PKI: Does what it says on the tin?

But if you listen to the experts one answer to the problem is already out there in the form of public key infrastructure (PKI), a technology which allows encrypted data to be sent across the internet, to be read only by its intended recipient(s).

Why, then, hasn't it caught on?

PKI is a complicated technology with an obscure name and lots of different commercial flavours from different competing vendors.

Most users have stubbornly refused to take the plunge until they can be sure the option they take will mix and match with others around. And despite the security risks, it looks set to stay that way - leaving vendors to fight amongst themselves.

That's slightly simplistic. Most of them realised the need for interoperability a long time ago and the PKI Forum has made considerable steps in the right direction. But it's not been enough to encourage users to make the move.

Now the EC has stepped in to fund independent efforts from the European Forum for Electronic Business to create a European standard, drawing together technologies from 25 different vendors to develop a basic blueprint for all PKI products.

It's pretty likely most vendors won't appreciate the interference. But if it pushes them quicker in the right direction, the final winner will be the end user. And that's to be welcomed.