The German banking institute Sparkasse Suedholstein is deploying Gemalto’s Ezio authentication optical readers to better protect its online customers. The solution eliminates the need for paper-based lists of One-Time-Passwords (“iTAN”, Indexed Transaction Authentication Number”) and adds the higher level of security of the smart banking card. The bank is part of the Sparkassen Finanzgruppe, the leading banking group in Germany with 45 million retail accounts. With 27 million ebanking users, Germany has the largest number of online customer base in Europe.

The credit card-sized optical authentication device is easy to carry around in a wallet and offers a high level of mobility and convenience. Customers of Sparkasse Suedholstein place the device in front of their PC screen or the display of their tablets or smartphones. Optical sensors capture the transaction data that would otherwise be entered via the reader keypad to perform online transactions. The Gemalto Ezio TAN is a zero footprint solution, which means it requires no additional or specific software installation for the end user, making usage and adoption even easier.

“Portability, security and user-friendliness are key to boosting customer acceptance, which was the main consideration in selecting the Ezio TAN “, said Stefan Tute, Head of media distribution, eBanking, Sparkasse Suedholstein. “The solution creates a simple and straightforward trusted environment for our online banking.“ The banking insitute has also produced a video case study on the deployment of the solution. [www.gemalto.com]