Building Secure IT Applications for the

Cloud

Part 3/3 of Blog Series on Cloud Security Part 1 Part 2

In this final blog in the series, we will discuss the importance of building an application while

emphasizing the importance of security and incorporating security as an integral part in the

design and development of an application. In the previous blogs we discussed in detail about the

challenges faced and steps to be taken to secure applications.

Gone are the days when security was viewed as an IT issue and the developers had little to do

with it. Research has proven that protection of an application starts right from the code level. By

understanding, finding and eliminating the security vulnerabilities, you can save tremendous

amount of money. An independent research by IBM Systems Science Institute found that it is far

less expensive in fixing defects during development rather than fixing them at production stage.

By integrating security aspect in the application development process, you can effectively

address vulnerabilities. To assure enhanced application security in the cloud you need to

Scan Applications: During the development phase of the application, scanning the

application code for flaws can help you focus and eliminate security issues in the initial

stages thereby saving costs and time. Testing the applications for security vulnerabilities

would also train developers in better understanding the emerging security flaws and

chronic defects that arise during development.

Validate and Rank Applications: By performing dynamic scans of application at run

time, you can assess the risk posture of already deployed application. This effort helps

you in validating the security of the applications in development and in also identifying

the effectiveness of remediation efforts.

Deploy the Applications with Confidence: One advantage of going with the

applications security is being informed about the risk posture. You can protect sensitive

data by deploying web, mobile and cloud application by having a clear understanding of

the risk involved. In turn, you can use manual penetration testing to scan for anomalies

and coupled with automated testing tools your applications can be made even more

secure. Automated testing solutions in conjunction with manual methods provide you

with a scalable, reliable and consistent analysis of the security anomalies in the

application. This approach when integrated with up-to-date threat intelligence, your

organization can prioritize the remedial measures depending on the degree of risk they

pose.

Summing up the three blogs, it is of primary importance to consider application security and

there is a strong need to develop a secure application irrespective of whether it is deployed over

cloud, web or any other platform. DoubleHorn offers a complimentary Cloud assessment and

helps you understand the level of security Cloud offers to your IT infrastructure. Contact us to

get started with the Cloud assessment.