VASCO Reports Results for Second Quarter and First Six Months of 2011

Revenue for the second quarter of 2011 was $43.0 million, an increase of 74% compared to the second quarter of 2010; Operating income for the second quarter of 2011 was $3.4 million, an increase of 116% compared to the second quarter of 2010. Guidance for full-year revenue growth in 2011 over 2010 increased. Financial results for the period ended June 30, 2011 and guidance for full-year 2011 to be discussed on conference call today at 10:00 a.m. E.D.T.

OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill. and ZURICH, July 26, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- VASCO Data Security International, Inc. (Nasdaq: VDSI) (www.vasco.com), today reported financial results for the second quarter and six months ended June 30, 2011.

Revenue for the second quarter of 2011 increased 74% to $43.0 million from $24.7 million in the second quarter of 2010, and for the first six months of 2011, increased 63% to $79.3 million from $48.7 million for the first six months of 2010.  

Net income for the second quarter of 2011 was $2.6 million, or $0.07 per diluted share, an increase of $1.2 million, or 88%, from $1.4 million, or $0.04 per diluted share, for the second quarter of 2010.   Net income for the first six months of 2011 was$5.1 million, or $0.13 per diluted share, an increase of $3.1 million, or 160%, from $2.0 million, or $0.05 per diluted share, for the comparable period in 2010.

Other Financial Highlights:

	Gross profit was $26.3 million, or 61% of revenue, for the second quarter of 2011 and $49.0 million, or 62% of revenue, for the first six months of 2011. Gross profit was $17.4 million and $34.1 million for the second quarter and first six months of 2010, respectively, or 70% of revenue for both periods of 2010.
	Operating expenses for the second quarter and first six months of 2011 were $22.9 million and $42.5 million, respectively, an increase of 44% from $15.9 million reported for the second quarter of 2010 and an increase of 34% from $31.8 million reported for the first six months of 2010.
	Operating expenses for the second quarter and first six months of 2011 included $0.8 million and $1.3 million, respectively, of expenses related to stock-based incentives.  Operating expenses for the second quarter and first six months of 2010 included $0.6 million and $1.2 million, respectively, of expenses related to stock-based incentives.
	Operating income for the second quarter and first six months of 2011 was $3.4 million and $6.5 million, respectively, an increase of $1.8 million, or 116%, from $1.6 million reported for the second quarter of 2010 and an increase of $4.2 million, or 181%, from $2.3 million reported for the first six months of 2010. Operating income as a percentage of revenue for the both second quarter and first six months of 2011 was 8% compared to 6% and 5% for the comparable periods in 2010.
	Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) was $5.3 million and $9.8 million for the second quarter and first six months of 2011, respectively, an increase of 134% from $2.2 million reported for the second quarter of 2010 and an increase of 159% from $3.8 million reported for the first six months of 2010.
	Cash balances at June 30, 2011 totaled $84.6 million compared to $86.0 million and $85.5 million at March 31, 2011 and December 31, 2010, respectively.  There were no bank borrowings at any of the periods ended June 30, 2011, March 31, 2011 or December 31, 2010.

Operational and Other Highlights:

·         VASCO acquired Alfa & Ariss, a specialist in open identity and access management, on April 1, 2011.

·         VASCO's cloud-based DIGIPASS as a Service authentication was made available for Google™ Apps.

·         Belgian cloud service provider Thinfactory put DIGIPASS as a Service at the disposal of the end-users of its online web store.

·         VASCO entered the global SSL certificate market with CertiID SSL and EV SSL Certificates.

·         VASCO launched its CertiID managed PKI offering trusted certificates to corporations' employees and business partners.

·         VASCO launched DIGIPASS 836, a smart card reader with an optical interface and replaceable batteries.

·         The University of Colorado at Boulder used VASCO's DIGIPASS GO 6 and IDENTIKEY Server to secure access to its new supercomputer and its network.

·         Indiana University deployed VASCO's DIGIPASS to provide secure access to its institutional data and online applications.

