Part 2 of our Q&A with Jan Valcke, President & COO of VASCO

Last week we introduced you to VASCO, a leading supplier of strong authentication and e-signature solutions and services specializing in Internet Security applications and transactions. In the second part of this interview, we ask Mr. Valcke to assess the market for embedded authentication solutions.

VDC: Can you talk about your embedded activities?

Valcke: Embedded DIGIPASS allows customers to deploy two-factor authentication without the need to roll-out authentication hardware to the end user. By the end of 2014 VASCO will have over one billion dormant DIGIPASS in the market. This means that over one billion devices will have a DIGIPASS embedded that can be easily activated to deploy two-factor authentication. 

For example Intel IPT is rooted in the hardware device (laptop, mobile, etc.) and protects network and website access points by providing enterprises with two ways to validate that a legitimate user—not malware—is logging in from a trusted platform. DIGIPASS for Intel IPT utilizes a one-time password (OTP), a unique, one-time use, six-digit number generated every 30 seconds from an embedded processor that is tamper-proof and operates in isolation from the operating system. Moreover, because the credential is protected inside the chipset, it cannot be compromised by malware or removed from the PC. The omnipresence of dormant DIGIPASS in the market, organically stimulates users to activate their MYDIGIPASS.COM account and start taking advantage of this service.

VDC: If you were to take a look a look into your crystal ball, how do you see the opportunities for the software security solutions market shaping up as we head toward 2014?

Valcke: Cloud computing will barely be halted. Cost aspects play a central role in the decision making process for selecting the right solution. Here, the cloud is far ahead: you only pay for the services you actually use. Our in-the-cloud solution gives business customers the opportunity to pay per use or per user without bounding in on security level.

Cloud services are accompanied and driven by other revolutionary technologies, for example, mobile and wireless devices. With the mobile phone being part of our daily routine, this device is pre-eminently the tool to facilitate safe access. Before implementing an authentication solution and offering it to the customer, it needs to meet certain user requirements. It needs to be totally secure, easy to access, at low cost, intuitive and convenient to use. Without acceptance from the consumer and thus the will to use it, a security process would fail.

At VASCO, we offer several solutions that have been designed with user convenience in mind. DIGIPASS for Mobile can be directly downloaded on your mobile phone, leveraging the phone as an authentication device enabling secure access anywhere, any time. DIGIPASS for Mobile generates OTPs but also disposes of a QR-code scanner enabling users to easily scan an encrypted QR-code in order to gain secure access to applications.

VDC: Thank you, Jan.