Security Considerations in Agile Offshore Development

Agile offshore development is a popular approach to software development that combines the flexibility and adaptability of agile methodologies with the cost and resource advantages of offshore development. However, it is important to be aware of the unique security challenges associated with this approach.

In this blog post, we will discuss the top security considerations in agile offshore development, and provide best practices for mitigating these risks.

Security Challenges in Agile Offshore Development

There are a number of security challenges associated with agile offshore development, including:

1. Lack of visibility and control: When working with an offshore team, it can be difficult to maintain visibility and control over the development process and security practices. This can make it difficult to identify and address security risks in a timely manner.
2. Communication and collaboration challenges: Effective communication and collaboration are essential for secure software development. However, these can be challenging in an offshore environment, due to language barriers, time zone differences, and cultural differences.
3. Security awareness and training: It is important to ensure that all members of the development team, including offshore team members, are properly trained on security best practices. However, this can be challenging in an offshore environment, due to cultural differences and language barriers.
4. Data security: When working with an offshore team, it is important to ensure that sensitive data is properly protected. This includes encrypting data at rest and in transit, and implementing appropriate access controls.
5. Third-party software: Many software applications rely on third-party components and libraries. However, these components can introduce security risks if they are not properly vetted and managed. This is especially true in an agile environment, where new third-party components may be added frequently.

Best Practices for Mitigating Security Risks

There are a number of best practices that organizations can follow to mitigate the security risks associated with agile offshore development, including:

1. Establish a clear security policy: The organization should have a clear security policy in place that applies to all offshore development projects. This policy should define the organization's security requirements, and outline the responsibilities of the offshore team.
2. Conduct security due diligence: Before selecting an offshore development partner, the organization should conduct thorough security due diligence. This due diligence should include assessing the offshore partner's security policies, procedures, and infrastructure.
3. Implement a secure development lifecycle (SDL): The organization should implement a secure development lifecycle (SDL) for all offshore development projects. An SDL is a systematic approach to building security into software applications throughout the development process.
4. Use secure development tools and technologies: The organization should use secure development tools and technologies to help mitigate security risks. This includes using static analysis tools to identify potential security vulnerabilities in code, and using dynamic analysis tools to detect security vulnerabilities during testing.
5. Monitor and audit the development process: The organization should monitor and audit the offshore development process to ensure that security requirements are being met. This includes auditing the offshore team's code, security practices, and infrastructure.

Conclusion

Agile offshore development can be a great way to reduce software development costs and improve speed to market. However, it is important to be aware of the unique security challenges associated with this approach. By following the best practices outlined in this blog post, organizations can mitigate these risks and develop secure software applications using agile offshore development.

Additional Considerations

In addition to the best practices listed above, there are a few other things that organizations can do to improve security in agile offshore development projects:

• Use a secure communication platform: It is important to use a secure communication platform to communicate with the offshore team. This could be a cloud-based platform like Slack or Microsoft Teams, or an on-premises platform like Jira or Confluence.
• Use a secure code collaboration platform: It is also important to use a secure code collaboration platform to share code with the offshore team. This could be a cloud-based platform like GitHub or Bitbucket, or an on-premises platform like GitLab or Crucible.
• Implement security testing: It is important to implement security testing throughout the development process. This includes static analysis, dynamic analysis, and penetration testing.
• Educate the team on security: It is important to educate all members of the team, including offshore team members, on security best practices. This could be done through training sessions, workshops, or online courses.

By following these best practices, organizations can significantly improve security in agile offshore software development company projects.

References

1. https://community.codenewbie.org/adiatiayu/how-to-use-github-for-project-collaboration-based-on-agile-method-3ep2