Methods and systems for authentication and authorization

A software application configured to carry out a financial transaction, the application being configured to run on a computer coupled to a network, and comprising, stored on a computer-readable medium:

• certificate receiving code which is configured to receive a digital certificate from a user over the network, the certificate including certificate-identifying information and user-identifying information, the certificate further including authority information that defines an authority granted to the user to request that the financial transaction be carried out;
• certificate validating code configured to enable validation of the certificate-identifying information and user-identifying information within the received certificate, and
• authorization validating code configured to enable validation of the authority information within the received certificate against corresponding authority information for the user stored in a data structure that is independent of the received certificate.

A computer-implemented method for controlling authority of employees of a company within in a computing environment, the company having a hierarchical management structure, the method comprising the steps of:

• creating or receiving a primary digital certificate, the primary digital certificate including primary authority information that defines and grants primary rights to a primary employee as defined by the hierarchical management structure;
• creating secondary digital certificates and assigning the created secondary certificates to selected secondary employees requiring access to the computing environment, each of the selected secondary employees occupying a predefined position within the hierarchical management structure that is hierarchically lower than that of the primary employee, each of the secondary certificates including secondary authority information that defines and grants secondary rights, the secondary rights being derivative from the primary rights and being commensurate with the predefined position of the selected secondary employee within the hierarchical management structure, and
• allowing each selected secondary employee to exercise only those rights within the computing environment that are granted by the secondary rights defined within the assigned secondary certificate.