Nov 6, 2018 by Matt Dixon
As the average security breach has now reached a cost of nearly $4 million, very few businesses of any size can handle this kind of hit.
The loss of customers, damaged reputation, and potential lawsuits that you could face would never happen with custom software solutions. With custom software, you can employ all of the security measures that your company needs without having to wait for updates from a third-party.
Here are five reasons you should consider a custom solution.
One of the problems with relying on out of the box solutions for your security needs is that you'll be relying on someone else's idea of security.
When most software developers create products for commercial consumption, they assume that there are other security measures in place. While many consumers think that just having their products and services password protected is enough, it's not.
Don't rely on defaults anymore at your business.
Assuming that other developers know the needs of your industry is a bad idea. Every industry has different security requirements, some even set by law. Having a user-friendly email provider is great, but if you're in a government industry, it might not be up to snuff.
If you work in or adjacent to the healthcare industry, you might find it hard to get your security needs met. Small breaches or low security on one piece of software could open up your entire database. If customer information gets out, you could face lawsuits, lose your license, and be blacklisted for years to come.
Relying on someone else's security measures could put your business in jeopardy.
Sometimes two software solutions work together well on the front end for users and a company rushes to adopt that solution. It might help with productivity but if you look at what's happening at the backend, you could be left with some unpleasant surprises.
If you don't have a solution that accounts or how one piece of software creates vulnerabilities in another, you could leave yourself open to attack. Dependencies are a nightmare, and security problems are just one of the issues you'll face.
Should one piece of software require you to log into another, you're spreading out your credentials at two different places. If one of the pieces of software has weaker security standards than the other, you could lose access to both.
If someone gets root access to the folders that are created in one piece of software, the key to getting into the other could be around the corner. It's like locking your front door but leaving the window next to it wide open.
Don't cross your fingers and hope for the best when you could order a custom solution.
Your staff will know better than anyone else just how vulnerable your system is. If they find that there are suspicious accounts coming and going or that they've seen problems in one area, they can help shape a custom solution. You should get input from across your business, beyond your IT department.
Asking them to call customer support and report a bug with a third-party piece of software is about as effective as asking them to make a wish. Rather than throw a penny in a fountain, you could make real change by implementing a custom solution.
If your staff gets everything they need, they'll feel more secure using the custom software that you've ordered. They can make requests for security features that they might not get from the software you've been using.
You could end up making the perfect piece of software by cherry-picking strengths by your teams' favorite and most secure developers. Rather than relying on multiple solutions to give you what you need, you can build the perfect combination on your own.
One fantastic benefit of building your own software solution is that you won't have lots of unnecessary fluff. Added features that get used once in a blue moon are just another opportunity for bugs to arise. Rather than a clunky system that could struggle to leave resources available, you can build something lean that merely hums in that background.
One of the reasons to get rid of fluff is that those extra elements could expose other vulnerabilities.
If there's a network connectivity or an "Airdrop"-like system installed, there could be all sorts of opportunity for intercepting data. If you're sending or receiving information on an unsecured network, you could be more vulnerable than you realize.
Security should be left to someone else. By hiring someone to create custom software for you, you can have the security you require without compromising.
When you put together a custom solution, you can control access better than if you paid for software. When you have someone create software under your specifications, you can be in on the process to ensure there are no backdoors.
One of the ways that hackers and nefarious actors will get a hold of a system is through default passwords and usernames. Default credentials that are left with access to your system can put you in a bad position.
You can control access with a custom solution. You can set passwords to expire and keep a log of old passwords so that they can't be reused. You can even control what IPs are allowed to use your software if it's that critical.
When you pay for custom software to be created for your business, you can rest assured that your security needs will be met. Rather than relying on someone else to implement the things you want, custom solutions will meet your own industry's standards from day one.
If you're trying to decide whether you could improve your current solution or if you should replace it, check out our latest guide.
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