FAQ

 



    Diversinet Security Technology

  1. What makes Diversinet stand out?

    Diversinet takes great pride in being a technology-innovation company with a strong track record of thought leadership and intellectual property in mobile authentication and security applications. We have invested $80 million in developing proprietary applications, with a strong patent portfolio. While continuing to support financial services, we're now expanding our thrust into mobile healthcare applications because healthcare is a fast-growing but under-served industry that we feel Diversinet is best positioned to serve.


  2. What is authentication?

    Authentication is a method of confirming the identity of the user, a device or a server.


  3. What are common authentication techniques for user authentication?

    Techniques for user authentication are usually broken down into 3 three categories or methods: (1) something a user knows, such as a password or PIN, (2) something a user has, such as a smart card, an ATM card, or a mobile phone--all would have unique identification information or a one-time password; and (3) something that is part of a user, such as a fingerprint or an iris scan (called biometric authentication).


  4. What is strong authentication?

    Strong authentication refers to the use of more than just a regular static password with a user id to confirm identity.


  5. What is two-factor authentication?

    Two-factor authentication is an enhanced security method with wide spread acceptance. Two-factor authentication is based on something the user knows (a password or PIN), and something a user has (a physical authentication device, a smartcard or a mobile phone, all with unique identification information or a one-time password).


  6. What is a hard token and how is this different from a soft or software token?

    A hard token is a dedicated physical device, often plastic covered and the size of a keychain fob. It contains a one-time-password counter mechanism that is synchronized with a remote server for user authentication for use in two-factor authentication. A soft token or software token functions in the same way as the physical hard token and can be contained or embedded in a user's personal device such as a mobile telephone or a personal computer, for two-factor authentication.


  7. Why use two-factor authentication and what types of businesses need this?

    Any business that has online users or online user transactions, and is concerned about identity theft most likely has a need for two-factor authentication. According to the Federal Trade Commission, ten million Americans are the victims of identity theft each year. Phishing, keystroke loggers, trojans and other elicit techniques are being used to obtain username and password information, and steal an individual's personal data. According to the same report, the current annual total costs to businesses of identity theft are $50 billion dollars. Regulatory guidelines in industries such as banking require enhanced authentication such as two-factor authentication. Laws in the health care industry pertaining to medical records, now require enhanced or two-factor authentication to protect personal information.

  8. Who are Diversinet's competitors?

    In the strong authentication market, for soft/mobile tokens, Diversinet competes with WiKID Systems, Portwise, Deepnet Technologies, ActivIdentitiy, Vasco and RSA Security.

    In the authentication market, for secure over-the-air provisioning, Diversinet competes with Giesecke & Devient, Gemalto, Cardinal Commerce, SmartTrust, Nokia, iPass, OpenWave and Sybase.

    Diversinet also has OEM and partnership agreements with some of these competitors.


  9. With whom does Diversinet have OEM licensing agreements?

    Diversinet has partnerships/ agreements with various security, healthcare and financial institutions, including Intersections Inc., AllOne Health Group Inc., JCB, IBM, RSA Security Visa International and Sandisk.


  10. How many patents does Diversinet have?

    Please refer to the Intellectual Property section of the web site.




    11. Products / Services / Applications

  11. What are Diversinet's flagship products?

    Diversinet’s leading-edge MobiSecure® platform sets the benchmark for secure mobile access to healthcare information for patients, providers and payers – any way, anytime, anywhere.  Products include:

    • MobiSecure® Wallet: Using a patent-pending technique, this application provides secure instant access to critical personal health-related information – such as medication and supplement history; current vitals; insurance information; emergency contacts; allergies; family history and more – that’s stored on a user’s smartphone.  The app’s secure two-way messaging delivers questionnaires, appointment requests, reminders and program alerts.  It allows users to send information to others via encrypted email or fax, and an intelligent client enables the mobile phone to process necessary healthcare-related transactions.

    • MobiSecure® Vault:  Securely synchronized with MobiSecure Wallet, this is a server-based product that can securely host and manage stored personal information.  MobiSecure® Vault gives secure and instant access to large files of stored personal information, such as personal health records and insurance information.

