VeriSign to Enhance Strong Authentication Platform with the Introduction of VeriSign® Unified Authentication - Smart Cards
Enhancement Will Complete VeriSign Unified Authentication Offering; Providing an Integrated Suite of Smart Card and PKI Management Tools
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Jan. 24 /-- VeriSign, Inc., (NASDAQ:VRSN), the leading provider of intelligent infrastructure services for Internet and telecommunications networks, today announced it will enhance its strong authentication service with the introduction of VeriSign(R) Unified Authentication -- Smart Cards in the second quarter of 2006. VeriSign Unified Authentication -- Smart Cards will provide enterprises and government agencies with an integrated, easy-to-use suite of management tools for smart card and PKI deployments, supporting a wide range of smart card types, workflows and deployments options.
Recently, government and industry regulations have directed agencies and enterprises to employ standardized smart card identification mechanisms for their employees and external users. Such directives include the Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD) 12, which mandates the issuance and use of common and reliable credentials for all U.S. Federal Government employees and contractors. In addition, large enterprises are starting to use unified physical and logical access smart card credentials as a way to reduce the cost, while increasing the security of their authentication infrastructures.
VeriSign Unified Authentication -- Smart Cards will provide a complete authentication solution by extending VeriSign's strong authentication platform with tightly integrated smart cards and PKI components, allowing faster implementation and a lower cost of ownership. This solution is also accredited to meet the U.S. Government Shared Service Provider program requirements.
"The extension of the VeriSign Unified Authentication platform to support Smart Cards represents the next logical step in providing a complete, open- standards based authentication service for government agencies and enterprises alike," said Nico Popp, vice president, Authentication Services, VeriSign Security Services. "VeriSign Unified Authentication -- Smart Cards will integrate best-of-breed smart card and PKI management components under the same intuitive interface, providing the most comprehensive, easy-to-use suite of management tools that will enable any agency or enterprise to quickly provision, deploy and manage smart card based strong authentication."
VeriSign Unified Authentication provides a single, integrated platform for provisioning and managing all types of two-factor authentication credentials. It reduces the cost of deployment by leveraging an enterprise's existing infrastructure and delivering a flexible, future proof solution built on known, open standards.
For more information about VeriSign Unified Authentication -- Smart Cards, please go to: www.verisign.com/products-services/security-services/pki/card- management-system/index.html
About VeriSign
VeriSign, Inc. operates intelligent infrastructure services that enable and protect billions of interactions every day across the world's voice and data networks. Additional news and information about the company is available at www.verisign.com
CONTACT: media, Brendan P. Lewis, +1-650-426-4470, or brlewis@verisign.com, or investors, Tom McCallum, +1-650-426-3744, or tmccallum@verisign.com, both of VeriSign
