As software development firms continue to create custom software for businesses across various industries, the demand for robust software security has never been higher. These firms, which develop software on behalf of other companies, must not only meet their clients’ requirements, but also ensure that the software they create is secure, compliant with industry standards, and able to withstand ever-evolving cybersecurity threats.
In this blog, we’ll explore the unique software security challenges faced by software development firms, the customer expectations they must meet, the certifications required to demonstrate their ability to protect client software, the role of application security in keeping code secure and compliant, and how SOOS can help firms secure the software they build while maintaining development efficiency, to drive revenue while reducing risk.
Customer Expectations and Security Requirements
Clients of software development firms expect much more than just functional software. Security is a growing concern, especially as businesses increasingly rely on digital platforms and cloud-based applications to manage sensitive data, conduct transactions, and interact with customers. Companies looking to hire software development firms look for:
1. Protection of Sensitive Data
Customers expect that their software will be designed with the protection of sensitive data as a top priority. Whether it’s financial data, personal customer information, or proprietary business data, developers are responsible for ensuring that software can withstand breaches and that data remains safe at all stages, including during storage, transfer, and access.
2. Secure Coding Practices
Software development firms must follow industry-standard secure coding practices to minimize vulnerabilities in the code they write. This includes addressing common vulnerabilities like SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and buffer overflows, among others. Ensuring that security is built into the code from the start, rather than as an afterthought, is critical as companies have to agree to SLAs and other terms that production issues and breaches likely violate, incurring financial losses and causing the firm to lose their business.
3. Compliance with Regulatory Standards
Different industries impose various regulations on software security. Software development firms need to ensure that the software they build complies with these regulations, which may include GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS, SOC 2 and others. These certifications prove that the software development firm is aware of and compliant with data protection and security laws relevant to their clients’ industries. It’s particularly challenging for software development firms to keep code compliant as they are responsible for maintaining compliance across all of the potential regulations and industries. In addition, software development firms often hire junior developers and developers around the world who may be less familiar with specific regulations. So automating as much of their software’s compliance as possible is essential to ensuring coding practices and applications meet the necessary standards.
4. Ensuring Ongoing Security Updates and Patches
Software development firms are typically expected to provide support for ongoing security updates and patch management as well. After the software is delivered, the firm must continue to monitor and update the software to ensure vulnerabilities are patched and security is kept up to date. This continuous vigilance is essential in today’s dynamic cybersecurity landscape and can be resource intensive when not automated or achieved through comprehensive, easy-to-use application security platforms like SOOS.
Software Security Certifications for Development Firms
As part of the process of meeting customer expectations and demonstrating the capability to secure software, development firms often seek various certifications. These certifications show that the firm follows best practices and has met industry standards for software security, a requirement for many companies to hire them. Some key certifications that software development firms may pursue include:
1. ISO 27001 Certification
ISO 27001 is a globally recognized standard for information security management systems (ISMS). By obtaining this certification, a development firm can demonstrate its ability to manage and protect sensitive client data and comply with international security standards.
2. SOC 2 Compliance
SOC 2 reports focus on the security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy of client data. It’s particularly relevant for firms that handle software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications or cloud-based solutions. SOC 2 compliance assures clients that the firm follows rigorous security controls and practices to protect data.
3. PCI DSS Compliance
If a development firm builds payment processing solutions or software that involves credit card transactions, compliance with PCI DSS is essential. This set of standards ensures that the software adheres to strict security protocols to protect payment card information.
4. GDPR Compliance
For firms handling the personal data of EU citizens, GDPR compliance is a must. GDPR ensures that data is handled transparently and with the highest levels of security to protect individual privacy.
While obtaining these certifications can be a lengthy and expensive process, and there are other certifications with which software development firms may need to comply, these are essential certifications for nearly all software development firms. They provide customers with the confidence that the software development firm takes security seriously and is equipped to manage sensitive data responsibly.