    • MobiSecure® Strong Authentication:  Two-factor authentication provides a cost-effective and efficient method of delivering secure, high-volume online access to sensitive data and protected information systems.

    • MobiSecure® SMS:  This app leverages the familiarity and popularity of text (SMS) messaging to enable secure, two-way SMS communication of sensitive information.

    • MobiSecure® Wallet SDK & MobiSecure® Vault API: The software development kit allows customers and third-party developers to build secure mobile applications by leveraging Diversinet's Wallet secure container technology. The API enables the transfer of information from the MobiSecure® Vault server to client applications running on end-user mobile devices.

  12. Why is Diversinet targeting mobile healthcare?

    Diversinet is targeting healthcare because the market demand for mobile healthcare services and applications is growing faster than financial services and with more security and privacy requirements. It's an industry in dire need of a mobile-applications platform that securely connects patients with their private healthcare information, their providers and the payers for their services. Diversinet is better suited to support the needs of the healthcare industry, where the potential rewards are much greater than financial services at this time.


  13. How large is the market for Diversinet's authentication security products?

    According to a November 2009 report, Goode Intelligence forecasts that mobile phone-based authentication products and services will generate $153 million in 2010 and that the market will grow to almost $760 million in revenue by 2014; an increase of $607 million.


  14. What's driving growth in mobile healthcare?

    The number of smartphone devices in use in the U.S. is growing daily. A recent study by ChangeWave Research concluded that 42 percent of mobile users in the U.S. now use smartphones. Diversinet supports all major mobile operating systems and devices. One key survey finding was that the majority of mobile healthcare users are women between the ages of 45 to 55 with children, and grandparents. For their part, large healthcare providers are increasingly seeing a need to extend their services to the mobile marketplace to be successful. Useful and compelling services like ours must be available to encourage people to use mobile technology and devices; without compelling services, users won't see the need to move to mobile devices and embrace mobile applications.


  15. How do consumers get Diversinet services?

    Diversinet authentication and security services are provided on a business-to-business basis, meaning we deliver our patented safeguards to healthcare services providers, intermediaries that supply technology solutions to services providers or to the payers for those services. In turn, the services providers or payers offer our capabilities to consumers. We do not offer services directly to consumers, but it's quite possible that consumers are already familiar with our capabilities without even knowing it because we make it easy for the services providers to put their own brands on our expertise.




    16. Investor Relations

  16. When was Diversinet founded and incorporated?

    In 1997 the company shifted its focus to security software. Diversinet Corp. was originally formed on December 8, 1993 through the amalgamation of The Instant Publisher Inc. with Lombard Consolidated Resources Inc., an Ontario corporation.


  17. What is Diversinet's ticker symbol?

    Diversinet's common stock ticker symbol is DIV on the TSX Venture Exchange and DVNTF on the Over the Counter Bulletin Board market.


  18. How can I get the current Diversinet stock price?

    There are a number of different web sites (including Yahoo, MSN® Money and Stockwatch) that provide a 15-20 minute delayed price as well as other information regarding the company.


  19. What are the voting rights for holders of Diversinet?

    Each common share entitles the registered holder thereof to one vote at all meetings of shareholders.


  20. Who is Diversinet’s outside legal counsel?

    McCarthy Tétrault LLP
    Suite 4700 TD Bank Tower
    Toronto-Dominion Centre
    Toronto  Ontario  M5K 1E6

    Lang Michener LLP
    BCE Place, 181 Bay Street, Suite 2500
    Toronto, Ontario M5J 2T7

    Thompson & Knight LLP
    919 Third Avenue, 39th floor
    New York, New York 10022
    United States of America


  21. Who is Diversinet’s transfer agent?

    Computershare Investor Services Inc.
    100 University Ave.
    Toronto, ON, M5J 2Y1
    Diversinet's CUSIP number is 25536K 30 3


  22. Who is Diversinet’s independent accountant?

    KPMG LLP Chartered Accountants, Licensed Public Accountant
    Yonge Corporate Center
    4100 Yonge St. Suite 200
    Toronto, ON M2P 2H3


  23. Who do I contact about specific investor relations issues?

    David Hackett, CFO
    Diversinet
    416 756 2324
    Email Investor Relations