Symantec/Digicert managed PKI User seats 500-599 Seats hosted Sub ACD-GOV Gold for 12 months.
This request is a reoccurring renewal of DigiCert User Seat authentication licensing and User
Support Agreement that CDC has utilized over the past 4 years in support of over 450 external
public health partners sending public health data to CDC using the CSELS Public Health Information
Network message transport system.
The acquisition is for DigiCert digital certificates (user seats) software and certificate support.
The certificates are required to authenticate users of the current Public Health Information
Network Messaging System (PHINMS). PHINMS is currently in existence and has been used by CDC to
transmit and receive public health data since 2005. Data cannot be safely transmitted or received
without digital certificates. The requested digital certificates allow PHINMS to comply with NIST
electronic data security standards by certifying and authenticatingthe online identities of
individuals sending electronic public health data to CDC via PHINMS. While there are other
certificate based authentication software products such as Trustwave, Comodo, Global Sign, Network
Solutions, and Thawte, on the market, changing certificate based authentication software products
would require a reconfiguration of PHINMS. In addition, this change would require a transition
period from the current digital certificate to the new digital certificate. Users will be required
to utilize the new certificate when sending and receiving data. The amount of time required to
reconfigure the PHINMS system and transition users from the current digital certificate platform to
a new certificate platform would result in a disruption in the transmission of critical time
sensitive public health data. Up to date COVID-19 data is required to so that public health
professionals can make critical, time sensitive, and accurate public health decisions during the
existing pandemic.