Quantis Newsletter - April 2010
Table of contents
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NEWS IDQ announces the launch of a PCI Express version of its Quantis random number generator to make it compatible with newer servers and computers. The new card is a low profile device, so that it fits in all platforms. This new development will strengthen the position of Quantis as the reference true random number generator for applications in cryptography or online gaming. >> Read more |
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 | NEWS This new software package includes drivers with support for 64-bit operating systems, a new random number acquisition application and an improved library. >> Read more | |
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NEWS IDQ launched in February an online shop for its Quantis True Random Number Generator product range. To celebrate this, free shipping will be offered for Quantis orders placed online. This promotional offer will be available only for a limited period of time. >> Read more |
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CUSTOMER FOCUS Secure eVoting using Quantis “One citizen - one vote” is the central axiom of democracy. To guarantee this in the cyberworld, the State of Geneva relies on a quantum random number generator built by ID Quantique to produce unique identifiers guaranteeing the voters’ anonymity and the vote security. This innovative solution was offered last weekend to 60’000 citizens who had the possibility to cast their vote over the Internet in the framework of the 14th official online ballot held in Geneva on March 7th 2010. >> Read more |
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FROM THE LAB Quantum key distribution is a technology that allows to exploit the laws of quantum physics to secure optical networks. In April 2009, IDQ deployed the SwissQuantum pilot quantum key distribution network in Geneva. This network will run until the end of 2010 to reach more than 18 months of continuous operation. |
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NEWS IDQ has reorganized its activities in three separate business units: network encryption, scientific instrumentation and random number generators. This new organization will allow to better serve the specific needs of customers in these different markets. |
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NEWS To emphasize its recent reorganization into three business units, IDQ changed its logo and corporate identity. |
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NEWS
Quantis goes PCI express!
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IDQ announces the launch of a PCI Express version of its Quantis random number generator to make it compatible with newer servers and computers. The new card is a low profile device, so that it fits in all platforms. This new development will strengthen the position of Quantis as the reference true random number generator for applications in cryptography or online gaming. |
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In parallel, to this new product, IDQis also introducing a new version of the software package accompanying Quantis, which includes 64-bit drivers. These new developments will strengthen the position of Quantis as the reference true random number generator for applications in cryptography or online gaming. Quantis is a true random number generator which exploits a quantum process – the reflection or transmission of a photon on a semi-transparent mirror – to produce random bits at a bit rate of up to 16 Mbps. The quality of its randomness has been certified in 2008 by the Swiss Federal Office of Metrology. Since its commercial launch in 2004, Quantis has become the reference hardware random number generator for demanding applications, for example in the field of web services, cryptography or online gaming and lotteries. Quantis was available as a PCI board, as well as a USB device. As a response to customer feedback, which indicated that newer servers and computers with PCI interfaces and full profile expansion slots are becoming less frequent, IDQ is launching a low profile PCI Express version of Quantis, the Quantis-PCIe-4M device. The quality of the randomness produced by this new card is equivalent to that of the other products of the Quantis family and it will receive certification by the Swiss Federal Office of Metrology in the coming weeks. Furthermore, the PCI Express card is fully compatible with the older PCI version of Quantis. “We wanted to minimize the migration effort for our customers. Applications running with Quantis-PCI will continue to run with the new PCI express version” explains Patrick Trinkler, R&D Manager for the Quantis product at IDQ. In addition to the launch of this new product, IDQ is also introducing a new software package for the Quantis family. This package includes drivers for newer 64-bit operating systems, a new library with advanced features as well as wrappers to simplify integration with advanced programming languages. “We keep receiving excellent feedback from customers and we are confident of the great potential of Quantis on the market. This is why we have invested to guarantee that this product remains compatible with new platforms, both from a hardware and software point of view” notes Grégoire Ribordy, CEO of IDQ. | ||
News
Improved Quantis software package available
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A new software package has been released. It includes the following components
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What's new!
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Supported operating systems
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EasyQuantis Application Quantis comes with a truly invaluable cross operating system application called EasyQuantis which allows to read random numbers in the following formats:
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Quantis Library The Quantis library can be used to access the Quantis Quantum Random Number Generator. The library API is identical for the PCI, PCIe and USB library and is available on all supported operating systems. The library offers the possibility to produce random binary data, integers and floating point numbers. It can be used to access multiple Quantis generators and includes advanced functionalities such as random data scaling. | Library Wrappers Wrappers allowing to access the Quantis library, as well as sample source code, are provided for the following programming languages:
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NEWS
Buy Quantis online and get free shipping!