·         Soliton Systems, a leading Japanese network solution vendor, embedded VACMAN® Controller in its Net'Attest EPS series product line, its all-in-one authentication server appliances.

Guidance for full-year 2011:

VASCO is revising its guidance for the full-year 2011 as follows:

·         Expected revenue growth of more than 40% for the full-year 2011 over full-year 2010, as compared to expected full-year revenue growth of more than 20% announced at the end of the first quarter of 2011; and

·         Operating margins, excluding expenses related to the amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets, for full-year 2011 are projected to be in the range of 8% to 12% of revenue, no change from guidance previously announced, but are expected to be at the lower end of the range.

"The second quarter of 2011 continued to show strong revenue growth from our traditional businesses," stated T. Kendall Hunt, Chairman & CEO.  "Revenues in the second quarter of 2011 were the highest in the company's history, reflecting strong growth from the banking market partially offset by a decline in revenues from the enterprise and application security market.   We expect to report strong revenue growth for full-year 2011 over 2010.  We believe that our strong order intake, which includes a significant number of orders scheduled to ship and invoice in 2011 and beyond, is an important and concrete sign that our business is gaining momentum.  We also continued to invest in our DIGIPASS as a Service product line.  The addition of Google™ Apps to our platform was a significant addition and we continue to work on integrating other important SAAS applications into our platform."

"In addition to our strong order intake, we have a strong pipeline of potential new orders and we expect that we will experience continued strong revenue growth in the second half of the year, driven primarily by the performance of the banking sector," stated Jan Valcke, VASCO's President and COO. "We also believe that our non-banking business will improve as a result of programs designed to support our reseller channel and their efforts.  With the projected strong growth in revenues from the banking market in 2011, which includes high volume transactions with lower average selling prices, we expect our gross margins as a percentage of revenue will continue to be below the comparable quarters of 2010.  Looking forward, we believe that as the performance from our non-banking business improves and our services strategy gains traction, our gross margins will improve."

Conference Call Details

In conjunction with this announcement, VASCO Data Security International, Inc. will host a conference call today, July 26, 2011, at 10:00 a.m. EDT - 16:00h CET.  During the Conference Call, Mr. Ken Hunt, CEO, Mr. Jan Valcke, President and COO, and Mr.Cliff Bown, CFO, will discuss VASCO's Results for the Second Quarter and First Six Months Ended June 30, 2011.

To participate in this Conference Call, please dial one of the following numbers:

USA/Canada: +1 800-268-2160

International:  +1 303-223-4375

And mention VASCO to be connected to the Conference Call.

The Conference Call is also available in listen-only mode on www.vasco.com. Please log on 15 minutes before the start of the Conference Call in order to download and install any necessary software. The recorded version of the Conference Call will be available on the VASCO website 24 hours a day for at least 60 days.

Source URL:-http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vasco-reports-results-for-second-quarter-and-first-six-months-of-2011-126158603.html

RapidSSL Wildcard Services

10 Points to keep your network secure and safe from hackers and viruses

If you’re connected to the Internet (especially with an always on Connection Search as cable or DSL), you’re at risk for intrusion from hackers or from infection with a virus or spyware. This can happen without your knowledge. You can be browsing, logging on and off various web sites, etc., and be compromised. However, you can protect yourself from this type of intrusion by following a few simple steps.

first. Use a firewall to block all incoming connections from the Internet to services that should not be Publicly Available. By default, you should deny all incoming connections and only allow services you want to Explicitly offer to the outside world.

second. Enforce a password policy. Complex passwords make it difficult to crack password files on compromised computers. This helps to Prevent or limit damage when a computer is compromised.
3rd. Ensure that programs and users of the computer use the lowest level of privileges Necessary to complete a task. When prompted for a root or UAC password, Ensure that the program asking for administration-level access is a legitimate application.

