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SafeNet announced on March 12, 2012, that it had acquired privately held authentication vendor Cryptocard. The deal paired SafeNet’s existing authentication solutions with Cryptocard’s Blackshield Cloud platform, expanding SafeNet’s stated choice of on-premises and cloud-delivered authentication. The companies did not disclose the purchase price.
What SafeNet acquired
Cryptocard brought Blackshield Cloud, a platform for delivering authentication as a service. SafeNet described the combination as its Trusted Authentication Solutions alongside Blackshield Cloud, giving customers access to both on-premises and service-delivered authentication options.
The announcement characterized Cryptocard as a cloud-authentication provider serving enterprises, service providers, mobile and telecom providers, and system integrators. Its company profile said it 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 claims in the company profile, not independently measured results.
Why the acquisition mattered
The strategic aim was to broaden how SafeNet could deliver authentication and use its global presence to extend Cryptocard’s service into more markets. SafeNet and Cryptocard presented this as a way to offer customers more flexibility between maintaining authentication on premises and using a cloud service. Those were the companies’ stated expectations; the announcement did not establish post-acquisition results.
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That delivery choice also reflected a concern raised in SafeNet’s announcement: organizations wanting control over identity administration, credentialing, and verification might continue to favor on-premises systems, while others could consider a cloud service. This was contemporaneous market framing, not current vendor guidance.
Cryptocard’s authentication options in 2012
Beyond Blackshield Cloud, contemporaneous reporting described Cryptocard’s historical options as phone, software, SMS, and physical tokens. The Register also reported credit cards with built-in one-time tokens. Cryptocard’s grIDsure method was described as a way to generate one-time passwords without a hardware token or software application.
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These are historical product descriptions from 2012. The available reporting does not establish whether those products remain available, supported, or compatible with current systems.
Deal price and SafeNet’s later ownership
SafeNet did not disclose financial terms for its acquisition of Cryptocard, so there is no confirmed purchase price to report.
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Gemalto later agreed to acquire all of SafeNet for US$890 million, as announced in August 2014. Gemalto said it expected the transaction to close in the fourth quarter, subject to approvals, and announced completion on January 8, 2015, after regulatory and antitrust approvals. Gemalto said SafeNet would be integrated into its Payment & Identity segment. The available announcements do not trace what happened to Blackshield Cloud product by product after those corporate changes.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the 2012 market forecast did—and did not—say
SafeNet’s March 2012 announcement quoted Gartner’s January 2012 “Magic Quadrant for User Authentication.” The forecast expected the user-authentication market to grow by approximately 30 percent in the upcoming year. It also predicted that more than 50 percent of enterprises would choose cloud-based services for new or refreshed user-authentication implementations by 2017, up from less than 10 percent at the time. Gartner’s quoted view was that on-premises systems would likely persist, especially among more risk-averse enterprises seeking control of identity administration, credentialing, and verification.
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These figures were forecasts quoted in a company announcement, not verified outcomes. They help explain the market context SafeNet used to position the acquisition; they do not establish whether the predictions came true.
Quick Recap
Best Value
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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
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