SafetyDetectives spoke with Ellen Nguyen, CMO at ICTS, about some challenges in creating a secure mobile app for businesses, how to secure against data leaks, how AI impacts the industry, and more.
Can you introduce yourself and tell me a little about ICTS?
My name is Ellen Nguyen. I am the CMO at ICTS Custom Software. We are a software development company made in Hanoi. Vietnam, and we provide software deployment services to speaking countries such as Germany, France, Ukraine, Romania, Singapore, US, and Australia, with some clients in Japan.
ICTS offers three main services:
- Custom software development: We cater to SMBs (Small and Medium-sized Businesses) as well as companies that already have a sustainable business model. Our expertise lies in areas such as ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning), NPI (New Product Introduction), and education e-commerce.
- Mobile app development: Many startups require a solid foundation to attract funding and impress investors. We assist them in developing mobile applications and guide them through the different stages of development. We also support them in their fundraising efforts, ensuring their products are ready for future races.
- Offshore Development Center (ODC): We help companies establish their presence in Vietnam by setting up their own branch or Development Center. We provide assistance in various aspects, including developer recruitment, building a product team, establishing their first office, and ensuring a smooth setup process.
What are some of the challenges in creating secure mobile apps for businesses?
Creating secure mobile apps for businesses poses several challenges. From our perspective, one of the main hurdles is the lack of security expertise among many clients who come from non-technical backgrounds. These clients may not be familiar with identifying potential security vulnerabilities in their apps. To address this, we take on the role of consultants, guiding them through the potential security risks and offering our expertise.
Another challenge arises when clients have high expectations for security but limited time and financial resources to invest in robust security measures. In such cases, we need to optimize our approach and find the most effective and efficient solutions to their security concerns.
Moreover, in certain countries, especially in Europe, strict data privacy laws such as the GDPR must be followed. Unfortunately, many of our clients are unaware of these regulations. As a result, we need to ensure that the products we develop are compliant with GDPR and other local data protection laws.
How do you secure this custom software to prevent either vulnerabilities or data leaks?
We have three main practices:
- We have to implement a coding practice that respects the security standard of the software.
- We utilize secure deployment environments. Developers implement their code in managed environments specifically designed to protect our client’s data. This ensures an added layer of security during the deployment process.
- We have to encrypt sensitive data, such as passwords or social security numbers. By encrypting this data and employing system-to-system encryption methods, we ensure the confidentiality and integrity of the information.
What steps should a small business owner take to improve their web security against hackers and data leaks?
To improve web security against hackers and data leaks, small business owners should consider implementing the following steps:
- A strong password policy.
- Multi factor authentication
- Firewall
- Daily data backups, especially an e-commerce site or a site that has a high traffic volume every day
What role do you see AI playing in software development in the coming years?
AI is a great way to automate repetitive tasks, which means that the developers don’t have to repeat the same thing over and over. For example, testing, code reviews documentation, and things like that
AI is helpful if you need to generate code. It assists us in checking for basic errors or bugs to the system so they can be quickly fixed. It’s also a useful tool for detecting and preventing security vulnerabilities.