4th. Disable AutoPlay to Prevent the automatic launching of executable files on network and removable drives, and disconnect the drives when not required. If write access is not required fifth, enable read-only mode if the option is available.

. Turn off file sharing if not needed. If file sharing is required, use ACLs and password protection to limit access. Disable anonymous access to shared folders. Grant access only to user accounts with strong passwords to folders that must be shared.

6th. Turn off and remove unnecessary services. By default, many operating systems install auxiliary services that are not critical. These services are avenues of attack. If they are removed, threats have less avenues of attack.

7th. If a threat exploits one or more network services, disable, or block access to, those services until a patch is applied.

8th. Configure your email server to block or remove email that contains file attachments that are commonly used to spread threats, such as. Vbs,. Bat. Exe,. Pif and. Scr files.

9th. Isolate compromised computers quickly to Prevent threats from spreading further. Perform a forensic analysis and restore the computers using trusted media.

10th. Train employees not to open attachments unless they are expecting them. So, do not execute software that is downloaded from the Internet unless it has been scanned for viruses. Simply visiting a compromised Web site can cause infection if certain browser vulnerabilities are not patched.

When it comes to doing business online, security is a two-way street. Safe online transactions demand smart behavior on the part of consumers and proactive security policies and procedures on the part of Web sites.

Businesses that sell goods or services online then have a responsibility to keep their transactions secure and private. And the more current sites to know about e-commerce security threats, the better job they can do at protecting their transactions. Your browser should comply with industry security standards, as searchable SSL Certificate. SSL (Secure Socket Layer) is a security protocol.

Source URL:-http://www.bestantivirusforwindows7.com/tag/true-businessid-certificate/

SSL NEWS

Highest security with SSL host point as Symantec Gold Partner

Rapperswil-Jona (pts008/05.07.2011/10: 00) - Identity theft, online fraud or interception of personal data: online consumers worry more about their safety on the Internet. As the largest web hosting provider in Switzerland and one Swiss SSL Gold Partner of Symantec, the Webhosting Hostpoint now offers a wide selection of Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) security portfolio of the world's leading provider of Internet security solutions. Swiss SSL customers get from VeriSign Trust Seal on the VeriSign Secure Site SSL to professional Secure Site EV SSL digital certificates from a single source and at the same time have a competent local partner regarding encrypted traffic on the Internet. 

As part of the already in November 2010 announced collaboration with VeriSign's authentication service, now part of Symantec, Hostpoint offers new addition to the already available VeriSign Trust Seal as a Gold partner also designed to the highest security SSL Certificates Secure Site SSL and Secure Site SSL EV from Symantec, and SSL Certificates from GeoTrust to. The certificates allow not only a safe and encrypted transmission of data over the Internet, but also to convince customers with smart add-on services that they are browsing, registering and shopping online safely. 

The VeriSign Secure Site EV SSL guarantees publishers and customers with the highest security through encryption with up to 256-bit key strength and a very strict identity verification. Together with the VeriSign Trust Seal, daily malware scan on the website and the Seal-in search technology, provides a seal in search engine entries, it also customers the highest confidence in the security of the site.Confidence that the customer can easily recognize the address bar of the browser that changes color with the use of VeriSign Secure Site EV SSL green. 

Also, the VeriSign Secure Site SSL trumps with up to 256 bit strong encryption.The trustmark is also recognized by most visitors worldwide and ensures reliable transactions. In addition, proves the daily malware scan on the web site visitors the great commitment for more security. For price-conscious customers include our security solutions GeoTrust QuickSSL Premium True Business ID True Business ID and EV from GeoTrust, a subsidiary of Symantec, are available. 

The partnership of Hostpoint with the world's leading security provider Symantec is a further milestone in the history of Hostpoint. Later this year, expanding the largest Swiss hosting provider in Switzerland to its existing range with further innovative solutions for e-commerce, domain names and web hosting. 

