PGP 8.0 released in several new editions

PGP Corp. Tuesday introduced several new products, 16 weeks after it acquired the software portfolio based on the Pretty Good Privacy security technology from Network Associates Inc.

The Palo Alto start-up released PGP 8.0 in Enterprise, Desktop and Personal versions, as well as a new freeware version and the PGP 8.0 source code for peer review, the company said in a statement. PGP software’s main function is to encrypt e-mail messages and files on a PC.

PGP Enterprise 8.0 and PGP Desktop 8.0 offer features meant for use in business environments, such as integration with multiple directory services and groupware products. Subscription pricing, available to U.S. and Canadian customers, for PGP Enterprise starts at $125 per seat and for PGP Desktop at $80 per seat, PGP said.

PGP Personal excludes links to enterprise services, but does allow users to encrypt e-mail and files on their hard disk drives, PGP said. PGP personal is priced at $39, a promotion for the holiday season, the company said.

PGP Freeware 8.0, for personal and noncommercial use only, allows only the encrypting of e-mail and does not include plug-ins for e-mail clients. The PGP 8.0 source code is available for download; the license allows review only, not reuse, PGP said.

PGP Corp. is a start-up backed by $14 million in venture capital from Doll Capital Management and Venrock Associates. The company bought the PGP assets in August, almost a year after NAI said it would offload the unit as part of a reorganization

The people at PGP are no strangers to the technology. President and CEO Phil Dunkelberger headed PGP Inc. when it was sold to NAI in 1997. Phil Zimmerman, the cryptography pioneer who developed PGP and launched PGP Inc. in 1996, is on the Technical Advisory Board of PGP Corp.