Case Study: Yahoo Japan Corporation

Yahoo Japan Corporation is a provider of more than 100 Internet-based services, including Japan’s largest Internet media portal site, “Yahoo! JAPAN”.

With a database of over 80 million users, Yahoo! JAPAN utilizes Salesforce’s Service Cloud platform to respond to their vast number of support inquiries that exceed several thousand per day. While the cloud environment is good for productivity, it also has the unfortunate result of opening a virtual Pandora’s Box of cyber security risks for all parties involved – company, customers, and partners alike.

Reducing the risk of malware for YAHOO! JAPAN

“Security measures are very important today and are something that should not be treated lightly.”

Mr. Atsushi Tokuyama, Cloud Operations Leader

Protecting the company against phishing attacks is a top priority for Yahoo! JAPAN. Under the “Shared Responsibility” security paradigm in which cloud service providers operate, the Salesforce platform treats users’ data and files as confidential information to ensure data privacy protection. It doesn’t have a built-in solution to scan or quarantine files.

Yahoo! JAPAN saw an immediate need for a solution that is easy to deploy and that helps deal with file transfers from unidentified addresses – in addition to protecting against operator errors.

Besides ensuring the safety of files and links from external sources, the deployment should be done without installing physical security appliances or antivirus software on the PCs of operators using Salesforce.

To cope with the threat of malware or malicious URLs being uploaded into their Salesforce platform, Yahoo! JAPAN chose to introduce WithSecure’s Cloud Protection for Salesforce (CPSF) into their Salesforce.com environment.

CPSF is a solution capable of verifying the safety of files and URL links shared in the cloud without deteriorating performance. This is accomplished through API integration between the WithSecure Security Cloud and the Salesforce cloud.

Cloud centric approach for easy deployment

“The key was cloud collaboration. Installation was completed in minutes!”

According to Mr. Atsushi Tokuyama, Cloud Operations Leader at Yahoo Japan Corporation, his team first tested the solution using a free trial version of CPSF in their Salesforce.com sandbox. They were quickly able to confirm that they had met Yahoo! JAPAN’s requirements, which included no decline in performance. The team proceeded with an effortless implementation straight away.

“Introducing a solution capable of scanning several thousand inquiry mails a day typically takes a significant amount of engineering time and effort, including the deployment of hardware and software into your environment,” said Mr. Tokuyama.

“However, with WithSecure’s CPSF solution, there is no need to change your network configuration or install client-side software because of its native cloud architecture. I was amazed the installation was completed in just minutes,” he added.

Yahoo! JAPAN began using CPSF on the customer support Salesforce platform in March 2020. Despite the possibility that having significant customization of their Salesforce environment could cause clashes with the security solution, there have been no reports of unexpected behavior or restrictions on functionality following the implementation of CPSF. Several hundred operators have used CPSF without incidents so far.

 “The administrator screens and notifications are easy to understand, even for our less technically savvy users. There is also virtually zero lag during scanning, making operators unaware of the scanning going on in the background.” said Mr. Tokuyama.

Automating security measures = efficient resource allocation

Prior to the deployment of CPSF, viewing attachments was forbidden as part of the company’s security measures. When asked about the biggest transformation since the deploy- ment of CPSF, Mr. Tokuyama said, “The implementation of CPSF has allowed files to now be opened, which improves the service to the operators significantly.”

Mr. Tokuyama further elaborated that the deployment of CPSF has allowed them to allocate resources more efficiently while leaving tasks that can be automated to systems that are already in place.

“Ensuring information security is extremely important and should not be taken lightly. Solutions like CPSF reduce our security concerns, establishing a foundation that allows us to concentrate our resources on other tasks,” said Mr. Tokuyama.

He emphasized that it is important for companies to select optimal products and settings in line with the circumstances of individual companies. For Yahoo, CPSF is a solution that is easily deployed within minutes and immediately protects attachments and URLs that are uploaded to their Salesforce platform. This guarantees security with only a few settings.

“As we check attached files sent by users every day, the confir- mation of the safety of the content arrives in real time, giving us a peace of mind.” concluded Mr. Tokuyama.