Bulletins

For information on future presentations and events,
please see our Events section

Updated 24^th July 2007

• tScheme welcomes its latest Registered Applicant service. Registers of Scotland are rolling out an online alternative to the current paper based system of Land Registration for Dealings with Whole, where registration is completed electronically via a secure internet connection. For further details click here. [24.07.07]
  
  
• tScheme has issued its latest Grant of Approval. After thorough and independent assessment against the relevant tScheme Profiles, Certificate Authority service from Betrusted Ltd has been granted Approval. Details of all Approved Services are here. [24.02.04]
  
  
• The tScheme Board has issued its End of Year report. It states that:
  "2003 has become the most successful year ever for tScheme in terms of our financial position", and
  "our stronger year-end position will give us the opportunity to invest in new activities designed to broaden our goals as we look ahead - not least in pursuing our key communications objectives for 2004".
  For the full text of the report, click here, or to download a copy of the report, click here. [21.01.04]
  
  
• tScheme confirmed on 4^th September 2003 the addition of a new Approval Profile for Verified Identity services; and also further details of the four separate Approved-Service Marks, available against its full range of Approval Profiles, that are appropriate to different trust service types. These enhancements to the tScheme approval portfolio are in direct response to developments in the trust services market, in line with tScheme’s ongoing commitment to promoting and approving best practice across the trust services industry as it continues to evolve. Further details can be found here. [12.09.03]
  
  
• tScheme has issued its latest Grant of Approval. After thorough and independent assessment against the relevant tScheme Profiles, SecureMark from Equifax Secure Ltd has been granted Approval. For further information see their press release. Details of all Approved Services are here. [12.08.03]
  
  
• tScheme and the DTI are co-hosting the second workshop on International co-operation between Trust Service approval schemes. For more details and the opportunity to register, click on Second workshop. [20.06.03]
  
  
• tScheme is pleased to confirm the first annual renewals, following recent successful surveillance assessments, of its first two Grants of Approval: to Royal Bank of Scotland for its 'TrustAssured' service, and to Trustis for its 'Certificate Factory' service. Full details of these Grants can be found in the secure Directory of Approved Services. [24.04.03]
  
  
• tScheme is pleased to welcome its newest member, ACCA (the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants). ACCA is the largest international accountancy body, with nearly 300,000 members and students in 160 countries. ACCA describes its objectives in supporting and participating in the development of tScheme as follows:
  
  “ACCA recognises that confidence in the security and confidentiality of Internet trading is the cornerstone of eCommerce. The basis of that confidence is the 'trust' mechanisms available to enforce issues of access and identity. As a commercial organisation ACCA operates such mechanisms that are in widespread use to support client confidence in its services, but in its role as a collective representative it seeks to identify and promote the evolving mechanisms that will continue to ensure that confidence is maintained and thus growth assured”. For full text of the announcement, click on ACCA announcement. [10.02.03]
  
  
• The UK Government has just published its updated requirements documents relating to the verification of the identity of both individuals and organisations. For more details and links to the documents, click on External Standards and Guidelines. [06.02.03]
  
  
• UKAS has published its guidance for certification bodies wishing to become tScheme-recognised Assessors. The document, titled "UKAS Guidance for bodies operating certification for Trust Service Providers seeking approval under tscheme" is available in the Technical Publications section of their website as document ref CIS3. To access this document click here. [07.01.03]
  
  
• Second Certification Body gains accreditation. KPMG Audit Plc became the second organisation to gain accreditation from the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) for the performance of tScheme assessments. [06.12.02]
  
  
• First Certification Body gains accreditation. On the 30th September 2002, Lloyd's Register Quality Assurance (LRQA) became the first organisation to gain accreditation from the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) for the performance of tScheme assessments. For further details see the press release. [29.10.02]
  
  
• New version of BS 7799 part 2. On the 5th September 2002, BSI published a new version of part 2 of BS 7799. This is now reflected in an updated version of tScheme's Guidance for Assessments (now version 2.1). The new version is available, as before, in the library. [21.10.02]
  
