Software

Are you afraid that your system might get hacked? Well, whether you have a database that needs protection or a personal system, you need to take some necessary steps to ensure it is protected from most of the hacking attempts. This guide will help you find out how:

Tips for Securing Your Database:

• Have a Strong Password:
  Make sure to use small and capital letters, numbers, and special characters in your password and keep the character length fairly longer; more than 15 at least. Furthermore, put a limit to the wrong password attempt so that after a certain number of attempts, the database access goes in lockdown mode. Lastly, try to change the password after every 3-6 months for added security.
  
• Install Updated Security Patches:
  Install the security patches as soon as they are released. Databases are very vulnerable when the security patch is outdated, and even a simple query can easily compromise it.
  
• Add Firewall:
  Install a firewall in your database servers that allow only trusted hosts to be connected to them. Block all of the ports that are not in use and also all outbound connections and set exceptions for linked databases, so your internal information flow does not bottleneck.
  
• Check Non-Used Functionalities:
  Your database servers might have all of the functionalities enables as default, which can put them at the risk of attacks. So make sure to disable them all.
  
• Leverage Encryption:
  If you are getting a database created by a software development company, ask them to install SSL encryption from the get-go. Encrypt every file and file system and also add encryption for the database-level column to encrypt all of the data.
  
• Check for Permissions:
  You might not even know that a hacker has access to certain elements of your database because he has secretly got permission for it. So make sure to regularly check for permissions for views, database tables, and stored procedures. If you see any changes, you can be at risk.
• 
  New Database Check:
  When you migrate your database from one server to another using a third-party tool, you need to know that it is highly likely all settings will be at the default level. This means there will be no firewall, passwords will be very weak, and it might also not have the latest security patch. So you need to carry out a detailed check for these things and fix them on the spot.
  
• Audit the Web Application:
  Check your web application for any SQL injection, weak permission, or misconfiguration. Make sure to ask the software development company to make you a customized system where you can give access to users based on privileges so that you can connect low privilege users to the database, which will limit the attacks in case of a SQL injection.

Tips for Securing Your System/Network:

• Scan, Scan, and Scan:
  Your system, especially the one that is connected to your company’s network and database, can give hackers access to loads of valuable, private data. A virus from any hacker can do this for him, and viruses do not originate inside your computer. They are transferred from an external source. One of the most common sources are USBs and hard drives. Whenever you connect your system to an external drive, scan it first using a good antivirus, and then proceed.
  
• Download Only From Authorized Websites:
  If you are downloading something in your system like software, or file, make sure to only get it from a fully secured, credible, and authorized website. Many websites offer free downloads, but those files can have spyware or viruses that hackers can use to get information from your system.
  
• Be Vary of Phishing:
  When you are working in a professional environment, email is the biggest communication tool you will be leveraging. But it is also a very easy way for hackers to get into your system. When you get random emails asking to download a file or visit a link, do not do it no matter what it says. Have it inspected by an IT expert and if he/she clears it, then go ahead. Most of the time, these are attempts by hackers to get into your system and steal your data. This process is known as Phishing.
  
• Do Not Set Easy Passwords:
  Just like with the database, your system can also be hacked, especially via a process called Brute Force. The shorter and easier your password is, the faster it will be hacked. So make sure to add small and capital letters, numbers, and special characters in your password.

Over to You:

Remember one thing, whether you are getting a database, website, or an application designed, try not to go for a clone system because most of the companies are already using clone scripts. This way, hackers have a good practice of hacking such systems. Try to have a customized system developed by the software development company.

Want to purchase the source code for a mobile or computer application from a software development company or a business? Well, it is absolutely possible, but you need to remember that when it comes to its cost, things can get a bit tricky. This is because there is not really a straightforward way to decide the value of the code, which is why you need to manually look at various factors to get the right price.

The Cost of Source Code Depends on the Following Factors:

Since there is really no hard and fast rule for setting the price of a source code, you need to manually consider some fundamental yet important factors to assess a code’s worth. And to be honest, its value depends on the software itself and also what went into the software development process. Here are some of the most key factors to take into account:

The Developer’s Experience:

This is the key deciding factor behind how high or low a software’s source code is really worth. How experienced, expert, and worthy the software developer is, will decide its cost. There are basically three types of developers discussed below:

• Beginner Programmer:
  This is the kind of individual who has just dipped his toe into the vast sea of software development and lacks practical experience. There’s a possibility that he might use a clone system with a few changes to design software. Furthermore, he doesn’t have the experience and vision to understand the future trends in your business, which means he will just use the resources at hand and design a system that can sustain for a few years. In short, his system will have many bugs and will also not be future proof. So just to give an idea, we can say his source code might cost $.
  
• Senior Programmer:
  This programmer has moved past beyond the stage where the clone system is used or where there are chances of source code having errors and bugs. However, he is still in the middle; he might not have the vision and sight to design a software that can last for a lifetime. He might be able to give you a few good years, maybe one or two decades worth of software. But when business trends change and you need to add new modules in the database, you may have to spend more money to make several changes in the code or even get a new code from scratch. We can say his source code might cost $$.
  
