QuintessenceLabs Awarded $1.1M Funding by the Australian Department of Defence to Commercialise its Virtual Zeroisation Storage Technology

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May 03, 2012, 08:00 ET

CANBERRA, Australia, May 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- QuintessenceLabs, the leader in quantum security technology, was awarded $1.1M in matched funding under the Priority Industry Capability Innovation Program by the Australian Department of Defence to commercialise its virtual zeroisation storage technology.

QuintessenceLabs, the leader in quantum security technology, announced today that the award of $1.1M in matched funding from the Australian Department of Defence will advance the development of its Virtual Zeroisation Storage and Management System for military information platforms, and contribute to Australia's Priority Industry Capabilities in the defence sector.

The Virtual Zeroisation Storage and Management System significantly improves the anti-tamper capability of stored data through the implementation of a system which is always active and does not rely on reactive or physical countermeasures. The data is in effect protected before a tamper event even occurs. The system comprises the QuintessenceLabs Quantum Key Manager (QKM) that generates, distributes and manages key material for the one-time pad cipher, and Virtual Zeroisation Storage Devices that employ the one-time pad cipher to information-theoretically protect information written to storage.

The Virtual Zeroisation and Management System removes the need for manual zeroisation, and expensive anti-tamper hardware. By removing the need to manually zeroise systems holding sensitive information, personnel will have more time to perform other duties - including protecting lives - when under duress.

"The awarding of this contract acknowledges the importance of quantum technology as a practical component for cyber security and anti-tamper products," said John Leiseboer, CTO of QuintessenceLabs. "We are pleased to contribute to the capabilities of defence through the innovative application of our key management and quantum technologies, especially where our contribution not only increases security and reduces costs, but can also enhance the safety of personnel."

About Priority Industry Capability Innovation Program
The Priority Industry Capability (PIC) Innovation Program is an Australian Government initiative, providing direct support in the form of repayable, matched grants, to Australian defence companies. The program particularly focuses on assisting small to medium sized enterprises to pursue innovative defence industry projects.

About QuintessenceLabs
QuintessenceLabs is a leader in quantum communications technology for networking, key distribution and management, national security and defense. Our breakthrough research in bright laser quantum technology heralds a new era in cyber security. Visit www.quintessencelabs.com

For media enquiries contact:
Chris O'Neil,
Chief Marketing Officer
Phone: +61 2 6125 9498
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.quintessencelabs.com

SOURCE QuintessenceLabs