPS).  The recently formed
Commercial Network Services division will provide high bandwidth,
high-quality commercial Internet and TCP/IP services to large- and
medium-sized companies throughout the United States. -0- E-Mail 
Connection and Internet Connection are registered trademarks of
ConnectSoft, Inc.  Other company, brand product and service names may
be trademarks or registered marks of their respective holders.  

- --30--KS/se*  

CONTACT:  Kaufer Miller Communications  
   David Kaufer, Tamese Robinson or Michele Ruegg  
          206/450-9965  
          MCI Mail:  576-6983  
                    OR  
   ConnectSoft, Inc.  
   Linda Coyle, 206/827-6467 Ext. 5409  
                Internet: lindacconnectsoft.com  

KEYWORD:  WASHINGTON  

INDUSTRY KEYWORD:  COMPUTERS/ELECTRONICS COMED PRODUCT
INTERACTIVE/MULTIMEDIA  REPEATS: New York 212-575-8822 or
800-221-2462; Boston 617-330-5311 or         800-225-2030; SF
415-986-4422 or 800-227-0845; LA 310-820-9473 BW URL: 
http://www.hnt.com/bizwire 

                   * * * END OF STORY * * * 


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Key fingerprint =  A7 97 70 0F E2 5B 95 7C  DB 7C 2B BF 0F E1 69 1D