VeriSign enlists allies for ID security in the cloud

VeriSign has joined forces with several other security companies to build online identity verification products for cloud computing.

It will collaborate with Qualys, TriCipher, Ping Identity, and Conformity to combine technologies and best practices, the infrastructure security company announced on Wednesday.

"Trust won't happen if users worry their identities are vulnerable, or if they're unsure whether the cloud-based service they're accessing is legitimate," said Nico Popp, vice president of product development at VeriSign, in a statement. "That makes identity trust the essential ingredient for cloud migration — and an industry imperative for SaaS [software-as-a-service] providers."

The companies plan to focus their efforts on strong mutual identification, identity federation, vulnerability and compliance management and provisioning.

Establishing identity in the cloud is a concern for businesses. In cloud computing, data is no longer necessarily hosted on company servers, so firms need to ensure appropriate access to that data.

VeriSign is a member of a number of cloud security initiatives, including the Cloud Security Alliance. Jim Reavis, executive director at the Cloud Security Alliance, said that industry needed to establish identity products that users trust.

"Barriers to cloud adoption go beyond security; it's about trust," said Reavis in the statement. "To create a trusted cloud-based ecosystem, it takes global associations like the Cloud Security Alliance and our Trusted Cloud Initiative, as well as industry leaders like VeriSign and its partners to establish identity trust solutions built on proven technologies, common standards and best practices."