If your small or mid-sized organization doesn’t have an in-house IT team, chances are you’re overdue for a software audit. Even if your systems were customized for you, it’s very common for inefficiencies and security holes to come up over time. These can lead to cyberattacks, data loss, and the disclosure of confidential information.
According to Forbes, aging software was the culprit for crippling errors that plagued both Southwest Airlines and Ticketmaster in the past year.
As the digital ecosystem is always changing, a software audit is a proactive way to protect your business and improve its processes as it grows. Here’s what you need to know before we get started.
A software audit is an examination by either an internal IT team or an external third-party auditor. Its purpose is to assess the quality of your software products and check compliance with:
Policies
Licenses
Industry standards
Legal requirements
Regular software audits can help you avoid a wide range of legal issues.
Businesses with smaller teams (25 or fewer employees) that don’t have dedicated IT staff to stay on top of software updates and catch vulnerabilities in code are a great fit for our software audits.
Maybe someone you no longer work with developed your software, but over time these systems have slowed down or aren’t working well with new applications. Maybe you’re noticing an uptick in errors without an obvious cause, or are concerned about meeting regulatory standards for consumer data security.
As you scale, you’re realizing you need a better way of tracking and maintaining data, but no one has the time or expertise to make it happen. Sound familiar? If so, it’s time to get started.
For most projects, you can expect a three-month timeline to diagnose, plan, and address any issues you’re having. Your solutions will be based on your specific needs, so this can vary a little, but three months is our average turnaround.
The audit itself usually takes a few weeks to identify issues. At this stage, we’ll review your data, and how it’s stored and integrated. Is it stored on a local server or in the cloud? Do you have a CRM?
Are naming conventions consistently followed, or is some data falling through the cracks due to user error? Is the software you’re using still receiving regular updates, or is it no longer supported?
Once we’ve identified key problem areas, we can get into long-term planning with your team. Based on what we find, you may decide on a redesign, adding security features, or integrations that enhance your user experience.
If your storage needs are outgrowing the capacity of your local servers, you might consider cloud migration to give you more flexibility as you scale.
With a plan in place, we’ll get to work implementing changes that set your business up for success. Whether we’re automating repetitive tasks, bolstering your security measures, or integrating a CRM to help you manage consumer data, you’ll have a timeline for each step.
If you want speedy implementation, flexibility, and reliable, cost-efficient support at your fingertips as you grow, DevOps Development might be right for you. This service gives you access to automated testing, continuous security monitoring, and improvement on the software we create for your business. You get the best of both software development and IT support worlds.