Digital security provider Gemalto said that it won the Security Innovation award in the inaugural 2012 Cloud Awards program.

Gemalto was recognized for its Protiva Strong Authentication Service, an authentication platform that enables secure access to cloud resources and applications.

The annual cloud computing awards program, judged by a panel of industry experts and open internationally, celebrates industry leaders and pioneers in the field of cloud computing.

“Judging the submissions was a challenging task, and we are endorsing Gemalto as among the best of the best in its field. We are seeing an increasing number of organizations leveraging cloud technologies to make their operations work harder and smarter, and we want to help ensure companies like Gemalto receive the recognition they deserve,” said Larry Johnson, Cloud Awards organizer.

Francois Lasnier, Senior Vice President of Online Authentication at Gemalto said that with Protiva, users are protected by two forms of identity verification to gain authorized access to the cloud.

“Protiva creates a mutual trust between the cloud provider and the customer, and clearly differentiates the cloud provider from competitors that do not offer this level of security and convenience,” said Lasnier.