WhitePages goes to the cloud in a big way, but security concerns remain

April 11, 2011 — CSO — WhitePages Inc., which provides online services for finding contact information for more than 200 million people and 15 million businesses, is relying on cloud computing in a big way. The Seattle-based company has built its own internal cloud for application development, and is using about a dozen cloud and Web-based applications. That strategy has enabled WhitePages to avoid having to launch and maintain a variety of applications in-house -- and the associated costs. But in order to feel comfortable using cloud-based offerings such as software-as-a-service, the company needed to address its concerns about security

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April 11, 2011 — CSO —

WhitePages Inc., which provides online services for finding contact information for more than 200 million people and 15 million businesses, is relying on cloud computing in a big way. The Seattle-based company has built its own internal cloud for application development, and is using about a dozen cloud and Web-based applications. That strategy has enabled WhitePages to avoid having to launch and maintain a variety of applications in-house -- and the associated costs.

But in order to feel comfortable using cloud-based offerings such as software-as-a-service, the company needed to address its concerns about security, says Hernan Alvarez, senior director of IT and operations at WhitePages.

The issues included "the typical concerns you'd have with using any multi-tenant application: worries about data being accessible to another client; the service provider's ability to secure and back up data [and] keep the [service] running and recover [data] in the event of a breach. Those are the kinds of things you think about," Alvarez says.

WhitePages has taken steps to ensure security in the cloud environment, including using VPNs and access controls. One key technology is a system from Okta that allows the company to protect data stored in cloud applications through one-click de-provisioning of terminated employees. It also enables SSO assignment for employees so they can work across applications without needing multiple passwords and user names.

"With all these cloud applications, users can have eight or 10 passwords," Alvarez says. "Simple password management is critical to enhancing security."

In addition, WhitePages carefully evaluates the sensitivity and competitive nature of data and applications before putting them on public clouds, and tries to educate users about what is and isnt appropriate to put on which cloud service.

Read more about cloud security in CSOonline's Cloud Security section.

Other stories by Bob Violino