The Role of Application Security in Meeting Customer Expectations
Application security is a fundamental aspect of meeting the security expectations of clients. Simply put, application security ensures that the software is designed, developed, and maintained with security in mind, protecting it from known threats and vulnerabilities. And when customers require application security in firms they hire, software development firms’ sales depend on their ability to demonstrate their security expertise. So which software security practices are important for software development firms to implement first? Below are 3 essential software security practices to prioritize:
1. Secure Development Lifecycle (SDLC)
A secure development lifecycle (SDLC) ensures that security is built into every stage of software development, from planning to coding, testing, deployment, and maintenance. Sometimes called “shift-left security”, the process of integrating software security into every stage of software development helps companies prevent vulnerabilities from making it into the final product and enables developers to address potential threats proactively, before changing them causes significant rework and before they are released into production where they can be exploited.
2. Continuous Security Testing
Following along with the above, it’s crucial to integrate security testing tools throughout the development process. This includes using static application security testing (SAST) to identify vulnerabilities in the code early and dynamic application security testing (DAST) to evaluate the behavior of the software in real-world conditions and find any weaknesses by simulating real attacks. It’s important to make sure testing is continuous, especially as new features are added or third-party libraries are integrated. This is why it’s essential to use tools like application security platforms that offer unlimited scanning.
3. Third-Party Software and Dependency Management
Most modern applications rely heavily on third-party libraries and open source components. These dependencies, if not properly managed, can introduce security risks. Firms need to regularly audit and update third-party libraries and ensure that software composition analysis (SCA) tools are in place to monitor for known vulnerabilities in the open source code they use.
How SOOS Helps Software Development Firms Meet Security Challenges
SOOS provides an advanced application security platform designed to help software development firms address the unique challenge of having significant customer scrutiny on software security and needing to maintain development velocity to support sales activity. SOOS helps software development firms secure their software and meet customer expectations by offering comprehensive, easy-to-use application security in one centralized, pipeline-integrated platform that includes:
1. Automated Vulnerability Scanning and Risk Management
SOOS provides automated vulnerability scanning for both proprietary code and third-party software with open source dependencies. By integrating into the firm’s development pipeline, SOOS helps identify and fix vulnerabilities before they can be exploited. This enables software development firms to detect risks early and avoid costly security breaches or loss of customer trust.
2. Software Composition Analysis (SCA)
SOOS’s patented software composition analysis (SCA) tool helps firms track and manage third-party components, ensuring that their applications remain secure by identifying vulnerabilities in open-source code. SOOS’s SCA features the only deep-tree dependency scanning, which means SOOS finds issues other tools can’t, deep in an application’s dependency tree. With SCA, development firms can also prioritize remediation of vulnerabilities based on severity, risk, and business-specific rules, keeping them focused on resolving the most important issues and reducing the likelihood of a security breach.
3. Continuous Monitoring and Compliance Support
With continuous monitoring capabilities, SOOS can detect new vulnerabilities as they emerge. It also supports compliance with industry standards like SOC 2, PCI DSS, and GDPR by providing detailed reports on security vulnerabilities and remediation efforts. SOOS helps software development firms stay compliant with regulatory requirements while maintaining the highest security standards.
4. Scalable Security Integration
SOOS integrates seamlessly into existing DevSecOps workflows, enabling software development firms to scale security efforts as their teams grow and their projects become more complex. Whether a firm is working on a small application or large-scale enterprise solutions, SOOS’s platform ensures that security stays a priority while reducing manual work teams have to do. It’s the ideal balance of security and efficiency.
The Ideal Balance of Security and Efficiency
Software development firms face a range of security challenges as they build and maintain software on behalf of their clients. From securing sensitive data to meeting stringent compliance requirements, these firms must balance security with functionality and customer satisfaction. They’re also typically lower margin businesses, so maintaining development velocity and delivering and selling new projects is essential. By implementing application security best practices, obtaining necessary certifications, and utilizing powerful tools like SOOS, software development firms can protect the software they build, and their client relationships, while ensuring their teams can spend as much time as possible on new product development.
How does SOOS do this? SOOS provides the tools necessary to identify vulnerabilities, manage third-party components, ensure compliance, and continuously monitor for new threats in one centralized place. By integrating SOOS into their development pipeline, and setting up automated, unlimited scanning, software development firms can be confident that their clients’ software is secure, compliant, and easy to maintain in the face of evolving security challenges and increasing software complexity.
To learn more about how SOOS can help your firm meet the challenges of securing modern software development while maintaining velocity, contact us today. You can also try SOOS for free at any time.
