Quality assurance is quite a flexible concept
Quality Assurance is now much more than it used to be
Tech giants have already figured it out, which is why they heavily invest in internal testing processes that go way beyond regular QA we used to see in the past. Functional bugs are costly because they can discourage users from using an app for a while, but it’s security bugs where craziness jumps in and it can end up even with company’s bankruptcy. Companies can’t afford to have
a security vulnerability in a publicly available product anymore.
But why do companies invest in security?
Let’s break up these reasons into detail and analyze them one by one.
A will to differentiate from competitors
If you get yourself ahead of the curve, you can use that as a marketing tool and show your customers that along with your product, they’re buying trust, highly reliable service and respect for confidentiality of their data. But it’s not all about classic technical security measures such as how well is your SDLC protected.
If your product has a more user friendly implementation of security mechanisms, such as Two Factor Authentication, customers will be really happy about it. The decision makers know how low products adoption can get, if security features in a product offer bad UX. Customers invest in your platform to use it as a tool meant to benefit their business, and the benefit isn’t that great if their employees are afraid of using your product.
Solid requirements stated by customers
In days when data extortion is such a lucrative business for online thieves, corporate customers want to feel comfortable with safety of your products and services. Customers expect vendors to provide safe products, so they can sleep well and not worry about their privacy. With corporate customers this is even more serious. There is not a single CEO that would like a fact of his company’s financial records and patents leaking to the Internet and being made accessible to fraudsters and competition. If your product isn’t safe enough, it’ll be getting increasingly harder for you to sell such a product or service. Customers, especially those from the financial industry are very conscious and aware of security risks, so if you’re going for big fish, high security standards are a must.
Regulations mandated by local/ global laws and governments
With GDPR being a great requirement, not a single business can afford negligence in security
assurance. Costs and consequences are far too high to allow oneself to ignore the need of strict security policies and procedures. The sooner you start implementing security measures, the more likely it is that you’ll avoid the penalties, which in some cases can put your whole business on hold.
Our experts can help you assess the risks associated with your data processing processes. Our Security Team performs GDPR audits in collaboration with the Legal Team to ensure that your practices meet the requirements of the new EU directive on personal
data protection.
Implementation of procedures that are in line with the new regulations requires a thorough audit of the current situation in the company. Our Audit Team can help you implement mechanisms meant to protect your company from data leakages. We can also introduce you into the world of Incident Response procedures which can come invaluable in case of an actual data breach.
Being afraid of a costly data breach
Data breaches cost a lot. In the era of rising popularity of ransomware, the single entry point can have a devastating results on your infrastructure. Data extortion, ransomware, cryptomining software and malware which slows your network down – all these things can have direct and indirect negative effect on your business. If your servers work slower, it may result in those less patient customers leaving your website and going to buy the thing from the competition. Precisely speaking, most businesses can’t afford to get breached. Especially the SMBs and startups that are still fighting for their reputation, can’t let their customers down at the very beginning of establishing the brand’s credibility and value. In early stages of building business reputation, each single slightly shady situation may decide whether your business will hold on the market or collapse.