By Brendan B. ReadSenior Contributing Editor
Data security is arguably the leading concern and inhibitor in using and obtaining cloud-based computing solutions. Fortify Software is taking further steps to help organizations address this via releasing new capabilities in its Fortify 360 and Fortify on Demand products. It is also publishing two new white papers intended to help cloud infrastructure providers and their customers understand how to unlock the full benefits of the cloud through software security.
This news comes on the heels of last week’s announcement that Fortify has become a member of the Cloud Security Alliance where it will contribute its software security assurance (SSA) experience and participate alongside other security industry leaders in driving awareness of and solutions for cloud security. SSA is a risk-managed approach to improving software security.
“To fully realize the benefits of cloud computing, customers must trust that infrastructure vulnerabilities – especially the software that cyber-threats target more and more – don’t compromise the cloud’s shared services or open new avenues for hackers to access private information or disrupt business processes,” said Dave Cullinane, Chairman of the Board and Co-Founder of the Cloud Security Alliance.
Fortify 360, an on-premises solution for SSA, enables users to test for security issues specific to the cloud; it also permits them to produce a “Cloud Readiness Scorecard” which rates an application from weak to strong depending on the number of minor or major fixes required before the application should be moved to the cloud. It permits firms to mitigate vulnerabilities and then deploy applications safely within cloud environments.
Fortify on Demand, a set of hosted Software-as-a-Service (SaaS (News – Alert)) solutions, allow any organization to test and score the security of all software with greater speed and accuracy. It is reportedly the industry’s first SaaS-based software security solution to test for security issues specific to the cloud and to provide a Cloud Readiness Scorecard.
Fortify’s new business white paper, “Capturing the New Frontier: How Software Security Unlocks the Power of Cloud Computing,” is intended for anyone involved in evaluating a move to the cloud so that they understand and can address the unique software security risks of that environment. A second and companion technical white paper, “Software Security in the Cloud: A Technical Perspective” is aimed at security practitioners and developers interested in gaining a deeper technical understanding of the vulnerabilities inherent to a cloud environment, and how to take action to mitigate these vulnerabilities.
“Like immunizing themselves against infection, cloud providers can use Fortify 360 or Fortify on Demand to ensure that bad code introduced by one or more customers doesn’t contaminate their cloud offering,” said Brian Chess, Ph.D., Founder and Chief Scientist at Fortify Software. “They can also create premium offerings around applications or infrastructure where software security has been rigorously applied. For cloud consumers, our products can ensure that their code is secured and that they can trust their software before the move to this unique shared environment.”
Brendan B. Read is TMCnet’s Senior Contributing Editor. To read more of Brendan’s articles, please visit his columnist page.
Edited by Patrick Barnard
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