Matsui and his colleagues could see that it was a matter of time before everybody would come to use computer networks. And it was clear that once this happened, the question of security would become important in all sorts of ways. So they decided to design a technology that could serve this vital role. This, then, was the motivation for developing MISTY, conceived by engineers working in the commercial sector, whose approach was quite unlike that of the specialists who had traditionally worked on military and other codes.

One key feature of MISTY is that it is designed to work on a variety of platforms. In fact, it has been engineered to ensure the optimum balance between hardware processing and software processing for any given environment. So it is not limited to computers: it can be incorporated into mobile phones - for which miniaturization and low power consumption are of increasing importance - and even into smartcards. What's more, it's very fast. In other words, MISTY provides the ideal security infrastructure for a multiplatform environment in an age when networks link a huge variety of electronic devices.

Another benefit of MISTY is its wide compatibility with information systems. It can be easily incorporated into a variety of current technologies, applications and services. It is thus possible for a company to upgrade the security of its business operations quickly and comprehensively. For anyone involved in electronic transactions - whether companies, government offices or public services - MISTY is the most convenient security solution available.

Mitsubishi Electric can offer systems and services that incorporate advanced security technologies such as MISTY to answer the individual security needs of customers.

Drawing on its considerable resources as a leading manufacturer of electric and electronic equipment, Mitsubishi Electric has developed many different applications for MISTY. And in 2000, KASUMI, an encryption algorithm based on MISTY, was chosen as the encryption standard for third-generation mobile phones worldwide. The encryption technology developed by Mitsubishi Electric has thus been publicly recognized for its ability to provide a secure foundation for business transactions and online security as a whole.

With applications spreading from the "mobile Internet" to electronic government and even national security, few fields are developing as rapidly as that of encryption technology. Progress is breathtaking, and waiting in the wings is the next generation - quantum cryptography. In a five-part series we will be looking at the cutting edge of encryption technologies.