One of the latest victims of a data breach was Marriott hotels, which recently revealed that hackers had accessed the information of an estimated 500 million customers. Facebook also dealt with a slew of major breaches and incidents that affected more than 100 million users of the popular social network.
SaaS security is a tough task to achieve, but by taking actionable steps to ensure your data is protected, many of the roadblocks can be eliminated. It helps SaaS Provider Companies to sustain clients and solve their security-related concerns that prevent them from adopting cloud services.
Software developers can help prevent future attacks by making security a top priority throughout the development process. Here are 4 best security practices developers should follow when creating SaaS solutions:
1) A Detailed Security Plan Long Before the Project Starts
One of the CSA’s (Cloud Security Alliance) recommendations for SaaS and cloud-based technologies is to have a clear strategic plan when it comes to security.
To achieve this, first of all, security should be a priority throughout the development process and a detailed plan should be developed by the entire tech team long before the first line of code is written. Clarity will bring focus and it will be easier to keep security in the top of mind through the entirety of the project.
Map out all the scenarios in which the product could be compromised in the future, and then decide how you can include security features to combat each one. Once you have the security plan in place, make sure everyone on the team understands it clearly and follow it religiously.
2) Testing and Security Checks Throughout the Development Cycle
Most of the development teams operate on an agile method in order to meet deadlines to deliver a product to the client. While this is an effective project management philosophy, however, focusing too much on the speed of delivery can limit the time that can be devoted to testing and security checks.
Several phases of testing should be included throughout the project before moving on to the next step. Allowing a separate QA team at the very beginning of the project to test throughout development can be greatly helpful.
Testing throughout the development cycle not only helps you produce a better product overall; it also helps you deliver a more secure one.
3) Extra Layers of Protection with Encryption
There is a vast array of data security measures available, but when it comes to guarding your data one of the best options is to use encryption so that should file ever fall into the wrong hands, the data cannot be read.
A study showcased the fact that 82% of databases in the cloud are not encrypted. Hackers may have gained access to the data, but there is little they can do with it when it is encrypted.
Every SaaS solution should be designed to include data encryption. Make sure that you maintain and protect control of the encryption keys locally, rather than allowing a hosting or Enterprise Cloud Management Software Company to manage them.
In Conclusion
The only way to build a more secure SaaS application is to plan and evaluate all the ways an attack can take place, and then develop procedures to deal with them. By putting security and testing at the forefront of the development process rather than at the end, you not only deliver a better product, but you also deliver a highly secure one that people can trust.
So, if security concerns are keeping you from cloud adoption, talk to our SaaS Providers at 214-441-1309. Visit our website to learn more about Zorbis’ Cloud data protection practices and features.
To avail various IT services globally, email us all your requirements at info@zorbis.com.
