Why SaaS Model has Emerged as a Game-changing Technology for Businesses

Businesses are rapidly adopting software-as-a-service, or SaaS, applications. The data from Gartner's 2020 I&0 Leaders Survey demonstrates the growing adoption of SaaS technologies. "Nearly 70% of enterprises are presently investing in SaaS and public cloud products and will continue to do so," according to Gartner.

• 24/7 Accessibility: SaaS apps can be accessed from any device using an internet browser or an app.

• Cost-Effectiveness: There's no need for in-house data centers and servers because SaaS business users pay based on consumption or the number of people who utilize the program.

• Scalability: Resources may be scaled up and down to meet the changing needs of the business.

• Data Storage: The cloud stores all of the information and sensitive data (geographically distributed data centers.

• Seamless Operational Management: SaaS eliminates the need for installs and upgrades, allowing firms to focus more on their core business activities.

However, the numerous advantages of using SaaS solutions come with a slew of dangers and hazards, particularly in terms of cybersecurity. Phishing, data breaches, malware injections, and account takeovers are just a few of the most typical cyberattacks that can devastate an organization's financial health. As a result, it is critical for SaaS vendors and SaaS application development company to rethink their entire approach to SaaS security.

The requirement of the hour is security through design.

For years, security has been regarded as a nice-to-have rather than something that necessitates a lot of thought. It's time to bring the design team, development team, operations team, and IT or security team altogether.

It's time to talk about every possible security hazard and risk that the software under development might encounter after it's released and to establish suitable safety safeguards. SaaS providers can also hire a professional SaaS application development company at this point to integrate new and upcoming SaaS security features into the app.

Early failure to consider security solutions can result in administrative and technical debt, as well as budget and delivery schedules that are stretched. While enabling native cloud security controls, DevOps teams must also consider alert management and response strategies.

Including Real-Time Security Capabilities in the Code

By including real-time monitoring into the code, business users would be able to distinguish between legitimate requests and malicious assaults like SQL injections (SQLi), Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), and account takeovers. SaaS users may simply assess the type of queries using protection logic and implement relevant security actions in a timely manner. It's also critical to designing the app in such a way that it can quickly add third-party security features.

Creating the app in such a way that it is highly compatible with data encryption methods

For SaaS company users, the data kept in suppliers' databases can be quite valuable. As a result, data at rest, not simply data in transit, requires a high level of security. This is when database encryption enters the picture. Database encryption enables SaaS providers to encrypt data in their databases.

The stored data is converted to 'cipher text' using a number of encryption techniques and technologies. For individuals who do not have access to the encryption keys, the data becomes worthless or nonsensical.

As a result, when developing the foundations of a SaaS app, SaaS vendors and their partner SaaS application development services providers must not disregard this critical aspect of app or data security.

Intelligence built-in for governance and incident response

To maintain efficient governance and incident management across the app ecosystem, logging and monitoring are required procedures. When logging and monitoring are combined, the reasons for application problems or mistakes can be detected in less time and with more precision. Certain situations must also be efficiently collected, reported, and tracked to completion for an organization.

This component of app security must now be considered early on in the app development life cycle, ideally at the start of the app design process. This will ensure that business users have no problems connecting their governance and incident management systems with their SaaS apps, whether they are chosen or recommended.

WAF, UTM, ZTNA, and Other Third-Party Security Solutions Compatibility

Build SaaS Apps to Improve Your Chances of Getting Respected Certifications

Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) accreditation validates the security capabilities of SaaS organizations or businesses that store, process, or transmit payment card data. To earn the certification, SaaS vendors must meet 12 criteria, the majority of which urge for more security features in the SaaS ecosystem.

SOC 2 - Developed by the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA), SOC2 accreditation is given to SaaS organizations or corporations that follow the institute's trust criteria. Security, Availability, Processing Integrity, Confidentiality, and Privacy are the trust principles.

ISO 27001 - This is a worldwide recognized certification that recognizes an organization's capacity to protect customer data. To obtain this worldwide accreditation, SaaS vendors, or any firm for that matter, must implement a robust information security management system (ISMS) that can assist them in managing risks and threats related to information assets.

OWASP ASVS - The OWASP Application Security Verification Standard takes application security more seriously than existing certifications and allied entities. Indeed, it serves as a foundation for evaluating technical security controls as well as a comprehensive set of requirements for developers to enable more secure development.

Conclusion

Businesses are increasingly turning to SaaS applications as a result of digital transformation. The future appears to be bright. Companies who provide software as a service, on the other hand, must work to build a safe software development life cycle.

From the start, that security is at the forefront of app design and development. Any potential vulnerabilities or weaknesses are recognized early on, allowing suitable countermeasures to be implemented. It's also critical to build the app in such a way that it can work with a variety of app and data security tools and technology. The entire app design and development process may be made more frictionless and results-oriented by partnering with a reputable SaaS application development company.