A classic example of the shared network is the automated teller machine (ATM). At first the ATM was limited to one card per bank. As ATM usage increased, inter-bank networks appeared enabling customers to use their ATM cards at any bank participating in the network. Today, ATM users can access their accounts from thousands of locations and the ATM card has become multipurpose, serving as a debit card, check cashing card and other uses.

A shared authentication network works in a similar manner - multiple organizations share a single, third-party infrastructure for authenticating user credentials. This makes it convenient and simple for users as they need to have a single credential across multiple channels, organizations or sites, without the burden of remembering dozens of passwords.

This business strategy, provides the following advantages:

+ Minimize deployment costs - - there is no software to install and maintain, no additional hardware    required, and no support or maintenance burden

+ Reduces risks

+ Provides scalability and reliability of the service  

+ Drives increased adoption and consumer retention by simplifying the user experience

+ Creates new business and partnership opportunities (for example, by accepting another organization’s credential on a site in exchange for advertising discounts)

+Provides an additional revenue stream for an enterprise that takes the initiative of distributing credentials to consumers who use it to authenticate themselves across any VeriSign® Identity Protection (VIP)-enabled Web site.  How? If a Bank A issued token is used on eBay (also a VIP member site), then Bank A gets a revenue share of the authentication fees paid by eBay to VeriSign.

You can participate in a shared authentication network today and start to offer your consumers a differentiated online experience.

To learn more about the advantages of a shared authentication network, download the white paper at http://www.verisign.co.uk/static/authentication-network-consumer-retenti...

VeriSign® Identity Protection (VIP) Access for Mobile Phones

Visit http://m.verisign.com to download the application and experience VIP on your mobile. Visit https://vipmobile.verisign.com/selectphonemodel.v to watch a video about VIP mobile access.