For more information about SSL certificates from GeoTrust and Symantec will also receive under http://www.hostpoint.ch/ssl/ssl.html 

Shared Hosting 

With 130,000 and 150,000 websites supported domain name Hostpoint is the largest web hosting provider in Switzerland. In addition to many well known companies such as Swiss Post, Migros, Phonak, Diners Club and Hero are the many private customers, the foundation of success. Hostpoint employs 30 staff and last year achieved a turnover of 8 million Swiss francs. 

Released by: Hostpoint AG 

Contact: Yvan Knapp 

Tel: 055 220 6324 

E-mail: @ yvan.knapp hostpoint.ch 

Website: www.hostpoint.ch 

Source URL:-http://www.pressetext.com/news/20110705008

EV SSL Certificates Gaining in Popularity

A recent report from Netcraft found that Extended Validation SSL certificates continue to gain ground and are being used on more websites. This is from data collected over a four-year period.

Some reports point out that EV certs account for only a percent or two of total SSL certificates in use. This is a misleading stat. This statistic includes free websites and very low traffic sites, which are not a good representation of ecommerce websites.

Netcraft found that almost one-third of the top 1,000 busiest websites that have an SSL certificate are using an EV certificate. That’s a number worth noting…

Green is good

EV SSL certs are the ones that turn the URL address bar green (or to the left of the address bar in some browsers) and display the full company name as well. They are designed to show consumers that the company is who they say they are when shopping with them.

It’s an effective weapon to combat fraudulent websites that pretend to be legitimate companies.

Obtaining an EV certificate is much more involved for a merchant. It requires proof that your company is legit. It’s not easy for a fraudster to get past these checks.

We go into more details about EV SSL Certificates in a recent blog post.

It pays to stand out in a crowd

As the online landscape becomes more crowded, and companies try so hard to be different and stand out from the pack, a EV cert. is one way to do just that.

If your competitors do not use an EV SSL Certificate, then that makes your secure checkout pages stand out.

Some will argue that the average online shopper doesn’t know the difference.

I say, if it causes even a handful of orders to be tipped in your favor, isn’t it worth it? Why wouldn’t you do all that you can to prove to your customers that your store is a safe and secure place to shop?

More people are recognizing that green means “safe and secure”. With Firefox 4, they even abandoned the padlock and went with only colors to denote the safety of a page.

And if your competitors already have EV Certificates? All the more reason to get one, so your store doesn’t look like the insecure one.

Source URL:-http://www.lexiconn.com/blog/2011/04/ev-ssl-certs-gaining-ground/

Google malware warning system alerts users about infections

Hillary O’Rourke, Contributor

Published: 21 Jul 2011

Google is instituting a new malware warning system to alert users that their computer may be infected with malware.  

We hope that by taking steps to notify users ... we can help them update their antivirus software and remove the infections

Damien Menscher, Google security engineer.

The new feature was implemented after Google detected an issue on its servers related to multiple malware infections.The new Google malware system displays a message to users at the top of the Google search results page when it detects possible issue.

The search engine giant decided to take action after discovering unusual search traffic while performing routine maintenance on one of their data centers, according to Damien Menscher, a Google security engineer.

“This particular malware causes infected computers to send traffic to Google through a small number of intermediary servers called ‘proxies,’” Menscher wrote in a blog post announcing the new Google malware warning feature.

The malware only affects computers running Microsoft Windows. When detected by Google’s system, it is likely that the computer is, or was previously, infected with the malicious software, Menscher wrote.

Some malware may alter the victim’s computer settings, redirect some traffic to a malicious server controlled by the attacker and can taint search results, according to Menscher. Tainted search results can lead people to malicious webpages and trick users into downloading rogue antivirus software.

The move is reportedly the first time Google is taking proactive measures to detect and warn users about malware infections. Microsoft is advocating a plan to get ISPs to be more proactive in scanning and alerting users to infections.

Trustworthy Computing Vice President  Scott Charney advocated for more proactive measures at his RSA Conference keynote in March. In his keynote he said ISPs should use more aggressive network access control measures for inspecting and cleaning computers before allowing them onto the Internet.

