We shared the importance of protecting your software assets and highlighted issues that may arise if your relationship with your software developer goes sour or they suddenly disappear. Now that you know why protecting your software investment and intellectual property is so vital, how do you secure and protect it?
When you own custom software, you don’t just own the interface that you see on the screen. You are not simply a user of the software – you own the software. You need to know what you’re actually getting at the end of the project. While you may not understand what’s being built, you need to know about each asset and dependency that makes up your software.
For example, our team often employs a software product called SendGrid for sending transactional emails in our apps. If we don’t tell you about this and give you the account details and then we disappear (we would never!), how can you update the email template when your company updates a logo or moves locations?
Make sure you’re informed as you move forward with the project. Ask questions, be interested in the answers, and stay involved as decisions are made.
You must have a master document that describes your software or website..
This doesn’t have to be fancy. You can simply create a document on Google Drive or OneDrive. This will allow you to secure the information but also allow it to be easily shared.
Your document should contain a high-level overview of the software, application, or website. If you’re just starting to build, the overview is the plan for what you want to create.
Detail what software languages the software is written in. Document what server or cloud platform it’s built upon. You need to know whether the software is dependent on any third-parties to operate.
Note account information needed to access any and all resources. However, do not store passwords on the master document. Keep those in a safe password vault, like LastPass or Centrify. Make a plan to keep your passwords up to date.
In the event that you need to move your software development to a new team, the master document will be a valuable resource that will save you time and the headache of starting from scratch. Require your software team to keep this document up to date.
Your software and website are critical business assets. If your business is about to embark on a new software project or you want to separate from your current vendor or developer, review this guide for steps you should take to control your these valuable technology assets
Is your website slow? Do visitors leave your e-commerce site without making a purchase often? Is your site missing from searches or are you ranking low on the list of your competitors?
Optimizing your website or web-based store should be a top priority.
Here are a few tips to get you seen and get you sped up:
SEO, or search engine optimization, is the process of optimizing your content and site structure in hopes of getting a higher search ranking and more visitors to your space on the web. Learning about and following best-practices should become something you implement as you build your content.
Use an SEO analyzer or inspector to discover what issues your website currently has. A lot of issues are content-oriented and can be easily remedied.
Using a tool like web.dev or Lighthouse, which is available in the Developer tools inside Chrome, will help you identify issues regarding the performance of your website. Running an audit on your site can show you how quickly your site loads and how quickly your visitors can interact with the content. It will give you a a quick rundown of the issues you should take to your website developer.
More than 70% of web traffic comes from a mobile device, and if your website or e-commerce store doesn’t look great or perform well, you’re going to lose potential customers. Google Search Console’s Mobile-Friendly Tester will give you tips to improve how your content is presented to the handheld world.
Search engines provide enhanced search results on sites with structured data, or schema markup. Schema adds context to a search result and can help your site appear in a prominent position on the results page. Adding this markup to your website is more advanced, but will make a difference in getting your content to the right people.
Not sure how to implement these strategies? Schedule a call with us and let us help you get your business running smoothly!
Software is an essential part of running a business today. Creating custom software sets your company apart from the rest and makes you more profitable, effective, and efficient. When you create custom software, you’re investing a lot in your project. Not only are you spending time and money, but you’re also trusting a company with access to your valuable resources, which can leave you vulnerable.
You may have heard horror stories of how software development can go badly, or you may have had a bad experience with software development in the past. Maybe you’re concerned that if you hire a developer to create your software that they won’t follow through and that you’ll never see your project launched. You might also be worried that the person that you trust with your information could hold your software hostage, demanding that you pay more money to have the software released to you. What if the company disappears or the developer that’s been working on your project vanishes? Feeling like you don’t have control over the project is another valid concern.
We don’t want you to feel like you don’t have control over your software or web design project.
So, what should you do to make sure that you’re protecting your software from the very beginning?
Idestini believes that you should have complete control over your software. That includes who has access to your valuable assets. If you’re worried you don’t have the right process in place to protect your software or you are unsure of what to do, we can help!
Your software may be complicated, and capturing all of this information may sound like an impossible task– but it doesn’t have to be hard. We can help assess your systems and ensure your software is adequately secured.
We want you to be able to relax, knowing that your business can run smoothly because your software is secure, with you holding all of the keys.
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Your software and website are critical business assets. If your business is about to embark on a new software project or you want to separate from your current vendor or developer, review this guide for steps you should take to control your these valuable technology assets.