Gemplus wins Sesame Award for the most compact implementation of the .NET platform for networked secure devices

LUXEMBURG and Cartes 2005, Paris – 15 November 2005 - Gemplus International S.A. (Euronext: LU0121706294 - GEM and NASDAQ: GEMP), the worlds leading provider of smart card based solutions, announces that its innovative smart .NET^[1]-based platform for networked secure devices such as USB dongles, secure MMC and smart cards has won the Sesame Award for Best Software at the Cartes 2005 Conference and Exhibition.

The demonstrated solution offers a set of features that make integration of secure devices into IT infrastructure easy and seamless. Among the main features are: TCP/IP connectivity, standard .NET file format without external converter, multithreading and automatic garbage collection.

The smart .NET-based platform from Gemplus is a prototype providing a compact but compliant implementation of the ISO/ECMA-335 standard which characterizes the .NET environment. This software makes the development and deployment of software for secure devices as easy as any .NET desktop application with the same language, tools and behavior. It embeds standard Internet protocols so that applications can directly communicate as a peer with any networked service.

“We are pleased that Gemplus is supporting .NET by employing the ECMA standards that define the core of .NET technologies.” said Sanjay Parthasarathy, corporate vice president of Developer & Platform Evangelism at Microsoft Corp. “By doing this, Gemplus is creating another way for .NET developers to take advantage of their existing skills and code, while bringing the benefits of two-factor authentication to both their enterprise and applications.”

Jacques Seneca, Executive Vice President, ID and Security, Gemplus explains “It is our permanent aim to make the deployment of smart card applications easier for developers and users. What we are presenting is a major step forward in helping governments, enterprises, businesses and consumers to benefit from the security of smart cards without the complexity".

Targeting all business sectors, this platform particularly suits the IT markets as it will reduce the integration effort of secure devices in existing IT infrastructures, as well as preparing the future ones, based on Digital Identity Management, Web Services and Service Oriented Architectures.

Visit the Gemplus stand at the Cartes Conference and Exhibition, 15-17 November 2005 for a presentation of the Smart Server Platform as demonstrated on a USB dongle and a smart card.

About Gemplus

Gemplus International S.A. (Euronext: LU0121706294 - GEM and NASDAQ: GEMP) is the world's leading player in the smart card industry in both revenue and total shipments (source: Gartner- Dataquest 2005, Frost & Sullivan, Datamonitor). It has sold over 5.5 billion smart cards.

Gemplus delivers a wide range of portable, personalized solutions in areas including Identity, Mobile Telecommunications, Public Telephony, Banking, Retail, Transport, Healthcare, WLAN, Pay-TV, e-government, and access control.

Gemplus' revenue in 2004 was 865 million Euros.

www.gemplus.com
 

^[1] Microsoft® .NET is the Microsoft strategy for connecting systems, information, and devices through Web services so people can collaborate and communicate more effectively. .NET technology is integrated throughout Microsoft products, providing the capability to quickly build, deploy, manage, and use connected, security-enhanced solutions through the use of Web services.

For more information:

Jane Strachey
Gemplus
Tel: +33 (0)442364661
Mobile: +33 (0)676493593
Email: jane.strachey@gemplus.com

Matthew McGuinness
Edelman PR
Tel: +44 (0)20 7344 1259
Email: matthew.mcguinness@edelman.com

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