Intended to assure integrity in technology development and to prevent maliciously tainted and counterfeit products from entering the supply chain, the accreditation program will ensure applicants conform to the O-TTPS standard.

Companies seeking O-TTPS Accreditation - which could be component suppliers, technology providers or integrators - can choose to be accredited for conforming to the O-TTPS standard and adhering to the best practice requirements across the entire enterprise, within a specific product line or business unit or within one or more individual products.

Organizations applying to become O-TTPS accredited are then required to provide evidence of conformance to each of the O-TTPS requirements, demonstrating they have the processes in place to secure their in-house development and their supply chains across the entire COTS ICT product lifecycle, including the design, sourcing, build, fulfillment, distribution, sustainment, and disposal phases.

O-TTPS accredited organizations will then be able to identify themselves as Open Trusted Technology Providers and will become part of a public registry of trusted providers who help ensure they "Build with Integrity" so their customers can "Buy with Confidence".

The Open Group is also announcing the O-TTPS Recognized Assessor Program, which assures that Recognized Assessor (companies) meet certain criteria as a third-party assessor organization and that their assessors (individuals) meet an additional set of criteria and have passed the O-TTPS Assessor exam, before they can be assigned to an O-TTPS Assessment. The Open Group will operate this program, grant O-TTPS Recognized Assessor certificates and list those qualifying organizations on a public registry.

Organizations can download the O-TTPS v1.0 and the O-TTPS Accreditation Policy from the Trusted Technology Section in The Open Group Bookstore.

To learn more about becoming an accredited Open Trusted Technology Provider or an O-TTPS Recognized third-party assessor click here.

Edna Conway, chief security officer, Global Supply Chain, Cisco Systems and vice chair of The Open Group Trusted Technology Forum, said: "The robust and cross-industry method through which the O-TTPS Accreditation Policy was developed has delivered a transparent, credible process with integrity."

The Open Group is an international vendor- and technology-neutral consortium upon which organizations rely to lead the development of IT standards and certifications, and to provide them with access to key industry peers, suppliers and best practices. The Open Group provides guidance and an open environment in order to ensure interoperability and vendor neutrality.

Source: The Open Group