VASCO Data Security International, Inc. (Nasdaq: VDSI), a leading software security company specializing in authentication today announced that leading Italian bank Intesa Sanpaolo has been awarded with VASCO's Market Vision Award 2008.
Oakbrook Terrace, IL, USA & Zurich, Switzerland, June 16, 2008 (PRESSbooth.ORG) -- Intesa Sanpaolo considers security as a crucial factor in the relationship with its customers. The bank decided to improve its online financial services through Digipass GO 6, a strong security solution to access internet, phone and mobile banking services. Digipass GO 6 is a portable one-button authenticator which is extremely user-friendly lowering the threshold for user acceptance. The bank offers the device free of charge to its customers and supplies them with information about best practices for on line security.
Intesa Sanpaolo began the distribution of Digipass GO 6 in 2007, with the aim of covering - by the end of 2008 - more than 3,000,000 of its on line customers. The bank is also distributing a specific device for the blind and visually impaired, Digipass 300 Comfort Voice, which converts One-Time passwords into speech.
"We awarded Intesa Sanpaolo because of the bank's visionary approach of secure online banking," said Jan Valcke, VASCO's President and COO. "Intesa Sanpaolo offers online and mobile banking services through the Internet and by phone, and this is a perfect example of our Full Option All Terrain strategy. Moreover, accessibility is an important success factor with any online banking application. By offering a speech enabled Digipass to its customers, Intesa Sanpaolo makes their banking application also accessible for the blind and visually impaired."
VASCO's Market Vision Award consists of a bronze work of art by a renowned Belgian artist, Inge Dewilde. In order to honour the bank's focus on innovation and its visionary approach of security in an e-banking environment, VASCO will organize an award ceremony at the banking summit in Brussels (Belgium) on June 10.
About Intesa Sanpaolo:
Intesa Sanpaolo is a banking group resulting from the merger between Banca Intesa and Sanpaolo IMI. The Group brings together two major Italian banks with shared values and improves their opportunities for growth as well as enabling enhanced services for retail customers, significant support for development of business customers and an important contribution to growth in all the countries where it operates.
Intesa Sanpaolo has a selected presence in Central-Eastern Europe and in the Mediterranean basin with a network of 1,262 branches and about 6.9 million customers of subsidiaries operating in retail and commercial banking in 12 countries. Moreover, the international network specialised in supporting corporate customers is present in 34 countries, in particular the Mediterranean area and those areas where Italian companies are most active, such as the United States, Russia, China and India.
Intesa Sanpaolo is among the top banking groups in the euro zone, with a market capitalisation of 61.2 billion euro, and leader in Italy in all business areas (retail, corporate and wealth management). Thanks to a network of 6,566 branches capillary and well distributed throughout the country, with market shares above 15% in most Italian regions, the Group offers its services to about 11.5 million customers.
www.intesasanpaolo.com
About VASCO:
VASCO is a leading supplier of strong authentication and e-signature solutions and services specializing in Internet Security applications and transactions. VASCO has positioned itself as a global software company for Internet Security serving a customer base of close to 7,100 companies in more than 100 countries, including more than 1000 international financial institutions. VASCO's prime markets are the financial sector, enterprise security, e-commerce and e-government
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 involve risks and uncertainties and are based on current expectations. 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.
Contact:
VASCO
Jochem Binst,
+32 2 609 97 00,
jbinst @ vasco.com
www.vasco.com
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