The Software as a Service (SaaS) model brings huge advantages to modern organizations, not least reduced costs and increased technical functionality.
In a world where every company is a tech company because software is a fundamental element of every business model, it’s also the only truly viable option.
However, there are vulnerabilities in the model. Perhaps the biggest vulnerability is that every organization is entirely dependent on third parties and third-party processes.
It’s an undoubted risk, especially in today’s complex cyber landscape.
Every organization needs to be confident that its third-party providers have robust security protocols in place and that the software has been designed to safeguard organizations’ digital assets and help them maintain operational resilience.
How can organizations gain that confidence?
To find the answer, we can look to one organization that has already been round this loop and put in place steps to protect itself.
The Software Modernization Implementation Plan
The organization is the Department of Defense (DoD). In 2023, it issued its Software Modernization Implementation Plan.
The Plan recognized that defense organizations increasingly relied on software and that the ability to securely and rapidly deliver resilient software capability was a competitive advantage.
Yet, too often, software development lifecycles (SDLCs) took years, meaning defense organizations were failing to keep up with the speed of relevance.
The Plan makes it easier for defense organizations to harness commercial off-the-shelf applications when appropriate.
It enables them to move much more quickly and keep up with the speed of relevance.
However, defense organizations can’t just purchase an off-the-shelf application, plug it in, and see what happens. Secure software that functions as expected is literally mission-critical. Ensuring complete and secure functionality is why SDLCs took years not minutes.
So how could defense organizations mitigate and eliminate the security risk of deploying new applications without resorting to multi-year SDLCs?
The Iron Bank Answer
The answer is the Iron Bank.
The Iron Bank works with the open-source community and commercial vendors to centralize a hardened version of an application that is easily accessible to defense organizations.
It gives defense organizations the means to quickly and easily deploy secure applications with confidence and at unprecedented speed.
It works like this. Every 24 hours every application in the marketplace is built and scanned again for findings. Applications are continuously updated to the latest version. Defense Information Systems Agency Security Technical Implementation Guides, Center for Internet Security benchmarks, and best practices are applied throughout.
For applications in the Iron Bank, there are rigorous approaches and protocols that need to be followed to ensure they meet all the requirements. However, the benefits for end users are priceless.
Defense organizations can use applications in the Iron Bank safe in the knowledge they meet robust minimum security standards. It enables them to keep up with the ‘speed of relevance’ without compromise.
So why am I telling you all this?
The Value of the Iron Bank in the Commercial Domain
The Iron Bank doesn’t only serve the defense community. It is public-facing. Any commercial organization can use it. When they choose an application that’s in the Iron Bank marketplace, they know that security due diligence has been rigorous.
In short, the Iron Bank is a valuable tool in helping organizations to make robust software choices.
Keysight Eggplant and the Iron Bank
This is why I’m pleased to announce that as part of our most recent release, Eggplant Functional and DAI are now available in the Iron Bank marketplace.
Solutions to Help De-Risk Decision-Making
As cyber threats continue to evolve, adopting solutions like Keysight Eggplant that meet the most stringent security criteria is a prudent strategy for safeguarding digital assets and maintaining operational resilience.
By choosing Keysight Eggplant, organizations enhance their software testing capabilities and invest in a platform that prioritizes security at its core, ensuring peace of mind in an increasingly complex cyber landscape.
Want to learn more about our recent product release? Check out our release note for DAI 7.4 here and our release notes for EPF 23.4 here.