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Business is global, trust is local

published on 12.02.2019

The digital transformation of both society and the economy is in full swing. Business processes and production steps are being digitalized and shifting onto the net. Dr. Kim Nguyen, Fellow of Bundesdruckerei and Managing Director of D-Trust GmbH, explains the role of trust service providers in this scenario.

Expert talk with
Dr Kim Nguyen, Managing Director of D-Trust GmbH
Dr. Kim Nguyen
Managing Director of D-Trust GmbH

Trust anchor in the digital world

In the analogue world, we can see our business partners and decide whether we can trust them. This is more difficult in the digital world – and that’s why we need independent bodies there to verify and confirm the credibility and trustworthiness of business partners.

Trust service providers do exactly that. They confirm the identity of people, processes and objects. They create security through complex interaction between certificates, cryptographic keys and digital signatures. With a digital certificate, for example, website operators can prove their identity and the user can rest assured that the website is trustworthy.

Trust service providers serve as the trust anchor in the digital world by reliably confirming the identity of individuals who do not know each other and by securely managing the related data. They guarantee confidentiality, non-repudiation, forgery protection and reliability.

This market has undergone major changes in recent years. Today, trust is much more important than purely technical information security. Trust as a unique selling point of a solution or service cannot be programmed. 

Trust is a multidimensional process

Trust exists when processes can be traced. It is based on personal experience and emotions and has to do with acting people and the organizations in which people work. This includes the origin and ownership structure of a provider, the legal framework of the respective country, the tradition and perhaps also the business situation of the company. Trust is the result of a multidimensional process that includes, but goes far beyond, technical aspects. Demand for local trust donors has also changed at decision-maker level. The motto today is: Business is global, trust is local.

This is where D-Trust comes into its own. That’s because the company offers trust and security in accordance with German data protection legislation. Trust – in the correct handling of personal data – is the unique selling point at the very heart of D-Trust. This year, the company will celebrate its 20th anniversary. It has evolved from a pure certificate production facility and signature card seller to a trusted service provider. 

D-Trust is one of only a handful of German trust service providers whose certificates are trusted by conventional applications. Certificates from D-Trust are used, for instance, to secure communication between users and servers in Microsoft's new cloud in Germany.

Trust - the basis for everything

Demand for trust has never been greater. Based on secure digital identities, we provide the necessary protection for Internet relationships. You too can do something yourself: Question the origin of information. Don't just accept it, look for sources and trusted confirmation. Build trust!

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