Google will not block infected users from accessing its search function. The company will provide recommendations to users for scanning systems for malware, how to remove infections, and information about why the victim may have been infected in a Google Help Center document.

 “We hope that by taking steps to notify users whose traffic is coming through these proxies, we can help them update their antivirus software and remove the infections,” Menscher wrote.

Source URl:-http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/news/2240038758/Google-malware-warning-system-alerts-users-about-infections?asrc=EM_NLN_14500439&track=NL-102&ad=841386&

Republised By:-

TheSSLstore.com is the platinum partner authority of major SSL certificates such as VeriSign, GeoTrust, RapidSSL, and Thawte on Global Scale. Being Pioneer in SSL security certificate solutions for Standard SSL Certificates, High Assurance Certificates, Wildcard SSL Certificates, SAN Certificates, SGC Certificates, EV SSL Certificates, and Code Signing Certificates, TheSSLstore provides RapidSSL Wildcard, Thawte SSL123, and GeoTrust QuickSSL Premium SSL Certificates at the lowest price to secure ecommerce Community globally.

Improving SSL: Extended Validation (EV) SSL Certificates

Hi, I’m Kelvin Yiu, a program manager with the Windows Crypto team, and I’m very excited to be posting today on the IE blog, announcing plans to make Extended Validation SSL OR EV SSL Certificates available in January 2007.

For over a year, we’ve been working on shaping the form of the next generation SSL (Secure Socket Layer) Certificates, so that they not only provide encryption but also a standard for identity on the Internet. For that purpose we teamed up with many Certification Authorities (CAs) and Internet Browsers to create the CA/Browser forum, tasked with the creation of these next-generation Certificates, called EV SSL Certificates.

The CA/Browser forum has provided a great service, and has helped evolve the EV SSL guidelines to their current Draft 11. We feel very strongly that the current version of the EV SSL guidelines provides tremendous value to help protect consumers from phishing, while maintaining compatibility with existing browsers.

Recently, we invited all the members of the CA/Browser forum to join us in supporting EV SSL Certificates based on the current guidelines, and at this time I wish to extend the invitation to all CAs interested in participating. The industry response has been very strong, and many CAs such as Verisign (including Thawte and GeoTrust), CyberTrust, Entrust, GoDaddy, QuoVadis, XRamp, SecureTrust and DigiCert have already expressed their intention to support EV SSL Certificates now, while other CAs such as Wells Fargo have expressed strong support for our efforts to drive EV Draft 11 forward. Browsers, such as KDE and Opera, are also planning to add support for EV Draft 11 in future versions of their software.

Starting at the end of January 2007, we will make the necessary updates to Windows, so that IE7 will recognize EV Certificates and modify the display accordingly (with a green background for the address bar, as well as embedded identify info, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, from Rob’s earlier post). This will mean that businesses can now assertively establish their online identity and make it visible to consumers who transact with them. Additionally, consumers will now have a new level of trust in their online transactions, because visible feedback on the identity of the business they are transacting with is readily available.

Fig 1: IE7 address bar for a site with a Extended Validation SSL certificate
(showing the identity of the site from the SSL Certificate)

Fig 2: IE7 address bar for a site with a Extended Validation SSL certificate(alternating in the name of the Certification Authority who identified the site)

We do not expect EV SSL Certificates to eradicate the phishing problem, but we are convinced that it is a significant step forward in protecting consumers. EV SSL Certificates provide tremendous value to Internet users today, and the industry will keep evolving the guidelines to keep pace with the changing Internet landscape.

