As smart devices and e-transactions proliferate in the Internet of Things (IoT) era, newly-merged business Entrust Datacard is uniquely placed to secure the connections between them, says its CEO Todd Wilkinson.
The company, formed from Datacard Group and Entrust and formally united at CARTES SECURE CONNEXIONS this week, combines broad and deep expertise in hardware and software together with the know-how to combine them. This combination is unique in the market and enables it to offer distinctive solutions in trusted identities and secure transactions, says Wilkinson.
“Most companies you see are either hardware or software,” he explains. “We can bring them together and do more because of that. We are almost unique in providing a security solution that is both powerful and simple.”
Entrust’s focus is on helping simplify and improve the consumer experience, help corporations manage their brands and services in an increasingly omni-channel world and provide simple but powerful identity solutions to governments. The company is also well placed to provide key services for the fast-emerging IoT, thanks in part to its heritage as an early internet security pioneer, says Wilkinson.
“In the future you won’t just need people to have secure IDs but a vast array of devices and networks,” he says. “IoT will need security. It’s an area where we have unique abilities. We are the second largest provider of SSL.” The challenge will be keeping up with demand as multiple sensors in everything from hospital beds to cars need secure communications, he adds.
The company is making a big push into citizen IDs and e-passports, particularly in Africa. It is already providing data card solutions to South Africa. The merged business offers complete solutions that would previously have required three or four service providers. This reduces complexity in the procurement process, he adds. Instant card issuance, tools for enabling bank customers to authenticate their transactions and virtual smart cards on a phone are all solutions that continue to fuel the firm’s double digit growth. Last year the company issued 15 million instant bank cards alone and remains the largest global bank card issuer.
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