UNISYS TEAMS WITH ALOGENT, CERTICOM AND VERISIGN TO HELP BANKS CAPITALIZE ON CHECK 21

Companies ally to provide modular, end-to-end check image exchange solution targeting increased efficiency and better customer service

Blue Bell – (January 24, 2005)– Digital image capture, exchange and security leaders Alogent, Certicom Corp. (TSX: CIC), Unisys (NYSE: UIS), and VeriSign, Inc., today said they are working together to deliver a solution that allows banks to capitalize on opportunities encouraged by The Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act ("Check 21") in the U.S.

Image exchange provides significant opportunity for improved efficiencies and reduced costs; however, the digitization of payment information could increase the potential for fraud and other security issues as images move electronically through a bank's payment system.

"This is the silver bullet banks need to not only comply with Check 21 and other similar banking legislation, but to take advantage of the business opportunities it opens up," said Gary Cawthorne, vice president and managing partner of global banking at Unisys. "This solution helps a bank to achieve greater security and visibility across its entire payment operation."

Unisys brings its deep payment expertise to its role of lead solution integrator in the paper-to-digital payments solution provided by the alliance. Financial institutions can implement the solution as separate modules or as a complete end-to-end transformation strategy. The solution is comprised of the following modules:

Point of presentment capture through image exchange software

The solution features Unisys technology paired with Alogent's leading point-of-presentment Branch Deposit Automation and Remote Deposit Automation solutions, for which Unisys has become a value-added reseller. The software automates payment and deposit processing, helping to reduce costs and improve efficiency, while allowing the check to be imaged where it is presented. Point-of-presentment capture helps banks to:

  • expand their processing window, and thereby extend cut-off times and improve customer service and satisfaction;
  • increase productivity, reduce labor costs, improve deposit surety by automating the proofing and balancing process at the teller, corporate client, and even at the ATM;
  • lower transportation expenses and improve clearing time by transporting images and data electronically rather than manual paper-based processes.

Image security software

This software incorporates secure digital signatures at the precise instant the check image is captured.

  • Integrating security technology from Certicom, Unisys check processing hardware and image security software creates a unique digital identity - called a signature - for each check image created, and attaches the mathematical signature immediately at the check transport system.
  • VeriSign verifies the identity of each company using the Unisys system through its outsourced Business Authentication Service -- a service based on the same platform that has authenticated close to a million SSL certificates for businesses. Any institution in the processing cycle can verify the signature and authenticate the image to confirm that no data has been compromised or tampered with in the system.

A comprehensive, web-based payment information engine

This engine archives images and data and allows banks to track and use data more efficiently across the enterprise. The Unisys engine is flexible and configurable, offering a more strategic view of best operating practices to deploy across product lines and help maximize cost efficiencies. It can access external systems and internal image databases, providing complete payment histories that allow banks to more intelligently import, capture, store, manage and use information.

Leading image-enabling hardware

The solution includes hardware for whatever strategy a bank chooses: branch image capture devices at teller stations or back counters, at centralized processing centers, or remote locations. High-speed Unisys scanners, sorters, and printers offer easily scalable systems, providing more flexibility to adapt better to changes brought by digital imaging.

Assessment workshops and other consulting services

Workshops and services are designed to model best practices for check clearing and settlement processes to identify common trends and maximize cost efficiencies. Unisys analyzes the gaps that exist in a bank's current procedures to help the bank understand the impact that image exchange and other industry trends will have on the entire business, providing management with a blueprint for a more effective transformation strategy.

Business process outsourcing (BPO) services

BPO services can capture check images at the branch and other decentralized locations, as well as more traditional centralized processing centers. These services offer the proven benefits of payments outsourcing that Unisys has long provided to banks around the world.

To see the Comerica customer release, visit Unisys To Transform Comerica's Payments Operations.

About Alogent 
Alogent is a financial services technology company with proven global success in providing payment processing solutions that enable banks, billers and outsource processors to reduce costs, accelerate timelines and improve quality in check and item processing. Alogent's suite of Sierra solutions help banks adapt to Check 21, check truncation and paper-to-electronic transformation. They include solutions for deposit automation, image based centralized item processing, image exchange and the unique Straight Through Check Processing(TM). For more information about Alogent's solutions, visit www.alogent.com.

About Unisys
Unisys is a worldwide information technology services and solutions company. Our people combine expertise in consulting, systems integration, outsourcing, infrastructure and server technology with precision thinking and relentless execution to help clients, in more than 100 countries, quickly and efficiently achieve competitive advantage. For more information, visit www.unisys.com.

About Certicom
Certicom Corp. (TSX:CIC) is the authority for strong, efficient cryptography required by software vendors and device manufacturers to embed security in their products. Adopted by the U.S. government’s National Security Agency (NSA), Certicom technologies for Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) provide the most security per bit of any known public key scheme, making it ideal for constrained environments. Certicom products and services are currently licensed to more than 300 customers including Motorola, Oracle, Research In Motion, Terayon, Texas Instruments and Unisys. Founded in 1985, Certicom is headquartered in Mississauga, ON, Canada, with offices in Ottawa, ON; Reston, VA; San Mateo, CA; and London, England. Visit www.certicom.com.

Certicom, Security Builder, Security Builder Crypto, Security Builder GSE, Security Builder IPSec, Security Builder Middleware,Security Builder PKI, Security Builder SSL, movianVPN, movianCrypt and movianMail are trademarks or registered trademarks of Certicom Corp. All other companies and products listed herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

Forward-Looking Statements
Except for historical information contained herein, this news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially. Factors that might cause a difference include, but are not limited to, those relating to the acceptance of mobile and wireless devices and the continued growth of e-commerce and m-commerce, the increase of the demand for mutual authentication in m-commerce transactions, the acceptance of Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) technology as an industry standard, the market acceptance of our principal products and sales of our customer's products, the impact of competitive products and technologies, the possibility of our products infringing patents and other intellectual property of fourth parties, and costs of product development. Certicom will not update these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof. More detailed information about potential factors that could affect Certicom's financial results is included in the documents Certicom files from time to time with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities.

The shares of the company described above have been offered only to qualified institutional buyers in reliance on Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and outside the United States pursuant to Regulation S of the Securities Act. The shares have not been registered under the Securities Act and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to a U.S. Person absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration requirements.

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any security and shall not constitute an offer, solicitation or sale in any jurisdiction in which such offering would be unlawful.

For further information, please contact:

For Certicom    
Tim Cox Brendan Ziolo  
ZingPR Certicom Corp.  
(650) 369-7784 (613) 254-9267  
tim@zingpr.com bziolo@certicom.com