VeriSign, a provider of Internet infrastructure services, and Giesecke & Devrient GmbH, a vendor of smartcard products, have announced an alliance to provide end-to-end products for consumer authentication.

 

The alliance will give organizations a unified product for protecting users’ identities, personal information and assets through VeriSign (News - Alert) Identity Protection services.

 

VIP services are designed to provide an additional layer of authentication for online transactions and communication, company officials say -- “authentication that goes beyond entering a username and password. VIP’s two-factor authentication works with the GDC4000 display card from G&D, an OATH (News - Alert)-compliant credential.”

 

To achieve two-factor authentication enabled by VIP, the card displays a one-time password which the user provides online to further verify his or her identity. The password changes with each transaction, ensuring that every VIP-enabled authentication combines something the user knows (username and password) with something he has (the OTP generated by the card).

 

Last week, TMC reported that VeriSign announced a strategic alliance with TrustBearer Labs “to make it easier for people to use smart cards and security devices that leverage public key infrastructure (PKI) credentials.”

 

The partnership “will combine VeriSign’s expertise as a PKI provider with TrustBearer’s solutions for deployment of PKI applications and strong authentication using smart cards across all major Web browsers and platforms."

 

The joint effort expects to benefit organizations looking to simplify high-volume delivery of PKI digital certificates and applications through the latest generation of smart cards.

 

Adam Geller, vice president for enterprise and government authentication at VeriSign, said that Smart cards hold enormous potential for providing fast and secure access to services, and PKI offers a vital way to reduce risk exposure and comply with security regulations.

 

Giesecke & Devrient (News - Alert) sells banknote paper, banknote printing and currency automation systems, as well as smart cards and complex system products in the fields of telecommunications, electronic payment, health care, identification, transportation and IT security. In fiscal 2007, the group employed close to 9,000 people and generated revenue of almost EUR 1.5 billion.