If you’re a software publisher, security testing is a critical component of your workflow. You must be able to reassure users that the products you provide are not vulnerable to cyberattacks that could affect their devices or data.
Not only would such a violation be a breach of your responsibility to your customers. It may also cause financial, time and reputational losses for your company, from which you may never recover. While quality assurance processes can certainly be carried out in-house, there are several things to question outsourcing this vital step.
The Advantages of Outsourcing Security Testing
Accessibility
Assigning security testing to an outside vendor is a wise move if you need testing done quickly and all of your developers are busy with other projects. You can continue to meet deadlines without diverting resources from other crucial functions. This adaptability is even more important if you use a continuous testing model. The automated testing required for this approach can be performed by outsourced professionals. Since this method involves rapidly changing technology, you’ll need a team that stays up to date on all the recent developments that in-house employees aren’t always able to do.
Once you’ve employed an outsourced quality assurance contractor or agency, they’ll be able to assist you with this stage of the project whenever it’s needed. As an added bonus, you won’t have to deal with the hiring and onboarding of employees.
Objectivity
An outsourced security testing resource is more willing to provide objective test results, while an in-house team can be under pressure to provide input in order to meet tight production deadlines. As a result, you’re more able to get more useful test results earlier in the development phase, allowing you to fix issues before they evolve and become more costly to fix.
This method differs from the DevOps approach to QA, which has gained popularity in recent years and incorporates growth and testing. Since developers are less likely to see possible flaws in their own work, this approach is less successful.
Expert Awareness
Whatever the requirements are, security testing experts are likely to be able to fulfil them. Testers can be hired from anywhere in the world by outsourced agencies, so the pool of talent is virtually limitless. This pool can be particularly useful if your development company or team is primarily focused on growth and lacks security expertise.
Testing experts not only have the requisite expertise to assist with security research, but they also know how to use the most up-to-date tools, techniques and processes. On the other hand, you may not be able to dedicate enough time or money to assisting an in-house team in staying up to date with ever-changing security testing trends or keeping the infrastructure up to date.
The Cost
Of course, hiring outsourced security testers will require extra money up front, but doing so could save you money in the long run. You get the benefit of permanent staff without the ongoing costs of salary, vacation time, insurance, and ongoing training if you only use the service when your in-house employees are at maximum capacity.
In addition, some outsourced services use offshore, nearshore, onshore, or hybrid models to reduce costs. An offshore model may benefit you in that testers in distant time zones may be performing their tasks while you sleep, allowing you to maximize the time of yourself and your staff.
Finally, consider outsourced security testing to be a “insurance policy.” By increasing the chances of publishing safe software, you ensure that you will not be hit with the cost, frustration, and reputational damage that a susceptible product could bring.
Attribute
Since outsourced testing teams want your customer loyalty and referrals, they’re more likely to complete projects quickly and efficiently, resulting in high-quality work. In reality, outsourced security testing firms may be able to provide a defect-free guarantee, while your in-house testers may not.
Better security testing contributes to a higher-quality product, which leads to more loyal customers, referrals and targeted marketing for your company. On the other hand, the opposite result will lead to negative impact such as lost revenue, a bad reputation, and financial or legal consequences.
Conclusion
You’ll need to devote time to determining your requirements, evaluating suppliers, and training the members of your outsourced team. All of this may include resources you do not believe you have, which is why you should employ assistance in the first place.
However, for many software publishers, it is a valuable resource that proves to be well worth the time, money, and effort expended up front. You should think of an outsourced team as an extension of your own—one that you can call on as needed to improve, secure, and make your software products more attractive to potential customers. As a consequence, one that is a beneficial addition to your business.