Archives for June 2015

Using cloud computing services can help a consumer or a business with their infrastructure efficiency.

Let’s imagine two scenarios, and then make a comparison. The first example involves a growing business with an executive staff in charge of making sure that all the employees have the hardware and software they need. The staff spends time working with the IT department (or has those skills and responsibilities) to buy computers and make sure they have the software licenses. Every new hire requires new software. It’s a ball that never stops rolling!

Now, the second scenario: An executive for a growing business utilizes cloud computing services to maintain software for each computer. When a new hire arrives, the executive is able to log on to the web-based service and loads one application. Done! Which scenario sounds easier and more efficient to you?

Whether you are a consumer or business owner, utilizing cloud services can greatly impact your bottom line in terms of both time and money. Organizations can use Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), or Platform as a Service (PaaS). IaaS uses an existing infrastructure through a pay-per-use account. This could be a good choice for companies looking to save on costs for managing and maintaining IT infrastructure. Turning to PaaS could in turn increase speed for development on ready-to-use platforms that deploy chosen application.

Cloud services offer the possibility of maintaining a file storage without using company hardware. By storing and accessing files on Internet based cloud storage, consumers or businesses can retrieve these from any internet access. This means that you have time, freedom, and speed to utilize the networks at your pace. There’s also the ability to store data offsite — a benefit for organizations that must satisfy regulatory compliance requirements.

Two more aspects for cloud computing could be some of the most beneficial: Disaster recovery and backup. Using cloud based services provides faster recovery from multiple sources in the event it is needed. Backing up data has long been complex and resource consuming. Tapes, manual collection, backup facility, human error…sounds scary. Using cloud services allows you to automatically dispatch needed information to any location via internet; security and capacity no longer an issue.

There are several internet based options from Google Drive to Apple iCloud as well as cloud computing services a consumer or business can purchase and blend for more personal exchanges. Utilizing cloud computing services can allow a company to better utilize important resources.

Just as security is a top concern for software development, your organization needs a strong quality assurance specialist with testing strategies to ensure that you’re using good software. Does your organization have the IT expertise for security testing? Today, we’re sharing three of the most important security testing strategies that your teams should understand to protect your organization.

Risk-Based Testing

Test cases are prioritized based on the risks of the features. In theory you can never test every nook and cranny of the software, so this testing strategy takes the infinite number of possible tests and has the goal of defining the most important, ranking them, and focusing on that code and those areas that are critical. When teams think security testing, they may think that it means learning to utilize the latest security tools added to the software. Relying on one given tool, however, can lead to vulnerabilities. Instead, teams need to analyze their tests and follow the strategy as defined by risk-based analysis.

Vulnerability Assessment

The goal for testing here is to identify weaknesses in the code, and then determine if attacks are possible. The majority of this testing work should be carried out by automated software testing tools, with manual tests used for supplemental support. The deliverable of the assessment is a prioritized list of discovered vulnerabilities.

Penetration Testing

When teams have identified vulnerabilities, the next step is to determine how harmful the attack may be. Testers then simulate a breach and prove that the software is at its desired security posture. A penetration test will deliver how security could be breached and lead to a plan for prevention. Penetration testing is ethical hacking with the desired outcome of protection and correction.

Quality software testing requires that today’s analysts must think like cybercriminals and data thieves, probing for weaknesses. Using the three above testing strategies can help achieve this goal and support the goals of secured software. Strong testing is just one step in securing your software against cyber criminals.

Have questions, need help with IT expertise, or implementation? We invite you to get in touch!