SafeNet announced on March 12, 2012, that it had acquired privately held authentication provider Cryptocard. The companies said the deal would pair SafeNet’s existing authentication solutions with Cryptocard’s Blackshield Cloud platform, giving customers a choice of on-premises or cloud-delivered authentication. They did not disclose the purchase price.
What SafeNet acquired
Cryptocard brought Blackshield Cloud, an authentication-as-a-service platform. SafeNet described the combination as a way to offer its Trusted Authentication Solutions both on premises and as a service. The announcement framed the deal as an expansion of delivery options, not the replacement of one model by another. SafeNet’s announcement
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Cryptocard’s company profile in the announcement said the privately held company was established in 1989, headquartered in Canada and the UK, and used by thousands of companies in more than 70 countries. Those reach figures were supplied by Cryptocard’s profile, rather than independently measured in the announcement. Company profile
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesWhy the companies said the deal mattered
SafeNet’s stated plan was to combine its authentication business and global presence with Cryptocard’s cloud platform. The companies expected this to broaden customer choice and help Cryptocard’s service reach additional markets. Those were the companies’ expectations at announcement; the available material does not measure whether the predicted expansion occurred. SafeNet’s announcement
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SafeNet’s CEO, Chris Fedde, said the combination would help customers move “to and from the cloud.” That was the company’s strategic rationale, not independent evidence about the deal’s results. Fedde’s statement
Cryptocard’s authentication options in 2012
Contemporaneous reporting described Cryptocard’s historical options as phone, software, SMS, and physical tokens, as well as grIDsure, a method for generating one-time passwords without a hardware token or software application. The Register also reported credit cards with built-in one-time tokens. These descriptions concern products reported at the time of the acquisition; the sources do not establish current availability, support, or compatibility. Contemporaneous product coverage
Rank #2
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What the acquisition cost—and what happened to SafeNet
SafeNet did not disclose the financial terms of the Cryptocard acquisition. No purchase-price estimate is established by the available sources. Acquisition announcement
Gemalto later agreed to acquire all of SafeNet for US$890 million, announced in August 2014. Gemalto reported completing that acquisition on January 8, 2015, after regulatory and antitrust approvals, and said SafeNet would be integrated into its Payment & Identity segment. This records SafeNet’s later ownership, but does not establish what happened to Blackshield Cloud on a product-by-product basis. Gemalto agreement announcement · Gemalto closing announcement
Rank #3
- POWERFUL SECURITY KEY: The YubiKey 5 NFC is the most versatile physical passkey, protecting your digital life from phishing attacks. It ensures only you can access your accounts
- WORKS WITH 1000+ ACCOUNTS: Compatible with popular accounts like Google, Microsoft, and Apple. A single YubiKey 5 NFC secures 100+ of your favorite accounts, including email, password managers, and more
- FAST & CONVENIENT LOGIN: Plug in your YubiKey 5 NFC via USB and tap it, or tap it against your phone (NFC), to authenticate. No batteries, no internet connection, and no extra fees required
- MOST SECURE PASSKEY: Supports FIDO2/WebAuthn, FIDO U2F, Yubico OTP, OATH-TOTP/HOTP, Smart card (PIV), and OpenPGP. That means it’s versatile, working almost anywhere you need it
- PRIMARY & SPARE KEYS: Just like having a spare house key, we recommend buying two YubiKeys - one for daily use and one as a spare. That way you’ll never get locked out of your accounts
The market forecast cited at the time
SafeNet’s March 2012 announcement quoted Gartner’s January 2012 “Magic Quadrant for User Authentication.” Gartner forecast approximately 30 percent growth in the user-authentication market in the upcoming year and predicted that more than 50 percent of enterprises would choose cloud services for new or refreshed user-authentication implementations by 2017, up from less than 10 percent at the time. The quote also anticipated that on-premises systems would persist, particularly in risk-averse organizations seeking control over identity administration, credentialing, and verification. These were forecasts quoted in a company announcement, not verified outcomes. Gartner forecast as quoted by SafeNet
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- POWERFUL SECURITY KEY: The YubiKey 5 is a versatile physical passkey that protects your digital life from phishing attacks. It ensures only you can access your accounts.
- WORKS WITH 1000+ ACCOUNTS: Compatible with popular accounts like Google, Microsoft, and Apple. A single YubiKey 5 secures 100+ of your favorite accounts, including email, password managers, and more.
- FAST & CONVENIENT LOGIN: Plug in your YubiKey 5 via USB and tap it to authenticate. No batteries, no internet connection, and no extra fees required.
- MOST SECURE PASSKEY: Supports FIDO2/WebAuthn, FIDO U2F, Yubico OTP, OATH-TOTP/HOTP, Smart card (PIV), and OpenPGP. That means it’s versatile, working almost anywhere you need it.
- BUILT TO LAST: Made from tough, waterproof, and crush-resistant materials. Manufactured in Sweden and programmed in the USA with the highest security standards.
Rank #4
- POWERFUL SECURITY KEY: The Security Key NFC is the essential physical passkey for protecting your digital life from phishing attacks. It ensures only you can access your accounts.
- WORKS WITH 1000+ ACCOUNTS: Compatible with Google, Microsoft, and Apple. A single Security Key NFC secures 100 of your favorite accounts, including email, password managers, and more.
- FAST & CONVENIENT LOGIN: Plug in your Security Key NFC via USB-A and tap it, or tap it against your phone (NFC) to authenticate. No batteries, no internet connection, and no extra fees required.
- TRUSTED PASSKEY TECHNOLOGY: Uses the latest passkey standards (FIDO2/WebAuthn & FIDO U2F) but does not support One-Time Passwords. For complex needs, check out the YubiKey 5 Series.
- BUILT TO LAST: Made from tough, waterproof, and crush-resistant materials. Manufactured in Sweden and programmed in the USA with the highest security standards.
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