There is nothing new about the fact that outsourcing poses a certain level of security risk for clients. Anything that you hand over to an outside service provider is in danger of being exposed. This is especially true for outsourced software development.

Though security should not be taken lightly the benefits of outsourcing software development far outweigh this concern. However, that does not mean clients should not protect their outsourced software development projects.

Security measures actually begin with your choice of service provider. Here are some tips to ensure your provider can give you secure software applications.

Check for ISO certifications or even other documents that will prove they are compliant with security standards.

Do a background check before discussing the final contract with your provider. Do not be afraid to ask questions. Search and contact their client references and read through their feedback forums.

Make sure your contract covers all your concerns on software security. Establish a firm and secure network connection with your provider. Write in the contract all the tools and methods that will be used in quality and security testing. It should also contain the security environment that both the client and service provider must have to maintain the confidentiality of the information used in the application. Lastly, agree to a schedule of security checks and monitoring, not only during the development phase, but for as long as the application will be used after deployment.

If you are a client in need of outsourcing your software application development, there are steps that you can take to make sure your application and the information you entrust  to your service provider is given the best protection there is.

The first thing you need to do is to know what needs to be protected. Have a list of all the software being developed by the company. Then, create a risk assessment standard by which you classify the applications being outsourced. This standard can be based on the following measures:

disclosure complications,

operational risks, and

financial losses in terms of information breach.

Once you have defined what you want to protect, write a security and assurance testing process. This will ensure that the software being developed can meet the risk assessment standards and is ready for deployment.

When you have this information, coordinate with the service provider for implementation. Have them reflected in the contract together with the standards by which the software application must run to maintain security.

It also helps if you have a separate security and quality testing provider. Ideally, the developer and the quality assurance  should be from different companies to make sure  you get top quality software.

For further information please contact:

Bruce Mills

Joint CEO & Director

3W IT Consulting | IT Contracting   

Free Call:  1300 857 773

P: +61 7 3897 3009 | F: +61 7 3102 6280 | E: bruce.mills@3w.com.au | W: www.3w.com.au 

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