- The software development process
- Develops authentication system
- Enhancing security by vulnerabilities
About XLINQ
XLINQ is an enterprise software company that provides a platform to design and build reliable software faster and offers Software as a Service for regulated industries. Founded in 2017 in ING Labs, XLINQ spun off from ING Bank and became independent in 2023.
XLINQ accelerates software development by digitalizing requirements in unambiguous specifications, leveraging business knowledge as code for automatic generation of secure and compliant software. The company covers the full cycle of the software development process: analysis, design, development, implementation, integration, testing, release, operations, and IT lifecycle management – all with the simple goal of delivering reliable software faster.
- Design and build software faster
- Secure and complaint
- Business knowledge as code
The problem
“In the financial sector, we’re dealing with security and compliance requirements at the highest level”, says Viet Nguyen, founder and CEO of XLINQ. “We use business impact analyses to determine the criticality of banking applications, resulting in the required level of confidentiality, integrity, and availability. These three are equally important: our software should protect the confidentiality and integrity of user data, be highly available, and meet the banking standards’ security and compliance requirements.”
To meet those standards, XLINQ was looking for a partner to help building a scalable multi-factor authentication system. “We wanted to work together with people that not only understand the importance of our security standards, but also can proactively look ahead and find upcoming challenges and opportunities.”
The solution
“In 2018, we were looking for innovative software-based authentication solutions, while the industry standard was counting on hardware-based alternatives. Together with ING Labs fintech scouts, we looked for such a solution globally, but ended up finding one around the corner in Delft: Ubiqu,” Viet says. Over the last six years, XLINQ and Ubiqu have worked together to create a secure authentication solution.
“What started with just a proof of concept a couple of years ago, has turned into a high-quality solution that allows us to issue authentication means to users so that they can securely identify themselves to access our systems.”
At the core of the solution is Ubiqu’s patented Remote Secure Element, that eliminates the need for hardware-based devices by providing secure, encrypted communication and authentication remotely. “In today’s day and age, everyone understands the importance of software-based solutions. But six years ago, when we were looking for a solution, most authentication systems relied on physical devices, on hardware solutions. This leads to vulnerabilities and issues in the supply chain. Through finding Ubiqu, and using their Remote Secure Element, we were able to address these issues.
“Creating these solutions isn’t simple, and there will always be some hurdles in the implementation. But together with Ubiqu, we were able to remain on track and stay the course, because we were able to solve problems together. At the end of the day, what we’re building with Ubiqu is technology at the highest level. When this lands and scales well, the world can really get more secure.”
Viet Nguyen
— CEO of XLINQ
The future for XLINQ
XLINQ is working with Ubiqu to create and facilitate secure and compliant digital journeys. “But this is only the beginning,” Viet says. “We keep moving the level of authentication and identification to higher, more secure levels. eIDAS 2.0 facilitates us to move beyond our own ecosystem and make interoperability possible between systems in EU member states, enabling all citizens to use their phone as their digital passport.
While we initially developed our software for the financial sector, we’ve built our technology in a way that we can expand to any other sector. Since our software meets bank-grade security and compliance requirements at the highest level, we look mainly at other regulated sectors.”
The solution
- Bank-grade security and compliance
- Built with cryptographic experts
- Secure multi-factor authentication
- Reliable and scalable
“Ubiqu has truly delivered a technical tour de force here. To do what they do requires a great amount of highly-specialized knowledge and expertise.”