• Software Architecture:
  This is the guy who is a professional at what he does. He will design a source code in a way that is free for any bugs and will also be future proof. Plus, his source code will be tried and tested by beta users and based on the feedback, the code will be fully improved and ready to be implemented. A code developed by a software architecture will cost $$$ or more.

The Functionality of Software:

Besides the experience of the developer, the cost of software also depends on its functionality. The better the software functions and the more it benefits businesses and other users, the higher its price will be. So here are a few noteworthy factors to keep in mind as well:

• Business Benefits:
  Is this software benefitting existing businesses, or if you have purchased it, has it improved your business? Maybe it has helped in skyrocketing your revenue directly? OR maybe it has indirectly improved your revenue by streamlining your internal procedures and increasing efficiency? If that’s the case, then the code’s cost will be high.
  
• Features of the Software:
  What kind of features does the software has, is it equipped with all the latest ones, or does its source code need some tweaking for the addition of more features to meet your competition? The more useful features a software has, the higher you can expect it to cost.
  
• Adoption by Users:
  If you are already using the software without its source code, then how many users do you have? The number of people using the software also impacts the cost of source code because it is already tested in the market and accepted by a wide variety of users.

Besides the factors mentioned above, you also need to see how unique the source code is, are there many software based on it? Are there only a few of them? Or are you the only one using it?

The uniqueness of the source code also defines its cost because the source code is the property of the company. So buying the code means you are buying a part of their business, so it is obvious that it will come with a hefty price tag.  

If you are getting software development for your business so that you can have access to all kinds of data in one place, then you seriously need to think about who designs its database.

A bad design can ruin the software, and that can ultimately do damage to your business. If you want to get more info about the database, its role, and the characteristics of a good database, keep reading this guide until the end.

Role of Database Software Development in Your Business:

Nowadays, businesses heavily rely on data to manage their internal and external operations and also make decisions that shape their future. Without the help of useful data, businesses will be shooting arrows in the dark without knowing the right direction. For instance, not having the right data on the inventory available, businesses might go out of stock, and by the time they know it, they will already be turning away customers that need their products.

Similarly, managers will not have the correct insight into the performance of their company without data, which means they cannot make the necessary decisions to grow it. So now that you know how important data is, you also need to know that without a database, all of this data is useless. You need a correctly designed database to properly organize and store that data so that it is available for the right people to access it in minutes without going through piles of unnecessary information.

For Instance: If a manager wants to see sales history for the year 2020, he can just input it in the database system, and instead of getting the history for any other year, he will exactly get the sales figures for the year 2020.

Characteristics of a Good Database Design:

You need to understand that every business needs a customized system of a good database. A bad one can result in getting wrong or incomplete data. Or it might not keep up with the pace of businesses when it starts to grow in the future. So here are the characteristics of a good database that defines the success of the software it is used for:

Independent Data Storage:

If the database design is properly created, then all the modules inside it will be independently stored. This means it will be easier to get any specific piece of information without getting the screen bombarded with all sorts of irrelevant data.

Furthermore, when you make changes to any specific data module, other modules will not be affected because they are stored independently. So if a company wants to add or remove units of inventory in the inventory management module, the sales module will not be affected unless it is programmed to do so.

Should Not be Clone System:

If you get database design from a beginner or incompetent software development firm, they might use a clone script of a database of a business similar to yours and build your entire database software based on that.

This means the database will not be unique to your business, and you might not be able to add any additional modules in it.

Data Should Be Consistent And Reliable:

A bad database design increases your risk of getting different answers to your queries. This means you might ask for the sales history of a specific product, but you might get mixed data for different products. This can result in duplication of product identification numbers in the database.

Good database design will validate the data when it is being entered and loaded and reject anything which is not according to the pre-set rules such as wrong values, duplication of ids, etc.

Should be Beginner Friendly and Load Fast:

A good database will be very easy to operate and get results from. Not everyone using it will be an IT pro, which means it should not feel like operating an airplane with lots of functions to generate simple data reports. There should be straightforward functions that deliver the right results.

Furthermore, the database should load fast. It should not take several minutes to find the data and bring it on screen; this can happen if the database is structured poorly.

Security Must Be Excellent:

The database of your business is something that should be kept very secret because if it falls into the hands of a scammer, your business can take severe damage. For instance, your CRM database leaking out means the personal information of your customers can be misused by others, and that can result in expensive lawsuits.

A good database should have layers of security like authentication that verifies the credentials of users and then give access based on the credentials stored in it.

Furthermore, different levels of users should have limited access based on their posts. A manager should not have access to executive-level data. Regular auditing also helps in finding out if there are any issues in the database like wrong people accessing the information. Moreover, there should be regular backups on a secured space so that if the database gets erased or infected with viruses, you can have a backup copy.