The company is enhancing the security protection it provides to 80 Japanese banks by deploying EV SSL Certificates from IT infrastructure provider VeriSign (verisign.com).

As an ASP, NTT Data can efficiently extend VeriSign's latest identity theft and anti-phishing protection to 80 banks at once. VeriSign's EV SSL certificates help customers prevent phishing scams designed to mislead consumers into providing their private data such as credit card account numbers through fraudulent Web pages.

NTT Data chose VeriSign EV SSL to enhance security, helping to safeguard both NTT Data's Automatic answer Network System for Electronic Request system for consumers as well as ANSER-WEB Corporate Edition for enterprises.

The company developed the ANSER-WEB system in 1981 as an automated way for customers to benefit from a wide range of traditional banking services. Over the years, the ANSER system expanded beyond terminals to include telephone and web access.

"As an ASP, NTT Data understands it can simultaneously and efficiently deploy a proven weapon against identity theft with a service that is crucial to 80 banks," says Tim Callan, VP of SSL product marketing at VeriSign. "We expect more ASPs to soon follow NTT Data's lead, particularly as the value of EV SSL gains traction with more small to mid-size companies that rely on their ASP to keep their online services -- and their customers -- beyond the reach of e-criminals."

VeriSign EV SSL certificates enable financial institution and other online businesses to provide their customers using high security browsers, such as Internet Explorer 7 and Mozilla Firefox 3 Beta with instantly visible signs that assures them that they have visited a valid Web page.