Many organizations are re-evaluating their security measures on the heels of the recent Facebook data breach. In this era of increasing cyberattacks, software development teams must take extra care to ensure the safety and privacy of consumers. At the same time, compliance mandates like GDPR and HIPAA require developers to implement strict controls on information collected from customers or patients. To meet these divergent requirements—security and compliance—developers should consider implementing Custom software consulting best practices during their development process.
- Create a Security Policy
Developing a security policy is one of the most important things you can do for your organization, but it also needs to be noticed because it can feel tedious. However, if you want to ensure that your software is secure and compliant with regulations like GDPR and HIPAA, creating a solid foundation will pay off in the long run.
A well-defined security policy should include the following:
- A description of what constitutes personal information (PI) or sensitive health data (SHD) according to applicable laws and regulations;
- How PI/SHD will be handled within the organization;
- The steps taken by employees when they encounter PIs/SHDs while performing their jobs;
How PIs/SHDs are stored, transmitted, and destroyed; What employees should do if they suspect a breach of security; How employees will be held accountable for any violation of the policy;
- Implement a Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC)
A Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) is a process that involves the development of software. It’s a systematic approach to software development involving the steps performed in a specific order and at various points during the lifecycle of your project.
The SDLC comprises five phases: initiation, analysis, design, implementation, and maintenance/support. These phases can be further broken down into tasks such as requirements gathering or testing; however, they may vary depending on your needs and those of your client(s).
The main goal of the SDLC is to ensure that your software meets the needs of its users and meets their expectations. This ensures that you’re building something that works as intended. Still, it also helps you identify issues early on in development so they can be resolved before moving forward with production.
- Develop a Secure Environment for Data Storage and Access
In addition to encryption, you can ensure data security by implementing other best practices. For example:
- Access controls (such as passwords) prevent unauthorized access or modification of sensitive information.
- Authentication is verifying a user’s identity before granting access to requested resources or services. This can be done through an ID badge or fingerprint scanner at the entrance to a secure building. Still, it may be done electronically via passwords and other authentication mechanisms such as biometrics (e.g., facial recognition).
- Authorization determines what users are allowed to do once they have been authenticated and granted access rights by an authorization system–it could include setting limits on what type of data they’re allowed access to based on their role within an organization.
- Implement Effective Identity and Access Management
Implementing an effective identity and access management (IAM) program is critical to any security program. Identity and access management is the policies, processes, and procedures designed to manage the identities of individuals and systems accessing an organization’s network, applications, data, and services.
Ensuring that you have strong IAM controls in place will help ensure your organization can continue to operate securely while reducing risk exposure from unauthorized users or devices trying to access sensitive information.
IAM is a broad and complex topic, but it boils down to three primary functions: authentication, authorization, and accounting. Authentication is verifying that a user or device is who they claim to be (or have been granted access by someone authorized). Authorization is granting or denying access based on policies associated with an individual user’s identity. Accounting logs activity for accountability purposes.
- Perform Regular Vulnerability Assessments and Penetration Tests
A regular vulnerability assessment and penetration test should be conducted on your custom software. These tests should be performed by an independent third party with a proven track record, such as a trusted partner or vendor specializing in security testing.
A penetration test is a simulated attack on your network, infrastructure, and applications to discover vulnerabilities that hackers or malicious actors might exploit. The goal is to identify any existing weaknesses and help you understand how attackers could use them so that remediation steps can be taken before an attack occurs.
Vulnerability assessments are typically conducted for compliance purposes (e.g., PCI DSS) but also serve as good practice for organizations looking to improve their overall security posture by identifying areas where they may need additional protection from external threats or internal negligence/malicious intent.
- Implement Software Security Audits
Software security audits are performed by a third party to ensure that software complies with security standards. They can be performed at any time during the software development lifecycle and should be done regularly to ensure your application remains secure. A software security audit aims to identify vulnerabilities in your application so that you can fix them before they cause problems for you or your customers.
When should you perform a software security audit?
While you can perform a software security audit anytime during development, it’s essential to do so before releasing your application to production. This is because the earlier you find vulnerabilities in your application, the easier they will be to fix. If you wait until after you’ve launched an app, then users may have already been affected by these vulnerabilities.
How can you perform a software security audit? There are two main types of software security audits: internal and external. An internal security audit is performed by members of your development team, such as developers or managers. A third-party external audit is conducted by someone without connection to your business.
Consulting can help you develop security-conscious software solutions that avoid compliance violations.
Consulting can help you develop security-conscious software solutions that avoid compliance violations.
- You can avoid compliance violations by using consulting services to help you build secure software solutions, so choosing a consultant with experience building secure systems is essential.
- Security is integral to any software development project, but it’s especially critical when developing applications for regulated industries like healthcare and financial services. Suppose you’re working on an application these kinds of companies will use. In that case, your code must comply with all applicable regulations–not just because they’ll make sure everything works properly but also because failing to do so could result in lawsuits or fines (or both) if anyone finds out about any violations later on down the road!
Conclusion
The best way to ensure your custom software project stays on track is with a project manager with experience working with security-conscious customers. This person should be able to work closely with your team and understand the needs of both sides to coordinate effectively.
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