Ensuring that apps are protected from threats can take serious planning and the implementation of the best support for the job. However, there are so many different solutions available that it can often be difficult for quality assurance teams to know which will be optimal for their needs. Here are a few tips of how QA can choose the right tools for security testing and facilitate better software stability:
1. Establish goals
The system you pick should be aligned with your app security and development goals. Otherwise, it could lead you to adding other functionality and investing in another solution sooner than expected. TechTarget contributor Kevin Beaver noted that creating goals will help organizations identify what items are required and what features will be optimal for security protocols. After all, some options can miss critical vulnerabilities that can be covered by specialized tools. Your goals will determine how far the system must go and its capacity for threat mitigation.
2. Process and integration
Ensuring app safety can be an involved process, but it shouldn’t fundamentally change how your team operates. For this reason, understanding the tool’s testing process can be a major factor in which solution will be optimal for the business. Whether the tool simply gathers information, scans the system or dives deeper into specific vulnerability detection, each option has its own flow of tests to execute.
With these different processes, it will be important to ensure that the security tool integrates seamlessly with other solutions in use. For example, if the solution works alongside a test management system, QA can easily prioritize protection cases and quickly respond to any defects detected. This will not only make the team more efficient, it will also help build higher quality programs.
3. Support coverage
There are a number of different support efforts that QA teams should look into when evaluating security tools. While interoperability is certainly one area to keep in mind, other considerations include language, framework and provider reinforcement. Aspect Security senior security engineer Kevin Fealey noted that addressing these areas will be critical to ensure compatibility. If the solution doesn’t mesh well with your language and framework, for example, it could lead to false results and ultimately more expenses to fix the problem. Ensuring operability in these areas from the beginning will eliminate a lot of headaches and enable businesses to get the most value out of their system.
Organizations should also consider how much support the vendor offers. Does the provider have 24/7 call centers? Do QA members have to go through a lengthy process to get answers to issues? These factors could make a big difference in whether the team uses the tool correctly. If no support is available, it can affect how capable a company is at leveraging its solution as well as the overall quality of its programs.
There are a number of security testing tools available. By following these tips, QA teams can choose one that will better meet their needs and advance application protection efforts.