  
• Notice of Increase of Approval Fees for 2003. Notice is hereby given that, as of 1st January 2003, the fees for tScheme's approvals and renewal of approvals are to rise. Details of the new schedule of fees can be found by following the link at the end of the description of the tScheme process. [27.09.02]
  
  
• As part of tScheme's role as a leading source of electronic trust service industry information, we have produced a simple, easily-understood guide to electronic transactions generally. The content is aimed primarily at business decision-makers, who are currently not being engaged in direct discussion on real business applications and opportunities, due to the over-emphasis on the detailed technicalities of PKI and public/private key procedures. The guides have been produced at two levels: the full guide, which is available in the library; and an abridged version, which is available on our homepage. [23.09.02]
  
  
• tScheme's supporting documents for the Issue 3 Profiles are now available online. These update the previous documents, which are now archived. The changes include the reclassification of the documents as either Definitive (tSd reference numbers) or Informative (tSi reference numbers) plus the introduction of a new document Required Assessment Procedures (tSd0244), which gives an overview of all of the tScheme procedures and processes for all potential interested parties. Also, to support the concept of tScheme-Ready there are now two extra documents for Components - Model Assessment Report (Component) (tSd239) and Model C3A (tSd320). You can find them all here. [06.09.02]
  
  
• tScheme's Issue 3 Profiles are now available online. These update the Issue 2s, which are now archived. The changes include the introduction of critical reference tags, an inovation that comes about from discussions with all parties involved in approvals to date. Those with access already can find them here. To order, click here. [24.07.02]
  
  
• tScheme has granted two separate service approvals to BT Ignite. The two services, OnSite Managed PKI and Registration Authority for Server Certificates, were assessed by LRQA. BT Ignite are the first TSP to gain two service approvals. BT's approvals bring the total to four approved services. Service Details: BT Onsite BT RAServer. For further details see the press release. [25.06.02]
  
  
• A joint tScheme, DTI and office of the e-Envoy sponsored decision analysis workshop, tackling the barriers to the large scale adoption of electronic signatures, took place on Monday 27th May. Key industry and user community figures will take part. A report, detailing their recommendations, is available in the library section. [27.05.03]
  
  
• tScheme's AGM saw the election of new board members, and a new vice chairman, Richard Mabbott from APACS. Anthony Parish, Executive Chairman of Intellect, will continue to chair the board. [10.05.02]
  
  
• tScheme exhibited at the British Chambers of Commerce National Exhibition on the 22nd and 23rd of April. The stand demonstrated the two approved services (see below) and two of our registered applicants. [19.04.02]
  
  
• tScheme has issued its first two Grants of Approval. After thorough and independent assessment against the relevant tScheme Profiles, two separate services, TrustAssured from the Royal Bank of Scotland, and Certificate Factory from Trustis Limited, have been granted Approval. For further details see the press release. Details of all Approved Services are here. [07.03.02]
  
  
• tScheme starts the new year with a total of 8 separate services undergoing assessment, with others in the planning stage, and several new membership and approval enquiries. [25/01/02]
  
  
• The formal launch of tScheme's Approved Service Mark will be at the British Chambers of Commerce National Conference (info here) on April 22-23. This will coincide with the announcement of our first wave of Approvals. [25/01/02]
  
  
• Approvals Committee. The first meeting of the Approvals Committee took place on the 6th of December, preparing processes and procedures for the anticipated first grants of approval in early 2002. [19/12/01]
  
  
• E-Business Expo. tScheme continued its awareness campaign in a presentation at the E-Business expo at Earl's Court from the 27-29th of November. [19/12/01]
  
  
• Issue 2 Profiles. These were published in October in accordance with the scheduled three month review programme. Further revisions will be on a six monthly basis. To view a digest version of each of the Profiles, or to order (free of charge) Profile documents, click here. [12/10/01]
  
  
• ISSE event. The tScheme exhibition stand received a great deal of interest, and the tScheme initiative received several positive and independent mentions during the conference session. tScheme also announced a further 4 Registered Applicants. For further details see the press release. [12/10/01]