Kern Schools Federal Credit Union Chooses Ingrian to Add Safeguards for Securing Member Data

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. -- DataSecure Platforms Offer Key Solution for Adhering to NCUA Guidelines and Ensuring Consumer Privacy

Ingrian(TM) Networks, Inc., the leading provider of data privacy solutions, today announced that Kern Schools Federal Credit Union (KSFCU) has selected Ingrian DataSecure(TM) Platforms to better ensure the security of personally identifiable member information within their organization. With Ingrian, Kern Schools Federal Credit Union can cost effectively and securely manage the encryption of sensitive data in application servers and databases, and secure that data as it is being stored and transmitted throughout the enterprise.

Today, federal credit unions like Kern Schools Federal Credit Union must guard against increasingly sophisticated security breaches, and ensure compliance with the National Credit Union Association's (NCUA) guidelines. Part 748 of these guidelines mandate that credit unions must: "Ensure the security and confidentiality of member information; protect against any anticipated threats or hazards to the security or integrity of such information; and protect against unauthorized access to or use of such information that could result in substantial harm or inconvenience to any member."

After assessing various approaches for augmenting the security of member data, Kern Schools Federal Credit Union turned to Ingrian. Ingrian's flexible integration capabilities, which support standard interfaces for leading application servers and databases -- including Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle -- were a tremendous advantage given Kern's heterogeneous infrastructure. Ingrian will be used to encrypt such sensitive member data as account numbers and social security numbers.

"As we looked at the NCUA legislation and the ongoing incidence of security breaches taking place, we decided that it made sense to augment our existing security capabilities by implementing encryption inside our enterprise," explained David DuBose, vice president, information technology, Kern Schools Federal Credit Union. "After evaluating the alternatives available, we became convinced that Ingrian's approach -- providing a centralized appliance that intelligently manages encryption, keys, and policies -- gave us the most secure and most cost-effective way to protect sensitive data."

DataSecure offers granular, field-level encryption capabilities and centralized, robust security functions that help organizations ensure that critical data -- whether social security numbers, credit card numbers, or other sensitive information -- remains protected from an array of threats, at all times. With Ingrian DataSecure Platforms, organizations can:

--Encrypt data in Web servers, application servers, and databases.

--Intelligently control and log data access.

--Administer keys and policies in a secure, centralized fashion.

--Ensure security processing is scalable and reliable.

"Credit unions like Kern Schools Federal Credit Union must ensure adherence to NCUA mandates -- not to mention mitigating the threats of ever more sophisticated and costly data thefts," stated Robert Steinkrauss, CEO of Ingrian Networks. "As they look to address these pressing challenges, credit unions are finding that Ingrian offers an important solution for safeguarding critical data. We're very proud to have a leading credit union like Kern Schools Federal Credit Union join our list of customers."

About Kern Schools Federal Credit Union

Kern Schools Federal Credit Union is a full-service financial institution that was founded in 1938. They have grown to be the largest member-owned financial institution in Kern County, as well as in the top ten percent of the largest Credit Unions in the United States of America. With nearly 151,000 members and over $1.35 billion in assets, Kern Schools Federal Credit Union is considered a leader in the financial services industry.

About Ingrian Networks

Ingrian Networks brings complete data privacy to the enterprise. With Ingrian DataSecure Platforms, organizations can protect critical data from both internal and external threats, and ensure compliance with legislative and policy mandates for security. DataSecure delivers capabilities for granular encryption, seamless integration, and centralized security management -- enabling organizations to effectively address a range of critical security gaps, with unprecedented ease and cost effectiveness. Ingrian is a privately held company backed by such investors as Globespan Capital Partners (formerly JAFCO Ventures), Prism Venture Partners, HighBAR Ventures, and Partech International. For more information, visit www.ingrian.com.

Trademarks

The Ingrian Logo, Ingrian, Network-Attached Encryption, and DataSecure are trademarks of Ingrian Networks. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

What are people saying about mortgages today:

Rates on 30-year mortgages edged down last week to a seven-month low. Mortgage-giant Freddie Mac reported Thursday that 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages fell to 6.3 percent, down slightly from 6.31 percent two weeks ago. It put rates at the lowest level since they were at 6.24 percent the first week of March.

Bank of Hawaii, Central Pacific Bank, Territorial Savings Bank and Wells Fargo Home Mortgages all cut their 30-year mortgage rates to 5.75 percent this week.

Most people think of a mortgage as a means to an end. After all, you buy a house, not a home loan. But a mortgage is much more than the path to homeownership. It is a financial instrument that must be managed, just like any other financial investment.