Opera to include CREN root digital certificates with Opera 7
Oslo, Norway and Washington, DC – Oct. 1, 2002
Opera is pleased to announce its partnership with the Corporation for Research and Educational Networking (CREN), which will provide Opera with its root digital certificates for its upcoming Opera 7 release.
CREN provides a specialized set of digital certificates for the higher education community. Partnering with Opera to provide a browser with CREN root certificates pre-installed will make the management and installation of CREN’s certificates easier and more effective compared to other browsers. In addition, universities will have access to CREN certificates with a multi-platform browser.
“Working with CREN gives us access to the most secure certificates available on the Web for university users,” says Mary Lambert, manager of strategic alliances at Opera Software. “We strive to be the most secure browser for universities and colleges, and CREN will help us enhance our security for educational users.”
Coupled with the Opera Higher Education Program, this partnership provides a strong incentive for universities and colleges to register Opera licenses. Digital certificates are important because they support more secure authentication and authorization, leading to more efficient Web services for campus-wide applications and services, including communications within the campus, between campuses and service providers, and campus community members, agencies and providers.
When CREN signs an institution’s public key, and the institution later issues a certificate with that signature, CREN will automatically check that the name in the issuer field matches the digital certificateauthority.
“The CREN roots in Opera 7 provide the higher education community with a unique browser to complement all their digital certificate and browsing needs, eliminating another barrier to the use of digital certificates,” says Ira Fuchs, president of CREN. “Opera 7 will be the most secure browser from Opera, and using CREN’s certificates will only further strengthen its security standards.”
Opera 7 will provide the fastest, most secure, and most enjoyable Internet browsing experience available from Opera. Through the Opera Higher Education Program, schools can register Opera licenses in bulk for as little as USD 1 per license on multiple platforms. Registering Opera through the Opera Higher Education Program will ensure that schools are running the most advanced browser on the market when Opera 7 is released.
CREN’s mission is to support higher education’s need for information technology services that efficiently and cost-effectively fit culture and community standards. This parallels the goals of Opera in maintaining standards and ensuring security while keeping the Web open for all.
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About Opera Software
Opera Software ASA is an industry leader in the development of Webbrowsers for the desktop and embedded markets, partnering withcompanies such as IBM, AMD, Symbian, Canal+ Technologies, Ericsson,Sharp and Lineo (now a division of Embedix). The Opera browser hasreceived international recognition from end users and the industrypress for being faster, smaller and more standards-compliant than otherbrowsers. Opera is available on Windows, Mac, Linux/Solaris, OS/2,Symbian OS and QNX. Opera Software ASA is a privately held companyheadquartered in Oslo, Norway. Learn more about Opera at www.opera.com.
About CREN
CREN is a non-profit member organization of over 220 universities, colleges, and research organization governed by a 12-member Board of Trustees. CREN offers digital certificate services supporting secure access to online resources, inter-institutional resource sharing, and secure email exchanges. CREN also produces a series of TechTalk webcasts that feature higher education guest experts in an informal format, discussing strategic and practical emerging technology trends. CREN maintains business alliances that benefit its members. These business alliances include: Blackboard Inc., Microsoft, Adobe Systems, Compaq, SAINT Corporation, Palm, Chrysalis, Lokomo Systems, Dell, Apple, Campus Pipeline, Internet Security Systems, Cisco, Meeting Maker, IBM, and Myricom. CREN is headquartered in Washington, DC. More information can be found at www.cren.net.
Contacts
Live Leer
MarCom Manager
Tel: +47 4040 1477
E-mail: press@opera.com
CREN (Corporation for Research and Educational Networking)
Judith V. Boettcher
Executive Director
Tel: (202)293-6867
E-mail: jboettch@cren.net