NW_20001019_en_VASCO Launches Digipass 800 to capture share of exploding Smart Card market Worldwide
BRUSSELS, Belgium – October 19, 2000 – VASCO (NASDAQ & EASDAQ: VDSI; www.vasco.com), a global provider of enterprise-wide security solutions, today introduced the Digipass® 800, a secure, intelligent, universal platform that extends strong authentication and digital signature capabilities to all market-leading smart cards. As a hand-held and platform-independent device, the Digipass 800 functions as a fully portable “security portal” that eliminates the need for a smart card reader and software for any smart card holder. The Digipass 800 thus represents a breakthrough product with multiple real-world applications to accelerate smart card growth and usage across the many key growth markets where smart cards are be exploding “electronic purse” smart card market, the use of smart cards in a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) environment, and the use of smart cards for authenticating users to a corporate network.
“The Digipass 800 demonstrates how VASCO is quickly expanding its market leadership in strong authentication and digital signature security to new platforms and new markets,” commented Jan Valcke, Vice President and General Manager of VASCO. “Because it allows organizations to combine systems and procedures for issuing personalized smart cards as well as personalized authentication and digital signature platforms, we expect this product to achieve significant sales from VASCO’s customers and prospects that wish to leverage their existing smart card infrastructure in a secure way.”
The Digipass 800 completely eliminates the need for banks or corporations to duplicate logistical and operational efforts such as personalization, shipment, computer systems, and help desks for smart cards as well as authentication and digital signature devices. Holders of existing smart cards and Digipass benefit from their bank or company being able to make their existing smart card the standard interface with their bank or corporate network, and they gain secure remote access via any medium, including the Internet, phone, or fax. And because it is a member of the Digipass family of products, the Digipass 800 can be installed with any existing Digipass customer with no changes to their existing systems.
Eddy De Legher, Product Manager for VASCO, pointed out that the Digipass 800 is simple to operate, making it the ideal “security portal” for consumer as well as corporate environments. “Users simply insert their existing smartcard into their Digipass 800 and enter their smart card PIN into the Digipass 800, and it is ready for use from any platform, without the need for any other smart card reader or client software,” he said. “Users thus obtain all the advantages of a smart card, with the added benefits of full portability and the proven security of VASCO’s Digipass technology. The Digipass 800 also operates as a standalone Digipass, with the same proven strong authentication and digital signature security as the millions of Digipass sold to date.
About VASCO
VASCO secures the enterprise from the mainframe to the Internet with infrastructure solutions that enable secure e-business and e-commerce, protect sensitive information, and safeguard the identity of users. The company’s family of Digipass™, VACMAN®, and SnareWorks™ products offers end-to-end security through true Single Sign-On, access control and advanced entitlements, web portal security, strong user authentication, and PKI enablement, while sharply reducing the time and effort required to deploy and manage security. VASCO’s customers include hundreds of financial institutions, blue-chip corporations, and government agencies in more than 50 countries, among them John Hancock, ABN AMRO Bank, Shell, 3M, Ericsson, Rabobank, SEB, First Union, Liberty Mutual, Cable and Wireless, Nokia, DaimlerChrysler, Volvo, US Department of Defense, European Commission, US Coast Guard, University of Groningen, and Duke University. VASCO’s partners include Check Point Software Technologies, Computer Associates, Intel, Lernout & Hauspie, Novell, and Ubizen. More information is available at www.vasco.com.
Forward Looking Statements
Statements made in this news release that relate to future plans, events or performances are forward-looking statements. Any statement containing words such as “believes,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “expects,” and similar words, is forward-looking, and these statements involve risks and uncertainties and are based on current expectations. Consequently, actual results could differ materially from the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements.
Reference is made to the Company’s public filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission for further information regarding the Company and its operations.
For more information please contact:
Americas:
Media: Kerry Roche, Bridgeman Communications, +1 617 742 7270, [email protected]
Investor Relations: Todd Fromer, KCSA Public Relations Worldwide, +1 212 682 6300, [email protected]
VASCO: Mike Lange, +1 630 932 8844, [email protected]
Europe/Asia:
Media (Benelux): Bob Pieters, Anthonissen & Associates, +32 3 286 7777, [email protected]
Media (Europe/Asia): Sven Kersten, HBI, +49 89 99 38 87 33, [email protected]
Investor Relations: Annemieke Blondeel, LBConsult, +44 208 308 7080, [email protected]
VASCO: Ariane Bosmans, +32 2 456 9810, [email protected]