VASCO announces the availability of its DIGIPASS as a Service platform for B-to-B

VASCO Data Security International, Inc. (Nasdaq: VDSI; www.vasco.com), a leading software security company specializing in strong authentication products, today announced the availability of its DIGIPASS as a Service platform. DIGIPASS as a Service is VASCO's cloud based authentication platform for web based applications. The roll-out of the DIGIPASS as a Service platform for B-to-B is the first step in deploying a broad service based authentication offering. In later stages, VASCO will roll out its service offerings for enterprises (employee security) and consumers.

VASCO's will promote the DIGIPASS as a Service offering to B-to-B suppliers through direct sales and in close cooperation with its channel partners.

In the first roll-out phase announced today, VASCO is targeting Business-to-Business applications. Nowadays, most web applications are secured with username and password, which can be easily hacked, stolen or passed on. Providers and customers have become more conscious about the security risk of static passwords and accelerate their investments in strong user authentication to protect their users' business critical information.

B-to-B application owners sometimes face a number of barriers to the deployment of two-factor authentication for their user base. Sometimes they consider traditional strong authentication as too costly or they lack the resources to manage the distribution of authentication devices to end-users. As a result, VASCO experienced a strong demand from the market to launch DIGIPASS as a Service.

With DIGIPASS as a Service, VASCO is managing the full authentication process while the B-to-B provider focuses on its core business. The DIGIPASS as a Service offering includes a fully redundant hosted authentication back-end, the provisioning of DIGIPASS software or hardware authenticators to end-users, DIGIPASS services including fulfillment services (branding, customization, packaging, provisioning, distribution and storage), professional services and first line support.

Alternatively, companies wishing to host the authentication infrastructure in-house, can install VASCO's best-of-breed IDENTIKEY and aXsGUARD Identifier server products.

The choice between VASCO's hosted DIGIPASS as a Service platform and proven in-house authentication tremendously broadens VASCO's reach to the B-to-B market.

"DIGIPASS as a Service complements our existing business model, by meeting the growing need of a variety of ASPs to add strong user authentication to their applications. Until recently, some B-to-B providers held back on the deployment of strong authentication, because they didn't wish to host the authentication in-house or because they considered it too costly. With our DIGIPASS as a Service platform we offer them a flexible and cost-efficient solution which will enhance the security of their application and help them in gaining competitive advantage," says T. Kendall Hunt, Chairman and CEO at VASCO Data Security.