Security Transformation: A Crucial Step to Digital Innovation
As a new company just starting on scaling the digital landscape, we know just how overwhelming technology terms and the fuss around everything online can seem. Rewiring your tried and tested business models and processes for the new digitally conscious customer can be a daunting process. But we’ve all seen what happens to companies that don’t evolve with the trends.
At a time when customer loyalties are fickle and digital transformation is in the driver’s seat of business growth, brands are quick to pull up their socks, moving towards technological adeptness.
The one threat, however that looms over a successful digital transformation is that of security. Digital is a shared space, with data flowing in infinite streams of communication. Who is to say that you won’t suffer a security breach or a malicious attack tomorrow? So, how prepared are you for security challenges that hamper your digitalization process?
Make your transformation journey secure
Enter security transformation. It is the integration of security into all the facets of digital technology. This results in fundamental changes concerning how security is created, implemented and maintained.
By being proactively prepared with a quality assurance contingency plan that prioritizes security over anything else, you can effectively manage risks, address regulatory compliances, and adhere to stringent security measures, necessary when operating in a cloud environment.
In this article, we’ve highlighted a few reasons why you should emphasize impregnable security when enabling your digital transformation and how timely security testing can give you an edge over your competitors.
Let’s get started.
Why is security transformation significant in the current digital landscape?
A flawless app performance is excellent, and so is proper functionality, but if your systems aren’t secure enough for customers to interact with, you are majorly losing out. Digital technologies such as Cloud, Big data, AI, and IoT come with a lot of associated security risks.
Some of these risks include:
● Communication channels attack
● Platform obscurity
● Open IoT ports
● Evolving user behaviors
● Expensive on-cloud data maintenance and auditing
● Unsecure API layers
● Outsourced controls/Limited control of services
Not only can these security issues hamper customer experiences with the system, but they are also powerful enough to derail a successful enterprise transformation. This is why a secure digital transformation is needed to circumvent these risks. Moreover, it is essential because it can help in:
Getting a complete visibility over new risks
Developers are often forced to brush minor security concerns under the rug to meet impending production deadlines. Still, in the long term, this kind of unethical practice will cost organizations badly.
With regular vulnerability assessments and exploitation of the system using penetration testing, developers can guarantee software that is free from security defects deployed in time.
Deploying security in innovation processes
As and when pursuits are made to better an existing piece of software or create new applications, it becomes binding on developers to build it, keeping security issues in mind. When security becomes the core focus in the development stage, it becomes easier to find and fix flaws in the testing stage.
Enabling your workforce to operate securely
Organizations that already follow the Agile/DevOps culture will agree on one thing: Information security is everyone’s responsibility. Therefore, bringing the necessary culture change regarding digitalization starts with training your employees and clients on effective security practices.
How can timely cybersecurity testing ensure an effective digital transformation?
According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Cybersecurity branch states that 90% of reported security incidents are a direct result of defects in the design or code of the software. Here’s where quality assurance can help. A significant part of your security transformation starts when you integrate continuous testing into your development strategy.
An AI-powered automated pen-testing strategy is the first step to ensure that your digital efforts steer clear of security mishaps. Testing can help in these ways:
Securing the move towards cloud
Security is a top barrier to cloud transition. When workloads move toward a multi-cloud environment, there are higher chances of multiplied vulnerabilities. In fact, Cybersecurity insiders found that 31% of cybersecurity professionals struggle with setting stringent policies around cloud data migration.
Expert cloud testing services can avoid this security risk by building and maintaining virtual test environments and simulating web traffic for software testing purposes. Utilizing automation, you can test core business processes in minutes, therefore, guaranteeing fast and easy maintenance.
Securing IoT touchpoints and exposing loopholes
Open IoT touchpoints are the biggest threat facing companies worldwide. The extensive adoption of 5G and IoT puts businesses at a higher risk of data compromise. Therefore, making IoT network security testing a prerequisite.
There are six basic principles of security that are verified in IoT testing — integrity, confidentiality, authentication, authorization, availability and non-repudiation.
Gaining necessary compliances with regulatory authorities
Every industry places secure software at the heart of its digital operations, which is why there are specific governmental and industry standards and regulations that serve as the basis for releasing secure software. HIPAA for healthcare applications, the DO-178 for airborne systems, FERPA for Education apps, etc., are prime examples of why you need stringent cybersecurity to cross all items of your security checklist.
Cybersecurity testing checks software to be in line with these regulatory compliances and updates compliance mechanisms accordingly.
Exercising better control over risks and enabling quicker remediation
Cyber security testing can provide better transparency on controls and procedures. With QA, you can gain visibility into your application’s security controls and procedures, as well as uncover exposure incidents.
Cybersecurity testing is necessary for the overall protection of the system at large. By running configuration scans, penetration tests, risk assessments, and conducting regular security audits, developers can evaluate security standards and take remedial actions quickly and effectively.
Summing it up:
There is no digital transformation without converged security. Integrating continuous security testing early on in the development process will save you from potential harm. By protecting your apps and data with intrinsic security, you are accelerating both the pace and increasing the quality of your digital adoption at the same time.
When done right, cybersecurity is no more a challenge but a strength for organizations on their digitalization journeys because it directly impacts value creation and financial aspects. Security should be an enabler for improved, customer-friendly digital transformation, especially for those organizations that measure increased digital assurance as a Key Performance Indicator.
A $20 anti-virus will never save your customers from harm, but you can. By taking the necessary security testing measures, you are building customer trust in your brand. And to do that, you need to empower your QA teams to take on any kind of security assurance challenges.
Therefore, we can deduce that comprehensive software testing is vital to reducing the impacts of software vulnerabilities on your business.