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IDQ launched in February an online shop for its Quantis True Random Number Generator product range. To celebrate this, free shipping will be offered for Quantis orders placed online. This promotional offer will be available only for a limited period of time. >> Go to online shop |
CUSTOMER FOCUS
Secure e-Voting using Quantis
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“One citizen - one vote” is the central axiom of democracy. To guarantee this in the cyberworld, the State of Geneva relies on a quantum random number generator built by ID Quantique to produce unique identifiers guaranteeing the voters’ anonymity and the vote security. This innovative solution was offered again in March to 60’000 citizens who had the possibility to cast their vote over the Internet in the framework of the 12th official online ballot in Geneva. |
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On March 7th, Geneva’s citizens were called to the polling station to vote on a number of referenda. Close to 60’000 voters had the possibility to use Internet voting in addition to the usual paper-based ballot casting methods. Geneva is indeed playing a pioneering role in the implementation of cyber democracy tools in Switzerland. In order to be able to cast his vote over the Internet, each citizen receives a voting card over the mail. This card bears a PIN code, which allows to validate the Internet ballot. For the system to be secure, it is essential that this PIN code is unique and cannot be reproduced by a party trying to forge votes. The best way to achieve this is to use true random numbers to generate this PIN code. ID Quantique has developed and commercializes a true random number generator that produces high quality random bits based on quantum physics. Contrary to classical physics, quantum physics, which describes the microscopic world, is intrinsically random. This generator, called Quantis, exploits the reflection or transmission of single light particles, also known as photons and which are “quantum objects”, on a semi-transparent mirror to produce random 0’s and 1’s. This product is used worldwide in applications which require the purest random numbers. The IT department of the State of Geneva, which developed the Internet voting platform, has implemented a Quantis quantum random number generator to produce the unique PIN codes printed on the voting cards. Doing this ensures that impersonating a voter becomes impossible, as it would require to guess the unique random PIN code. For Gregoire Ribordy, CEO of ID Quantique, “the production of good random numbers is difficult and often overlooked, which can lead to very serious consequences. Quantis is a simple and cost-effective way to solve this problem. The fact that the Geneva IT department implemented a Quantis generator proves that they take security very seriously.” For Jean-Marie Leclerc, head of the State of Geneva IT department, “true random numbers provide the Geneva Internet voting application with a critical edge over similar systems elsewhere in the world. One could say that they represent a quantum leap in security.” | ||
FROM THE LAB
Quantum Network up and running for more than 20’000 hours
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Quantum cryptography is a technology that allows to exploit the laws of quantum physics to secure optical networks. In April 2009, IDQ deployed the SwissQuantum pilot quantum key distribution network in Geneva. This network will run until the end of 2010 to reach more than 18 months of continuous operation. | |
the SwissQuantum project sets up a multi-node quantum network test bed for long-term testing and demonstration of quantum cryptography technology and its applications. The test bed will be used for R&D, demonstration and education purposes in the field of quantum communication. Quantum cryptography, a technology that exploits the laws of quantum physics to enhance the security of communication over modern optical networks, has been an active research field for more than fifteen years. Efforts so far were mainly focused on point-to-point applications. A few quantum networks (in USA, Europe, South-Africa and China) have been deployed, but they were operated only for a short period of time. Moreover, they were only used for demonstration purposes and not to transmit real traffic. The network consists of three nodes in the Geneva metropolitan area in a triangle configuration. These nodes are connected by installed telecom optical fibers and host quantum cryptography and data encryption equipment. The network is used to secure a 10 Gigabit Ethernet link between CERN and the University of Geneva. The Geneva Engineering School (HES-SO) will monitor the network and present an independent evaluation of its performance. The SwissQuantum project is an initiative managed by the University of Geneva (group of Professor Nicolas Gisin) with a dozen partners from both industry and academia. | ||
NEWS
IDQ reorganizes in three business units
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IDQ has reorganized its activities in three separate business units: network encryption, scientific instrumentation and random number generators. This new organization will allow to better serve the specific needs of customers in these different markets. |
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IDQ intends to strengthen its positioning, both in Switzerland and internationally, with a specific focus on the network encryption market, where ID Quantique offers a broad range of products, both for conventional and quantum key distribution enhanced encryption. “This new structure aims at clarifying the positioning of our activities to our customers and to support our growth objectives, particularly in the network encryption market” explains Grégoire Ribordy, ID Quantique CEO. Noting that high-speed networks are still often left unprotected, in spite of the growing number of threats, ID Quantique considers that the market of high-speed network encryption is poised to grow, particularly for industries dealing with sensitive information. It will seize this opportunity to position itself as a key player, with its conventional encryption products and its hybrid solutions, which integrate quantum key distribution technology in order to guarantee long-term security. In addition to network encryption, ID Quantique also establishes a scientific instrumentation business unit, which includes low light detection products for academic and industrial research and development organizations, as well as a random number generators business unit, which focuses on computer peripherals producing random outcomes and used for example in the gaming and lottery industry for drawing winning numbers. | ||
NEWS
A fresh look at IDQ! IDQ refreshes its corporate identity
| To emphasize its recent reorganization into three business units, IDQ changed its logo and corporate identity. | ||
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