Liberty University Deploys a Verizon Digital Certificate Management Solution to Help Protect Confidential Data of Students, Faculty and Staff

LYNCHBURG, Va., May 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Keeping students, faculty and staff safe on today's Internet-connected college campuses means more than simply securing dormitories and classrooms. That's why Liberty University worked with Verizon Business to deploy a digital certificate management solution to help efficiently safeguard personal student information, financial records and other confidential data.

Verizon Business is providing an SSL certificate service, based on Secure Socket Layer technology, to protect individuals who use the university network and access the public Internet. The digital certificate service -- tailored for a university environment -- protects online users by establishing a secure exchange between a Web page and the end user, and then encrypting the data passing between them.  This protection is critical when credit card data, Social Security numbers and other personal information are being used for campus business.

"Whether handling tuition payments or storing student records, it's essential that we provide a trusted environment for the business of learning," said Nick Tripp, security engineer for Liberty University.  "We are taking advantage of Verizon Business' digital certificate management service within our current network infrastructure to manage the individual certificates associated with the university.  By controlling and managing the overall public key infrastructure -- or PKI -- system, we're able to speed up the certification process, which allows us to cost-effectively keep our data secure."

Liberty University, established in 1971, educates nearly 12,000 residential students and hosts more than 50,000 online students, making it one of the world's largest nonprofit online educators.

Ray Wierzbicki, group president for Verizon Business government and education markets, said:  "Phishing and other online scams often entrap many computer users. This digital certificate management technology will help Liberty protect the university community's sensitive data from online criminals."

Verizon Business is a leader in helping government agencies and enterprises manage security risk and protect assets.  Its robust portfolio of security solutions includes governance risk and compliance solutions, data loss and prevention solutions, identity management solutions, and managed security services.  More information is available by visiting http://www.verizonbusiness.com/us/products/security.

About Verizon Business

Verizon Business, a unit of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ), is a global leader in communications and IT solutions. We combine professional expertise with one of the world's most connected IP networks to deliver award-winning communications, IT, information security and network solutions.  We securely connect today's extended enterprises of widespread and mobile customers, partners, suppliers and employees -- enabling them to increase productivity and efficiency and help preserve the environment.  Many of the world's largest businesses and governments -- including 96 percent of the Fortune 1000 and thousands of government agencies and educational institutions -- rely on our professional and managed services and network technologies to accelerate their business. Find out more at www.verizonbusiness.com.

Liberty University

Founded in 1971 and located in Lynchburg, Virginia, on a 6,500-acre campus called Liberty Mountain, Liberty University has grown over the past five years from a small Christian college with 4,000 students to a formidable Christian University that today educates nearly 12,000 on-campus students and 50,000 distance education students.  In fact, Liberty is ranked as the largest Christian online educator in the United States and offers more than 40 degree programs. http://www.liberty.edu/

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SOURCE Verizon Business