HID acquires Quantum Secure

AUSTIN, Texas—Secure identity provider HID Global has acquired Quantum Secure, a provider of identity management software. Denis Hebert, HID Global CEO, told Security Systems News that the deal brings an important new capability to HID.

“We have added to the overall equation,” Hebert said. “Together [HID and Quantum represent] a much more powerful and valuable proposition.”

Imperial Capital's Jeff Kessler concurred, calling Quantum Secure “the last step [HID] needed to fill out their entire portfolio on the identity side.”

Hebert said he's spent the past few years “pushing the message that we need to create, use and manage secure identity.” Though HID, based here, has a broad portfolio of offerings and had acquired a number of companies—including IdenTrust, Easy Lobby, Codebench, ActivIdentity, and Lasercard—“the [identity] management aspect is one area [where] we were not all that strong,” Hebert said.

HID declined to reveal terms of the deal, which was announced on March 26.

Founded in 2004, Quantum Secure's SAFE software platform is designed to manage identities and meet regulatory compliance requirements across multiple sites and systems.

Quantum's customers include the new World Trade Center in New York, San Francisco Airport, U.S. Department of Energy, AT&T and eBay.

Quantum's team will stay intact and will continue to be based in San Jose, Calif.

Quantum CEO Ajay Jain said HID provides intelligent doors, reader systems, biometrics systems and associated products, while “what Quantum does is manages all those pieces. Together HID and Quantum provide security identity and access control solutions for the right location, at the right time, with the right privilege and the right risk.”

Hebert pointed out that a standard access control systems does not generally address compliance with regulations such as FDA for pharmaceutical companies, HIPAA for health care, CFATS for critical infrastructure. Quantum Secure ensures that the rules and protocols for those regulations are met and documented. Hebert said Quantum Secure's success has been driven by how they interface PACS with software systems—such as SAP, Oracle, HRIS as well as with Active Directory—that determine workflow and policy.

Compliance management for a large utility could take a team of 20 people, Hebert said. Quantum Secure automates that process, saving money and eliminating human error, he said.

Jain said the combination of HID and Quantum will be the “best in the industry” as the secure identity/access control market goes mobile.

“HID has the Seos solution to deliver secure credentials on the phone. Quantum provides solutions to manage those credentials and bind those credentials to the right identity. … Quantum manages the lifecycle of the identity, as well as the credential, on a real-time basis.”

Hebert expects there will be crossselling opportunities for the two companies.

.

+