Two IT security vendors have signed an OEM deal to strengthen each other’s security technology. ActivCard SA, the French smartcard company, has formed a partnership with Baltimore Technologies Plc, the Irish-American e-commerce security firm. Baltimore will embed the ActivCard Gold smartcard and reader software in its Unicert PKI product, enabling PC users to store PKI details on a smartcard that they can use in other machines without fear of having their hard disk hacked.
Baltimore’s customers get access to ActivCard’s non-repudiation technology, which guarantees to message receivers that the sender is who they claim to be. Many banks and government agencies demand non-repudiation, so Baltimore will be able to sell into this market, claims Suresnes, France-based ActivCard.
ActivCard, meanwhile, gains access to Dublin, Ireland and Boston, Massachusetts-based Baltimore’s 100-strong customer base. In particular, the French company will strengthen its distribution presence in three markets, Ireland, the UK and Germany. ActivCard said in October that the UK and Germany are critical markets where the company aims to increase revenue from 10% to 25% of total sales.
