Trend Micro Sees Renewal Rate Climbs 8.4 Percent after VeriSign EV SSL Certificates Deployment

Internet Content Security Leader Reports Bottom-Line Benefits When Online Shoppers Spot Reassuring Green Address Bar of Extended Validation SSL

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA, May 20, 2009 -- Internet content security leader Trend Micro Incorporated saw its service renewal rate jump more than eight percent after deploying Extended Validation (EV) SSL Certificates from VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSN), the trusted provider of Internet infrastructure services for the networked world.

Deployed in November 2008 on the Tokyo-based company's Japanese language Web site (http://jp.trendmicro.com), VeriSign EV SSL Certificates have helped Trend Micro provide online customers with immediate, visible reassurance that they've reached a Web site whose identity has been verified and secured by VeriSign. The result has been an 8.4 percent increase in the number of online visitors who completed their renewal of their Trend Micro service subscriptions.

Trend Micro implemented VeriSign EV SSL protection within its online store, which accounts for more than 30 percent of online purchases for products targeting consumers and home office users. When online users equipped with current versions of Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Google Chrome, Opera and other browsers visit a site protected by EV SSL Certificates, the top of the browser lights up in green and displays the name of the company operating the Web site. This green glow offers immediate reassurance that they've reached a site whose authenticity has been verified by a certificate authority such as VeriSign, the world's leading EV SSL Certificate authority.

"As a company focused on securing the exchange of digital information for businesses and consumers, we know how important it is to provide highest level of protection on our own consumer site," said Maki Kimura, manager of consumer online sales for Trend Micro's Japanese language site. "We chose VeriSign EV SSL Certificates without hesitation, because no other company offers the reputation for reliability and global recognition of the VeriSign brand. With VeriSign, we went with the overwhelming EV SSL market leader."

Implementing EV SSL protection is part of an overall effort to enhance the Trend Micro site and drive sales of PC and Internet data security products based on Trend Micro's Virus Buster line. In recognition of its overall efforts, Trend Micro recently earned the "BCN Award 2009" from Japanese Computer Business News. The award honors the top-selling products in 96 categories as measured by 2008 POS data surveyed at thousands of PC and electronics retailers.

Trend Micro also made sure to display the VeriSign Secured® Seal on their VeriSign-protected Web site. To gauge the most effective placement of the VeriSign Secured Seal, Trend Micro staffers measured conversion rates and completed renewals as they tried placing the seal in a series of high-profile areas within the check-out process. "We determined that the upper right-hand corner of the personal information input page was the placement that drove the highest return," said Kasumi Shimayama, online store manager of Trend Micro's Japanese language online store. "Our results show that the green address bar and the VeriSign Secured Seal work together to communicate to consumers that we provide a safe and secure place to buy online."

"It's a testament to the strength of the VeriSign brand that VeriSign EV SSL has been chosen by a respected data security leader and innovator like Trend Micro," said Tim Callan, vice president of product marketing at VeriSign. "These results prove that by displaying the green address bar and the VeriSign Secured Seal, Trend Micro is removing online shopping objections and concerns that might otherwise keep customers from renewing their service subscriptions. When it comes to building trust with consumers online, nothing beats VeriSign EV SSL protection."

As the most respected and trusted SSL authority on the Web, VeriSign is the EV SSL Certificate provider of choice for more than 9,000 Internet domains, representing 75 percent of the entire EV SSL Certificate market worldwide.* In fact, more than 95 percent of the Fortune 500 and 96 of the world's largest SSL using banks secure their sites with SSL Certificates sold by VeriSign.* To learn more about VeriSign EV SSL, visit verisign.com/EV-SSL.

Source: VeriSign, Inc. (Marketwire)