Software Audits: Ignore at your own Risk
If you develop software, then you probably know all about audits -- a systematic examination of a software system or application used to verify compliance with specified requirements and standards and/or to identify areas for improvement.
Whether you perform an audit on your software can depend on many factors: the size and complexity of your system; compliance and regulatory requirements; and, on a deeper level, the amount of risk tolerance you have.
If you opt not to regularly audit your software, there are definite risks associated with your choice:
Legal penalties. If your software is found to violate laws or licensing agreements, you may face fines or other legal penalties.
Reputational Damages. Poor quality software or software found to have security vulnerabilities will most likely damage your brand and potentially inhibit future sales.
Increased Costs. Improperly managed licenses can cost your company money in the form of overpayments or legal penalties.
Failure to Resolve Issues. Without regular audits, you will probably miss opportunities to identify and fix issues that may herald a decline in software quality and user experience.
Security Issues. If vulnerabilities are not identified and addressed, you may risk a breach that can lead to data loss, legal liability, and/or financial harm to you or your customers.
Obviously, software audits can be costly and time-consuming. How much so depends on the size and complexity of the software and the audit, including whether it’s an internal or external audit and what level of detail is required. A comprehensive external audit performing a detailed review of code, deployment processes, and analysis of functionality and performance will be much more expensive and time-consuming than an internal audit focused on licensing compliance.
Nevertheless, audits can bring significant benefits, such as ensuring compliance with laws and licensing agreements and identifying potential security issues. They also can identify areas of improvement and optimization of software licenses and resources. All of this can lead to cost savings down the line.
Regardless of whether you choose to conduct an audit, it’s safe to say that more and more developers are recognizing the importance of software audits and regularly incorporating them into their internal development and usage processes. The benefits have a strong chance of outweighing the costs.