How Ory Helps Lumin Protect Their Users’ Data
"We are continually thinking about how to better protect our data, using
techniques like encryption and role-based access control. Our first move was to
implement a multi-layered strategy where data is protected by many strong layers
of security technology. Many of the targeted companies are doing the same." Max
Ferguson, CEO Lumin PDF, commented in a blogpost on
LuminPDF data breach
on 1st of April, 2019.
Since then, Lumin has integrated multiple security
measures to protect its users’ privacy and the company servers. With a customer
base of over 65 million and counting, it’s no surprise that this New
Zealand-based software company would leave any stone unturned to scale up its
security measures.
A Brief Intro to Lumin PDF
Since its establishment in 2014, the cloud-based PDF collaboration and editing
platform offers full integration with popular tools like Google Drive and
Dropbox. Customers use its extensive toolkit to create, share and edit the
documents they use at work and in their personal lives. Pairing up with giants
like Blockchain.com, Netflix and Uber, Lumin shot up for
growth by 600 percent,
making it one of the fastest growing tech companies in 2021. While the number of
global user profiles keep growing, Lumin is harboring sensitive data on a daily
basis. The software caters to a wide audience - from educators to business
administrators and beyond. Lumin needs to add more stringent authentication,
authorization and access control security. This is where we come in.
How Ory Helps Lumin
Ory’s flagship zero trust network “Ory Network” is a global, scalable and secure
platform for managing identities and its distribution across various internet
services. Ory is a fast-growing startup offering a suite of services that make
it easier for developers and businesses to create secure and dependable web
applications and services. Offering capabilities such as single sign-on,
self-service password resets and custom branding, Ory is an end-to-end solution
for identity management, authorization, authentication and access control on any
web platform.
Using Ory’s system ensures users’ login credentials are secure through
two-factor authentication as an additional layer of protection. It also means
that Lumin is able to provide enterprise-grade login and security, which is
crucial for some of its business and enterprise customers. Currently, Lumin uses
Ory Kratos, Ory Hydra, and Ory Keto.
Ory Kratos
Lumin uses Ory Kratos to manage sign-in and
session management for Lumin customers. Ory Kratos provides tools for user
management and authentication. It also allows customers to access data on other
platforms through its Single Sign-On (SSO) capability, as well as protects the
users of a web application from data breaches and phishing attempts through
Self-Service Password Reset (SSPR).
Ory Hydra
Lumin also uses Ory Hydra for authenticating
requests to their open API. Ory Hydra manages all of the security tokens and
servers to verify users who have logged into an application. Once verified, it
creates an authorization token that’s used to access restricted content on its
partner applications.
Ory Keto
Another project on the horizon for Lumin powered by Ory is the template library.
This extensive library of readily available templates will use Ory’s search
function to help sort through multiple documents to find the right fit for them.
Ory Keto access control will be used to manage user
accessibility to specific templates. The project ties in with Lumin’s wider
vision; to ensure users can find, sign and share a document within 30 seconds.
The Benefits of Working Together
Flexibility
Lumin’s philosophy centers around accessibility, with founder Max Ferguson
wanting to create a platform accessible to everyone no matter where they are in
the world. It offers a free version, giving users access to many of its popular
features. Similarly, Ory’s open-source technology is readily accessible, meaning
Lumin can offer the same to their customers. The Lumin team is currently working
on several new open-source projects to make it easier for developers to work
with PDF files in their own applications. These projects will leverage the Lumin
API and allow the developers to integrate with Lumin technology. Unlike some of
their competitors, Ory’s open-source nature gives Lumin’s developers the
flexibility to review code and suggest changes, giving input into the
functionality to ensure it best fits their use-case.
Usability
The Lumin team has over 50 dedicated developers continuously working on growing
the platform with a multitude of software partners, so flexibility and ease of
use are paramount. Lumin’s System Architect based in Vietnam, Hoan Tran, says
working with Ory “opens up a wide variety of concepts that once explored, really
show you how flexible and adaptable the software can be”.
Affordability and Scalability
When completing their analysis of the best open-source technology software, the
Lumin team found many competitors prohibitive in their pricing based on user
count. Lumin caters to over 65 million users worldwide with 5 million active
monthly users at a minimum. Competitor Auth0 charges on average $1 per active
user per month, meaning Lumin would be unable to offer a free tier and would
need to increase prices for all users. Similarly, competitor Okta charges
upwards of $2 per user. With affordable pricing plans, Ory allows Lumin to
deliver a consistently sustainable product in the long term.
With a Focus on Delivering the Best
Ory supports Lumin’s future development by enabling seamless software
integration and a variety of tools that make it easier for Lumin’s developers to
streamline processes and focus on delivering for their customers. The
open-source platform improves business processes by simplifying user management
and authentication, as well as accessing and verifying users across various
platforms.
