Atmel and Guard ID Systems Collaborate to Deliver Security for Online Transactions

Rousset, France and San Mateo, California (ots/PRNewswire) -

Atmel(R) Corporation (Nasdaq: ATML) and Guard ID Systems, Inc,
announced today that the two companies are collaborating to bring to
market revolutionary products that efficiently protect consumers
against online identity theft and fraud. As a first step in their
collaboration, Guard ID Systems is using the Atmel AT98SC secure
microcontroller in ID Vault(TM), Guard ID's leading consumer online
security product.

"Atmel's proven expertise in designing and developing integrated,
quick-processing high security microchips makes the Atmel solution
the ideal choice for ID Vault," said Greg Marek, Vice President of
Marketing at Guard ID Systems. "With the Atmel smart card chip at the
core of ID Vault, our customers can be confident that they are using
the most hardened protection available against online identity theft
and fraud."

"Our AT98SC turnkey security solutions offer an easy path to
deliver security wherever it makes sense," stated Olivier Debelleix,
Security Modules Marketing Manager at Atmel. "We are proud that Guard
ID Systems has selected to use our AT98SC032CT-USB in ID Vault, and
we believe consumers will greatly benefit from our companies'
combined expertise in delivering secure microcontrollers and
easy-to-use online security products."

People all over the globe are banking and shopping online in
record numbers. This trend has spawned a new breed of cyber criminals
who use increasingly more sophisticated techniques aimed at stealing
online identities in order to steal money from consumers' bank
accounts, credit cards and investment accounts.

ID Vault(TM), Guard ID Systems' consumer online security product,
protects consumers against online identity theft and fraud as they
conduct financial transactions online. ID Vault encrypts and stores
account usernames and passwords on a smart card microchip inside a
tamper-proof USB device, and leverages Atmel's AT98SC032CT-USB secure
USB turnkey solution. Atmel is a leading provider of secure
microcontrollers for smart card applications for telecoms, banking
and government markets. With over twenty years of solid experience in
designing secure microcontrollers, Atmel has been granted a number of
independent security certificates for its products such as FIPS 140-2
Level 3 and 4, Common Criteria EAL4+ and EAL5+, EMVCo and ZKA.
Atmel's rich experience guarantees ID Vault users that their
confidential online account information is stored on a proven
hacker-proof smart card microchip.

Atmel offers the AT98SC family of secure turnkey solutions for
fast and easy integration of security in any system. There is no
required complex program development or heavy ROM masking, nor
specific expertise in security. This means accelerated product
time-to-market for customers, thereby offering significant advance
over competition.

About Atmel

Atmel is a worldwide leader in the design and manufacture of
microcontrollers, advanced logic, mixed-signal, nonvolatile memory
and radio frequency (RF) components. Leveraging one of the industry's
broadest intellectual property (IP) technology portfolios, Atmel is
able to provide the electronics industry with complete system
solutions focused on consumer, industrial, security, communications,
computing and automotive markets.

(C) 2008 Atmel Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Atmel(R), logo
and combinations thereof, are registered trademarks or trademarks of
Atmel Corporation or its subsidiaries. Other terms and product names
may be trademarks of others.

About Guard ID Systems

Guard ID Systems, Inc., headquartered in San Mateo, CA, develops
and markets ID Vault, the first hardware-based security product that
protects consumers against online identity theft and fraud. ID Vault
has a suggested retail price of US$49.99, and is available at major
retailers nationwide. ID Vault is backed by a US$1 million guarantee.

ID Vault(TM) is a trademark of Guard ID Systems, Inc.

Information:

Visit http://www.atmel.com/products/SecureASSP/ for more
information about Atmel's AT98SC family.

Visit http://www.guardid.com for more information about ID Vault
and Guard ID Systems, Inc.

Atmel Press Contacts:
Leslie Grace Casiano, Marketing Communications Manager
Tel: +33-4-42-53-60-52, Email: leslie-grace.casiano@atmel.com
Helen Perlegos, Public Relations
Tel: +1-408-487-2963, Email: hperlegos@atmel.com
Guard ID Systems Press Contact:
Greg Marek, Vice President of Marketing
Tel: +1-650-286-9440, Email: greg@guardid.com
Web site: http://www.atmel.com
http://www.guardid.com

ots Originaltext: Atmel Corporation
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de

Contact:
Leslie Grace Casiano, Marketing Communications Manager,
+33-4-42-53-60-52, leslie-grace.casiano@atmel.com, or Helen Perlegos,
Public Relations, +1-408-487-2963, hperlegos@atmel.com, both of Atmel
Corporation; or Greg Marek, Vice President of Marketing of Guard ID
Systems, Inc., +1-650-286-9440, greg@guardid.com