SecureKey Technologies Selects Q9 to Host Cloud-Based Platform for Online Authentication Service

TORONTO, June 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ - Q9 Networks (Q9) is pleased to announce that it has been selected by SecureKey Technologies to provide a high availability solution for SecureKey's new cloud-based authentication platform.

SecureKey's innovative Credential Broker Service (CBS), operated in Canada under the brand SecureKey Concierge, allows Canadians to use their online banking user ID and password to obtain access to web-based federal government services. Announced in November 2011, three banks have agreed to participate in the service to date and many federal government services are expected to be accessible using online banking credentials in the near future.

Under the terms of the agreement, Q9 is providing SecureKey with high-availability co-location services and managed bandwidth at two Q9 data centres to facilitate production and disaster recovery capabilities.

"We expect millions of Canadians to take advantage of the convenience of using their existing banking credentials to access government services," says Hugh Cumming, Executive Vice President, Technology and Operations, SecureKey Technologies. "We sought a provider that could not only deliver the reliability and security that this requires, but one that also had the credibility to assist us in obtaining accredited provider status. After extensive due diligence, we determined that Q9's track record, reputation and comprehensive suite of services was best able to support this initiative."

Q9, a Canadian company, designs, builds and operates its data centres to meet the most demanding IT infrastructure requirements, including the increased power and cooling demands of today's high density computing devices. Customers connect to the Internet via Q9's unique network and are protected by Q9's 100 percent, SLA-backed uptime guarantees on both power and network availability. Customer equipment and data centre environmental parameters are monitored 7x24 by Q9's Control Centre, staffed by experts versed in all aspects of IT and facilities management.

"We are delighted to be hosting this important new application for Canadians," says Q9 Chief Executive Officer, Osama Arafat. "As more and more government information and services migrate to the Internet, applications like SecureKey's Credential Broker Service make it easier, more secure and more convenient to access those services."

About SecureKey Technologies Inc.

SecureKey provides an innovative platform-as-a-service for authentication, payment and identity. By embedding its security client in laptops, tablets, and mobile devices, SecureKey enables partners to deliver scalable, easy to use solutions with the security of chip-based identity and payment credentials. Financial institutions, healthcare providers, telecoms, and government organizations are using SecureKey today to provide two-factor and federated authentication and identity solutions. SecureKey is a privately held company based in Toronto, Canada, with backing from leading technology, payments and mobile industry network providers. For more information, please visit www.securekey.com.

About Q9 Networks:

Q9 Networks is Canada's leading provider of outsourced data centre infrastructure for organizations with mission-critical IT operations. Q9's 11 data centres and network are backed by an industry leading SLA that guarantees 100 per cent network and power availability. Q9 services, including: co-location, bandwidth, dedicated servers, firewalls, load balancing, virtual private networking (VPN) and back-up/restore, enable the rapid provisioning and scalability of client infrastructure. Q9 is backed by ABRY Partners, one of the most experienced and successful media, communications and information services focused private investment firms in North America, having completed over $21 billion of investments since 1989.

SOURCE Q9 Networks Inc.