Companies need to be able to transfer files securely, and it helps if they can be compressed. The company that developed the ZIP process for file compression, PKWARE, has addressed this need with the announcement of SecureZIP, a line of products for secure data transfer.

The first release in the line is SecureZIP for Windows, which adds encryption and authentication to the compression product. The product is integrated with Microsoft Outlook and IBM Lotus Notes, enabling those users to zip and secure files directly from the email client using the standard attachment process.

The encryption capability is based on the BSAFE software from RSA Security, supporting 3DES and the new AES government standard. Requiring the use of passwords or digital certificates is optional.

Administrators are able to set policy, transparently enforced, related to the storage, transfer and security of high-value data. SecureZIP integrates with LDAP-compatible public key certificate directories, enabling users to send certificate-encrypted files to anyone within their trusted community.

The product was designed to be easily deployed, without requiring large infrastructure investments. PKWARE will be announcing products for Unix, Linux and IBM iSeries midrange and zSeries mainframe platforms. Files can be zipped and encrypted on one system and unzipped and decrypted on another.

"Companies want to distribute a security solution to end users that does not require an overhaul of their infrastructure," says Steve Crawford, chief marketing officer for PKWARE. "They want something easy to use that users can adopt without a lot of hand holding."

One market driver is the requirement of many government regulations to protect consumer privacy, Crawford says.

The ZIP Reader tool is a free reader for viewing any zipped files, including those encrypted or digitally signed with SecureZIP. This enables any Windows user to open the files even if they do not own the SecureZIP files.

SecureZIP for Windows will be priced at $99.95 per seat, after a 30-day promotion period of pricing at $79.95 per seat. Volume pricing applies.

Later in the year, the company will roll out a version of its mainframe product under the SecureZIP brand, to include digital certificate support. Prices for that are based on the Mips of the host processors, and range from a few thousand dollars up to $100,000.