eToken lived, eToken alive, eToken will live

Recently, people often ask me what happened to the eToken keys and why they stopped selling them. There is also some panic about this, due to the fact that most global vendors support these keys in their products, and there is nothing to replace them with.

Stop the panic!

EToken keys have not disappeared, they continue to be issued and sold on the Russian market. Yes, they changed their name and look a little different, but it's still the same eToken.

And now a little more.
The well-known and most recognizable SafeNet eToken Java 72k key, in the common people "fish" is now called the Gemalto SafeNet eToken 5100 and looks a little different:

It was	Has become

However, this is the same key and it is also supported and works in all solutions that supported SafeNet eToken Java 72k.

EToken smart cards are now also called Gemalto SafeNet eToken 4100, but it looks the same as before - white plastic with a chip:

It was	Has become

It looks the same, but it is called differently.
At the same time, the opportunity remained to implant RFID tags into the card for integration with access control systems.

The combined SafeNet eToken NG-Flash is also in operation, and is now called the Gemalto SafeNet eToken 7300 . Appearance has also undergone changes:

It was	Has become

So, if someone tells you that the eToken is no longer for sale, do not be discouraged and do not believe there is an eToken, only it is now called differently.

A small memo:


Why did it happen?
Blame it all .... Yes, no one is really to blame. Just such a business.
After 2010, Aladdin Knowledge Systems, an Israeli company, was acquired by SafeNet. All products and solutions, as well as the development team from Aladdin Knowledge Systems, switched to SafeNet and now they support and develop authentication solutions there. Naturally, after the acquisition, the rebranding process was launched, which went completely unnoticed on the Russian market.
So it turns out that the keys are the same, but they look and are called differently.

What's new?
After the takeover (or someone more like the word merger) and rebranding, SafeNet released a cloud product for one-time password authentication, which is so far the only solution certified by FSTEC. This product is called Gemalto SafeNet Authentication Service and is available both as a service and as a standalone server for deployment on a corporate network.
Now for OTP authentication not only SafeNet eToken PASS is available, but also many other hardware and software generators:


The SafeNet Authentication Manager key and smart card lifecycle management system also continues to be supported and developed by Gemalto (Safenet). This year we are expecting the release of a new version of the Gemalto Safenet Authentication Manager 10 product.
It is also worth mentioning that at the end of 2015 there was a merger of Safenet and Gemalto. So in the near future, the eToken key will suffer another rebranding, but the key itself will remain the same “fish” eToken Pro.