NW_20010322_en_Siemens and VASCO Announce Digipass Strong Authentication and Digital Signature on Siemens' PDA

CeBIT Trade Fair, Hannover, Germany -- March 22, 2001 -- Siemens (www.siemens.com/mobile, Hall 26, Stand D40), one of the world’s largest corporations and a global leader in electronic communications, and VASCO (NASDAQ & EASDAQ: VDSI; www.vasco.com, Hall 23, Stand A56), a global provider of enterprise-wide security solutions that support e-business and e-commerce, today announced that the two companies have joined to showcase Digipass strong authentication and digital signature security technology on Siemens’ new MultiMobile SX45 wireless personal digital assistant (PDAs). Thanks to Digipass, MultiMobile SX45 offers users access to full mobile and electronic security for their private information as well as their e-commerce and m-commerce transactions, e-mail, access to corporate extranets, and a host of other applications.

Siemens announced the MultiMobile SX45 yesterday at a press conference at CeBIT, the world’s largest IT trade fair, and both Siemens and VASCO are demonstrating MultiMobile SX45 and its advanced yet seamless security features at their booths. With Digipass security already in use at more than 500 organizations around the world -- including 160 leading financial institutions -- safeguarding the information and transactions of over five million people, the partnership with Siemens represents a ringing endorsement of VASCO’s security technology.

“We chose Digipass to provide anywhere, anytime, anyhow security for MultiMobile SX45 because VASCO’s technology offered us the strong combination of easy to use and flexible security, and because Digipass is one of the market leaders in authenticating remote financial transactions,” noted Peter Zapf, President Mobile Phones, Siemens Information and Communication Mobile. “We are looking forward to working closely with VASCO to discover new ways that Siemens and our customers can gain the full benefits of Digipass security.”

The versatility of Digipass-enabled MultiMobile SX45, and its independence from underlying communications networks, allows for a multitude of applications ranging from wireless mobile commerce and mobile banking to more traditional phone/fax banking to network security, remote office, and telecommuting applications. And because all members of the Digipass family feature full interoperability, organizations already using Digipass can easily incorporate remote access using MultiMobile SX45 without changing their existing infrastructure. In addition, in situations where wireless connectivity is not required or unavailable, Digipass-enabled MultiMobile SX45 can generate dynamic passwords and digital signatures over any available medium, such as the Internet, dial-up modem, VPN, corporate LAN, or even fax.

“Our partnership with Siemens demonstrates that our Digipass software is the strong authentication and digital signature technology of choice for any organization seeking to incorporate the benefits of strong, flexible security in its platforms, applications, devices, or even operating systems,” explained Jan Valcke, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing for VASCO. “Siemens represents just the first of many such far-sighted companies that recognize how our security solutions can strengthen their business initiatives.”




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® and SnareWorks® products offers end-to-end security through strong authentication and digital signature, true Single Sign-On, access control and advanced entitlements, web portal security, 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. More information is available at www.vasco.com.

About Siemens
The Siemens Information and Communication Mobile Group (IC Mobile) offers the complete range of mobile solutions including mobile devices, infrastructure and applications. Devices include mobile phones, wireless modules, mobile organizers and cordless phones as well as products for wireless home networks. The infrastructure portfolio includes the complete range of GSM, GPRS and UMTS mobile network technologies from base stations and switching systems to intelligent networks, e.g. for prepaid services. Applications cover mobile services for Unified Messaging, Location Based Services, and Mobile Payment. For the fiscal year 2000 (which ended September 30, 2000), IC Mobile recorded sales of EUR 9 billion and EBIT of EUR 758 million. The group employs 27,450 employees worldwide.
For further information about Siemens IC Mobile, please visit our homepage: http://www.siemens.com/mobile

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 area based on current expectations and involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, the potential that the Identikey acquisition will not be consummated, variations in quarterly operating results, technological changes, regulation of cryptographic technology and technology exports, and foreign exchange risk, among others. 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 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): Nico Tempelaere, Outsource, +32 2 361 31 20, [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]