All software development projects, custom or otherwise, should involve the use of cybersecurity best practices. A security breach can cost your business financially and negatively affect its reputation, resulting in significant devastation. The risk of losing your customers, revenue, information, data, and public confidence in one fell swoop is too much to overlook.
But even though both custom and off-the-shelf software solutions have security vulnerabilities, the former can offer significant security benefits. In the question of whether custom software development is the key to cybersecurity, the answer might be yes, if software development is carried out with security in mind. This article looks at the reasons that could be the case.
Default Security Measures Can Be Costly
Ready-made software solutions might be popular, but that doesn't mean they're inherently secure. Since developers are creating software for commercial use, there's a chance that the security measures they’ve taken during the process may not be top quality. It's also impossible to create one solution that fits every type of business. Therefore, relying on default options isn't always advisable.
On the other hand, custom software development normally entails addressing security concerns at every stage of the design and development process. Any reputable custom software development company sees to it that they keep in constant touch with their clients. In doing so, they ensure that all of the appropriate security steps and measures are strictly carried out from start to finish. They also get to understand the areas that might need security emphasis.
Custom software developers test and deliver the software in phases, enabling them to identify and deal with any security vulnerabilities early enough. A simple online search for your area will allow you to discover seasoned custom software developers you can turn to, such as this software development company in Dallas, TX.
Fit For Your Specific Security Needs
Each business has unique security requirements depending on its industry and size. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) might not need the same level of security as larger enterprises. Off-the-shelf software tends to have a one-size-fits-all approach to security. Meanwhile, custom development ensures that the security solutions you get are suitable for your company.
Custom software is tailored to your threat profile, access points, vulnerabilities, user types—remote or in-house—exposure, and budget. Also, a custom solution can be flexible and scalable, so you don’t have to get a new one every time your business grows or develops.
Security Offered By Obscurity
Hackers frequently target commercial software with tools that look for known vulnerabilities in public application program interfaces (APIs). They can easily capitalize on flaws in widely used applications, which then give them access to data from numerous businesses.
Custom software is obscure and may take hackers more effort to penetrate. Given the financial gains they can get, hacking one software and hitting many targets is the better option.
However, most businesses don't want to operate in the shadows. They don't want to hide their margins but instead scale and thrive. In that case, custom software development would help them achieve security by not being easily noticeable by hackers. This is because custom development carries the benefit of delivering an option that’s structurally different from their ready-made counterparts. Being one of a kind provides a considerable security advantage.
Availability Of Secure Frameworks, Policies, And Guidelines
Trusted software developers adopt safe work practices and ensure that those are followed at all times. This approach necessitates due diligence, which includes a review of data security techniques. Custom software development companies won't break their security rules because they rely on them to build and preserve client confidence.
Custom developers always have well-defined ISMS (information security management systems) and policies to ensure that clients don't lose their data. These companies also use a framework to ensure that the entire organization—technologies, processes, and teams—complies with the set practices, policies, and security guidelines.
Some of the security measures contained in policies are the following:
- Separating incoming traffic from the rest of the system using a firewall
- Network authorization through passwords
- Login option to check the quality of outbound and incoming traffic
- Intruder activity detection and spam monitoring
Security Beyond The Basics
A typical cybersecurity penetration layer might stop bots and cybercriminals, but it only covers the basics. Some threats may emerge from within your business and are commonly the most dangerous. As a result, if you want to attain a high level of security, you should concentrate on regulating the information you provide to genuine users within the business.
If legitimate accounts are compromised, unauthorized persons can exploit them to gain access to other APIs and expose sensitive business and customer data from various connected sources. Security in custom software is built with a thorough grasp of all key use cases to defend your business from internal and external threats alike.
Takeaway
Cybersecurity, even in custom software development, is more than checking a box for compliance. Your APIs and frameworks might be secure enough to pass scans and penetration testing, but secure software development goes beyond that.
It's equally crucial to know whom you're defending your business against and why. This is the first step toward high security, which is something that you can get with custom software development and makes it the key to cybersecurity.
