Secret codes, hidden ciphers, information encryption, hidden extreme-security data centres in the Swiss mountains, military-grade USB keys and participation in cuttingedge projects such as the world-first Internet voting system and securing the data of the Alinghi Team (the winners of the America’s Cup, worldrenowned formula-type sailing race), have all been the mainstay of WISeKey’s business since its foundation in 1999.
Exciting? The WISeKey team thinks so as they have eagerly worked day in, day out to help their large and small government and corporate customers worldwide to secure their IT systems, buildings and data – and even their executives as they travel around the world. As any member of the WISeKey team will tell you unreservedly – it’s never boring at WISeKey!
The security of security
As it moves towards its IPO, WISeKey is bringing these exciting technologies, products and services to you as a consumer to, for example, help avoid identity theft, ensure the brand-name products you buy are authentic, store your data online securely, secure access to your social networking accounts and even ensure that your valued membership to a sports or other club (and the online perks that can come with it) can be exclusively leveraged from your mobile phone, laptop or even from a public internet café.
As it is nominated for the third year running as a Swiss New Champion of the World Economic Forum Global Growth Companies, WISeKey wants to give consumers the value of its security systems in ways that avoid their traditional complexity without watering down their trustworthiness.
With these guiding principles in mind, WISeKey has worked intensively over the last two years to make this a reality through what they call the electronic identity (e-ID) 2.0 and 3.0 solutions, which mirror the developments represented by the Web 2.0 (e.g. YouTube, Facebook, etc.) and Web 3.0 (e.g. location services, ubiquitous banking, telecommunications or other services adapted to your preference, location or other attributes associated to you at any given moment).
What’s to come
Here is just some of the cool stuff WISeKey is launching – which we’re sure will be interesting to more than just a few of us:
e-Key+ – Imagine having a USB key that securely stores your bank accounts, credit card details, health records, pictures, music, movies and other personal data on the key and in a Swiss secure data centre. If you lose the key, no problem, nobody will be able to access the data on it as it is protected with a combination of biometrics and cryptography. You can even recover your data from your online data store later on.
That’s what WISeKey’s eKey+ is. It can also be used to encrypt data and to digitally sign documents, as well as an access control key to your laptop or home computer. It’s the digital version of the Swiss pocket knife.
WISeKey is now hard at work to allow its customers to access many other secure personal data services available through the eKey+, which it will be surprising its customers with in the comings months.
WISeAuthentic secures your investments – Paying for an expensive luxury watch, bag or other luxury product is always a bit scary when one thinks of the amount of counterfeit products that are out in the market today. During the financial crisis, the issues surrounding this phenomenon have come to a head as counterfeiting has increased and consumers seek to make the luxury goods they own more liquid. As many people have seen, selling a luxury-brand good over eBay and getting paid what it is really worth is no easy task due to the counterfeiting uncertainties that exist.
WISeKey developed its WISeAuthentic solution to this with a world-first launch at BaselWorld 2009 (the watch industry’s global premium event). Essentially, it enables the purchaser of a Hublot watch to validate the authenticity of the watch online as well as access the Hublot Certified Owners Club, where unique privileges are available to its members.
WISeKey is now expanding the application of WISeAuthentic to many other luxury brands and expects its patented technology to become a standard in the avoidance of counterfeit luxury goods globally.
The Digital Fan Club – The extent to which a fan will go to show support for his or her favourite team is, to some people, astounding. To the WISeKey team, it’s no mystery. This is why they developed a Digital Fan Club which takes the eKey+ and VIP Club approach to the next level.
Using its security technologies, with a single team-branded eKey+, WISeKey now allows the fans to access recorded games online, the online VIP lounge (where they can chat with the players and managers), get fast-track access to the stadium, use team-branded e-mail accounts ecurely, store their personal data securely through their team’s online Fan Club and even get
special discounts on merchandise purchased online.
Using its ground-breaking e-voting technology, WISeKey can even enable it to be used for voting online to choose who will be on the next board of directors of the team.
Identity convergence
With these and other consumer products, WISeKey is realizing the dream of allowing individuals to manage the mind-boggling diversity of online accounts and the passwords that we accumulate over time. WISeKey’s mantra is “make it secure and simple”. Their hard-earned experience has taught WISeKey’s team that if it’s not secure, you’re risking too much of your
personal data and, if it’s not simple, you won’t use the security anyway.
WISeKey has embedded these concepts in all of its products and services, striving always to provide consumers with a convergence of all of their online identities and avoid “digital schizophrenia” – unless of course you want it!
Going green with WISeKey
All of this doesn’t mean WISeKey is forgetting its government and corporate customers. It is also launching its solutions to “Go Green with WISeKey”. These solutions enable organizations to eliminate the need to print paper while ensuring legal validity of electronic documents across more than 38 legal systems, even for highly regulated documents such as invoices. (A recent survey showed that a 100- employee organization typically spends at least US$ 46,700 annually just on power, paper, postal services, physical archival and staff time.)
It is already providing these services from its data centres in Switzerland to multinationals for invoices, just-in-time supply-chain digital contract signing and other documents and processes.
With the typical excitement that WISeKey brings to all of its business, it is now going mainstream by providing an Electronic Document Compliance Clearinghouse, allowing small and medium-sized organizations to benefit from the eco-friendliness of this approach, as well as the efficiency and cost-reduction benefits that it brings. All in all, it’s wise to go secure – and green – with WISeKey security!