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President Barack Obama has appointed Mark McLaughlin, president and CEO of Verisign, Inc. to serve on the President's National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC).

The NSTAC is composed of private sector CEOs and experts who advise the U.S. Government on matters likely to impact or threaten the operation and security of the telecommunications systems in the United States. The committee also provides recommendations directly to the President via an annual executive report. The recommendations are designed to assure vital telecommunications links remain operable through any event or crisis, and to help the U.S. Government maintain a reliable, secure and resilient national communications posture.

"Our nation's communications infrastructure is under constant pressure — not only from hackers and others who wish us harm — but also from the exponential growth in legitimate traffic that communications networks must support," said McLaughlin. "I am honored to serve on the President's National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee, and I look forward to joining with my industry colleagues in our mission to ensure the security, reliability and preparedness of our crucial communications infrastructure."

For more than 12 years, Verisign has been an essential contributor to the ongoing availability, operation and growth of the Internet. Despite thousands of attacks on its network, Verisign manages the connections to more than 100 million domain names and flawlessly processes more than 60 billion queries daily.

McLaughlin has served as president and CEO and as a director of Verisign since August 2009. Previously, McLaughlin held a number of key positions at Verisign from 2000 to 2007, including serving as chief operating officer as well as executive vice president of products and marketing. McLaughlin's other contributions include leading the company's Naming Services business, serving as vice president of corporate business development, and working as general manager of the Verisign Payment Services business.

Prior to Verisign, McLaughlin was the vice president of sales and business development for Signio, a leading Internet payment company, and was instrumental in the negotiation and acquisition of Signio by Verisign in 1999. Before joining Signio, McLaughlin was the vice president of business development for Gemplus, the world's leading smart-card company. Previous to Gemplus, he served as general counsel of Caere Corporation and practiced law as an attorney with Cooley Godward Kronish LLP. McLaughlin received his J.D., Magna cum Laude, from Seattle University School of Law and his B.S. Degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point. McLaughlin also served as an attack helicopter pilot in the U.S. Army and earned an Army Commendation Medal and Airborne Wings.

About Verisign

Verisign, Inc. is the trusted provider of Internet infrastructure services for the networked world. Billions of times each day, Verisign helps companies and consumers all over the world connect online with confidence. (Learn More)

Related topics: Security, Telecom