Source URL:-http://blogs.msdn.com/b/ie/archive/2006/11/07/improving-ssl-extended-validation-ev-ssl-certificates-coming-in-january.aspx

CyberSource/Trustwave Survey Shows Merchant Concern Over Brand - Not Fines - Drives Payment Security Investments

SAN FRANCISCO and CHICAGO, July 19, 2011 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Findings from a new survey of eCommerce merchants released today by CyberSource, a Visa company V -0.64% and Trustwave, a leading data security and compliance firm, show that nearly 70 percent of respondents cited the need to "protect the brand" as the primary driver for tightening controls against hackers and other payment security risks. Only 26 percent said avoiding fines resulting from non-compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) were the key motivator.[Note to editors: The PCI DSS was established in September 2006 to provide guidelines for organizations in the safe storage, processing and transmission of cardholder data. Non-compliance findings can result in fines for the acquiring banks which may then be passed on to the merchant depending on contract stipulations.]

"A breach has serious consequences for nearly every division of an eCommerce merchant's organization," said Dayna Ford, Senior Director, Product Management at CyberSource. "But by far the most damaging impact is to the company's brand, affecting revenue, customer loyalty, and even stock valuation. Knowledge of this phenomenon is now widespread, so we're not surprised at the survey finding that puts brand integrity as the most important rationale for payment security investment."

"In the face of increasing numbers of security breaches and data theft, there's a real urgency for organizations to deploy powerful and effective security strategies," said James Paul, Senior Vice President of Global Compliance Services at Trustwave. "Studies like 'The Payment Security Practices and Trends Report,' published today, should help organizations learn best practices and likely costs to attain appropriate levels of security."

Selected survey findings

Data moving out: Over the next 24 months, an increasing proportion of organizations expect to remove payment data from their environment as a way of reducing security risks.

Efficiency improving: Organizations that do not capture, transmit, or store data inside their own network tend to employ fewer personnel, validate PCI DSS compliance more quickly, and operate at a lower overall cost of payment security management.

"Data out" merchants spend less on infrastructure: 75 percent of PCI DSS Level 1 merchants(1) that have removed payment data from their environments spend less than $500,000 on their payment security infrastructure. Only 60 percent of those that keep data in-house can make that claim.

Risk not confined to outsiders: In one counter-intuitive finding, respondents said they felt the threat of payment data theft from inside employees was about equal to the threat from external hackers.

The Payment Security Practices and Trends Report also covers topics regarding PCI DSS compliance, extended validation secure socket layer certificates, payment security ownership, staffing, and the cost of managing payment security.

To obtain a copy of the report -- for journalists: please call or email Bruce Frymire (650-432-7816), bfrymire@visa.com or Michelle Genser (312-873-7288) mgenser@trustwave.com. For all others: please visit www.cybersource.com/2011PSReport/ .

Methodology

The payment security survey was conducted via an online questionnaire by an independent survey organization from December 6, 2010 through January 31, 2011. Respondents to the survey were required to have personal involvement in the management of their organization's payment security practices.

About CyberSource

CyberSource, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Visa Inc., is a payment management company. Over 330,000 businesses worldwide use CyberSource and Authorize.Net brand solutions to process online payments, streamline fraud management, and simplify payment security. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, California with international offices in Reading, U.K.; Singapore; and Tokyo. CyberSource operates in Europe under agreement with Visa Europe. For more information, please visit www.cybersource.com .

About Trustwave

Trustwave is a leading provider of on-demand and subscription-based information security and payment card industry compliance management solutions to businesses and government entities throughout the world. For organizations faced with today's challenging data security and compliance environment, Trustwave provides a unique approach with comprehensive solutions that include its flagship TrustKeeper® compliance management software and other proprietary security solutions including EV SSL certificates and secure digital certificates. Trustwave has helped thousands of organizations--ranging from Fortune 500 businesses and large financial institutions to small and medium-sized retailers--manage compliance and secure their network infrastructures, data communications and critical information assets. Trustwave is headquartered in Chicago with offices throughout North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia. For more information, visit https://www.trustwave.com .

(1) Organizations processing over 6 million global payment card transactions annually.

SOURCE URL:-

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/cybersourcetrustwave-survey-shows-merchant-concern-over-brand-not-fines-drives-payment-security-investments-2011-07-19?reflink=MW_news_stmp

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