Verification of source code is a key element of mitigating risk for critical business applications.
Most organisations are dependent on third parties to support software applications or business processes to run their day to day operations. However, depending on third parties to always be around to support and maintain your business critical software applications brings about a high element of risk.
The source code for your software and the expertise to implement it and maintain it sits with your software supplier or developer. This creates a potentially disastrous situation if you find that your software fails or requires maintenance and your supplier is no longer able to carry on supporting the product.
Verification of your software will ensure that should you ever need to recreate your systems from the raw source code, you will do so safe in the knowledge that you have all of the component elements – and the knowledge and guidance – to do so.
NCC Group is the world’s largest software escrow and software verification provider, with over 30 years’ experience in protecting clients worldwide with the most comprehensive software protection solutions available. Our 200 strong team provide our customers with business continuity solutions suited to their exact needs combined with expert technical and legal advice.
Our verification solutions are designed to complement our escrow services in assisting organisations which are increasingly dependent on crucial assets which they do not control.
Our clients include both end-users and suppliers. End users use our verification services to ensure that, in the event that they need to takeover maintenance of the source code it can be reconstituted to a working system quickly and effectively. Software suppliers use our verification services to reassure their customers of their stability and commitment to best practice.
We offer the following levels of verification testing through our experienced, in-house testing team.
Full Verification
Full Verification provides assurance that source code is complete by ensuring that it can be built into the working system. We observe the complete build of the application at the supplier’s site and document every detail of the environment and build process in a comprehensive report which acts as a detailed handbook, describing every step involved in building the source code into the working application.
Build Assured Verification
Our Build Assured Verification service is recommended where source code maintenance would be undertaken by a third party on behalf of the end user or the maintenance of source code is being transferred to another organisation. It provides all the benefits of a Full Verification with the additional assurance that the build takes place in an independent secure location - our secure test laboratory. In addition to the documentation of the build, the report also provides information on the timescales, technical skills and costs associated with a rebuild to assist with the selection of a third party maintenance supplier.
User Assured Verification
User Assured Verification is recommended where source code maintenance is being transferred to the end user. It provides all the benefits of Full Verification with the additional assurance of the build also being repeated in the end user environment. We collect the source code and build it at the supplier’s site, fully documenting that build, and then build and install it at the end user’s site using that documentation as a reference.
The software supplier
The original software developer plays a key role in verifying the system as they will contribute and participate in the verification process.
We have enhanced the verification process so that the software supplier gets real value from the process in their own right.
The benefits to the developer include: - They can test their own build procedures
- We can provide them with confidential reporting on matters of security and IPR issues that we find within their code
- The developer can use their commitment to verification as a key differentiator in their marketplace
We will work with the developer, many of whom we have existing strong relationships with, to ensure that your requirements are met in a effective and timely manner.
Call +44 (0)161 209 5324 today for more information.