Aladdin Knowledge Systems (NASDAQ: ALDN), the leader in Software DRM,  identity  management  and  content  security solutions, today announced that Punjab National Bank (Mumbai NSE: PNB), a 110-year  old  India-based  bank with more than 4,520 branches throughout the country, has  selected Aladdin eToken to protect sensitive bank and customer data accessed by its employees.

The  company  has deployed 2,500 eToken smart card devices since November 2006, with another 5,500 slated to be deployed throughout Q2 2007. With a dominating  presence  throughout  India  and  several thousand employees, Punjab  National Bank (PNB) could potentially expand its eToken use to as many as 14,000 smart card tokens in coming quarters.

PNB  provides  a  wide  spectrum  of  services  requiring  powerful  user authentication,  including  corporate  and  personal  banking, industrial finance,  agricultural  finance,  as  well  as  financing  of  trade  and international  banking. eToken initially protects access to four key bank processes,  including  its  Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) solution, a settlement  solution to enable funds settlement across banks on real time basis;  its  Structured  Financial  Messaging System (SFMS), a SWIFT-like Messaging  System which serves as a safe, secure communication carrier of intra  and  inter  bank messages; its Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS); and eProcurement.

Aladdin  eToken is offered to PNB through Mikroz InfoSecurity Pvt. Ltd, a New  Delhi-based  Aladdin  channel  partner,  headed by Capt.(R) Ashok B. Shiroor,  MD.  Providing strong two-factor authentication, Aladdin eToken requires  a  person  to  have  both  physical  possession  of  the eToken (something  you  have) together with knowledge of the eToken's associated password  (something  you  know) to use the identity credential stored on the  eToken and access sensitive data. About the size of an average house key, the award-winning Aladdin eToken is recognized as one of the world's most  innovative,  easily  used  tokens that store credentials within the device  itself.  eToken  offers  a  water-resistant,  highly durable form factor that stands up to constant use ? easily carried by PNB employees.

"PNB  decided to forgo using traditional smart cards and deploy Aladdin's USB-based  eToken, as it offers considerably more ease of use and doesn't require  the  purchase  and management of readers," said Mr. R I S Sidhu, General  Manager,  Information  Technology  at  PNB.  "With such a large, country-wide deployment planned, simplicity, durability and cost-effectiveness  were crucial in our decision. Aladdin eToken's proven track record of stellar technology and support are already evident in our initial  deployments, and we look forward to expanding our use throughout PNB  facilities."  Mr. R K  Bansal,  Dy  General  Manager,  Information Technology,  also  expressed  satisfaction about the cryptographic tokens and  informed that this has helped the bank in better security compliance and more so conveniently.

"Punjab  National  Bank's  vast  deployment  of Aladdin eToken throughout India  is  yet  another  example  of our fast growth in the region," said Shailendra   Sahasrabudhe,   Country  Manager  India,  Aladdin  Knowledge Systems.  "The  banking  industry  clearly  demands  top  notch security, reliability and performance when  protecting  customers'  sensitive information. PNB illustrates a growing trend toward arming employees with a   simple,  yet  powerful  smart  card-based  method  of  proving  their identities.  We're  pleased to name PNB as one of our latest customers in India."

On  October  19th,  2006,  Aladdin  announced  its  Aladdin subsidiary in Mumbai,  led  by  India  country manager Shailendra Sahasrabudhe. The new  subsidiary  supports  Aladdin's consistent, ongoing growth throughout the country, offering customers and partners local support and training.

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