WISeKey to service EU market and major customers in the automotive and financial services industries through its full-service subsidiary in Germany

WISeKey to service EU market and major customers in the automotive and financial services industries through its full-service subsidiary in Germany

WISeKey expands its EU presence and its business strategy for Germany via QuoVadis

Geneva, Zug, Switzerland – September 12, 2017 – WISeKey International Holding Ltd (SIX: WIHN), a leading Swiss cybersecurity and IoT company announced today that QuoVadis, the managed Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) brand of WISeKey, has expanded its EU operations through QuoVadis Trustlink Deutschland GmbH, a full-service WISeKey subsidiary in Germany, servicing major customers in the automotive and financial services industries. WISeKey QuoVadis has a strong track record in Europe of serving as an accredited Qualified Trust Service Provider (TSP) for close to a decade in the EU and in Switzerland under the ZertES standards. In addition to the commercial sector, QuoVadis has been active in public sector programs including PKIoverheid and eHerkenning in the Netherlands and SuisseID in Switzerland  WISeKey’s strategy is to continue to take advantage of several significant opportunities in this market. For example, WISeKey QuoVadis Germany, announced last month that it is delivering a strategic contract for a leading European automobile manufacturer cementing its role in the Connected Car sector. The agreement includes the integration of WISeKey IoT and Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) in the manufacturer’s connected car solutions allowing them to authenticate legitimate car components and at the same time enabling owners to securely interact with the car’s smart features (https://www.wisekey.com/secure-connected-cars/). 
eIDAS and the European ‘Digital Single Market’
The role of TSPs like QuoVadis has received increased attention under the EU electronic IDentification, Authentication and trust Services (eIDAS) regulation, designed to bolster electronic identification (eID) and electronic trust services (eTS) for secure cross-border online transactions across the European ‘Digital Single Market’.
Previously, European regulation of Certification Authorities (CAs) was enacted through national laws and regulations creating a patchwork of standards. The role of eIDAs is two-fold: first, to create greater uniformity in the regulation of service providers across the EU and second, to expand the range of accredited services to include Qualified digital certificates, electronic signatures, electronic corporate seals, time stamps, and other secure transactional services.
With the irrepressible movement of transactions online, eIDAS TSPs will play a key role in future commercial and public-sector interactions. Globally, Aragon Research predicts that revenues for digital transaction services will grow explosively to USD 30 billion by 2020.
WISeKey QuoVadis is the only EU TSP accredited in multiple countries, with sales and support operations on the ground in Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, the United Kingdom, and Bermuda.
WISeKey Vertical Platform
QuoVadis is already an important component of the WISeKey Vertical Trust Platform which provides cybersecurity tools to enhance authentication, identity, privacy, and data integrity in electronic transactions both under eIDAs and the rapidly growing Internet of Things (IoT) market.
WISeKey’s integration of QuoVadis follows the 2016 acquisition of VaultIC Semiconductors, a provider of cryptographic chips and provisioning services used in IoT, device security, EMV payment systems, and brand protection. Carlos Moreira, Founder and CEO of WISeKey, said, “QuoVadis brand is a well-respected provider of digital certificate and electronic signature services across Europe. WISeKey is pleased to support QuoVadis’ expansion in Germany. In addition to QuoVadis’ existing CA relationships, we have been able to rapidly leverage our combined skillsets to serve the fast growing IoT market in Germany.”
Roman Brunner, Managing Director of WISeKey QuoVadis, said, “With eIDAS, we have seen immense growth in demand for cross-border solutions. But more importantly, our customers are looking for European-based partners, with operations on the ground in major national markets across Europe. Working in the multinational environment comes naturally to WISeKey QuoVadis, and our further expansion in Germany allows us to increase and expand the scope of services provided to our significant existing client base there.”
The WISeKey QuoVadis operations are led by Robert Frank, a well-known figure in the German IT market. Mr. Frank previously served as the Managing Director of Deutsche Leasing Information Technology GmbH, the German market leader in IT leasing. He was also a Managing Director at GE Capital IT Solutions and Executive Vice President of Comdisco, the world market leader for IT financing at the time.
Robert Frank said, “When implementing digital certificate and electronic signature solutions, customers demand a reliable and accessible partner. QuoVadis has an excellent reputation for effective PKI solutions, service reliability, and knowledgeable support enabling us to rapidly build upon the existing clientele and range of services we currently offer in Germany and across Europe. Our goal in Germany is simple: we want to be the CA and e-signature provider with the highest customer satisfaction.” 
About WISeKey QuoVadis
WISeKey QuoVadis is a leading global Certification Authority (CA) providing cloud-based Trust/Link Managed PKI (Public Key Infrastructure) services, including digital certificates for TLS/SSL web security as well as eID for authentication, encryption, and electronic signature.
WISeKey QuoVadis also provides e-signature platforms including mass signature and trusted time-stamping solutions for e-invoicing, as well as cloud-based signing platforms for individuals. QuoVadis e-signatures are used on more than 60 million electronic transactions annually.
WISeKey QuoVadis is an established Qualified Trust Services Provider (TSP) for eID and electronic transactions in Switzerland under ZertES and with updated eIDAS accreditations pending for the European Union. The company also has significant experience in public eID including the Dutch PKIoverheid and the Swiss SuisseID programmes.
WISeKey QuoVadis customers include a spectrum of multinational companies, financial services entities, university systems and public-sector organizations worldwide. For more information, visit www.quovadisglobal.de.
About WISeKey:
WISeKey (SIX Swiss Exchange: WIHN) is a leading global cybersecurity company currently deploying large scale digital identity ecosystems with a patented process. WISeKey’s Swiss based cryptographic Root of Trust (“RoT”) provides secure authentication and identification, in both physical and virtual environments, for the Internet of Things, Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence. The WISeKey RoT serves as a common trust anchor to ensure the integrity of online transactions among objects and between objects and people. For more information, visit www.wisekey.com.
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