Industry executives and experts share their predictions for 2023. Read them in this 15th annual VMblog.com series exclusive.
Staying Secure in 2023 With a Smaller Team
By Meredith Bell, CEO, AutoRABIT
No matter where you're located, turbulent social events have
negatively impacted the economy. These types of things are more like a huge
ship than a car-they take a long time to turn around.
The Salesforce DevOps industry isn't immune to the economic
downturn we are currently seeing and will continue to see as we approach the
end of the year. 2023 will be defined by the results of current economic
trends-downsizing, tightening of budgets, and expecting teams to do more with
less.
2022 has seen an increase in high-profile cyberattacks, a
trend that is likely to continue. We can expect a heightened need for data
security measures in 2023. Those operating in regulated industries need to
fortify their defenses in order to remain in compliance. But even companies
that don't face direct regulations relating to data handling need to be just as
vigilant in their pursuit of data security.
Here are five data security tactics that will be
non-negotiable in 2023:
- Automate as Much as Possible
- Fix Coding Errors Early
- Maintain Recent Data Backups
- Leverage Low-Code Solutions
- Update and Monitor Permissions
1. Automate as Much as Possible
Automated
DevOps tools are always a good idea for streamlining processes, but this
will become imperative in 2023. Development teams are likely to get smaller,
but the expectations and needs of a company will remain the same. So how can
you empower your team members to maintain quality output with a smaller team?
CI/CD, static code analysis, and data loaders are examples
of automated tools that will optimize your teams' efforts to produce more work
faster.
Reducing manual processes frees up your team members to
address more pressing tasks, minimizes errors, and maintains consistently high
levels of quality in your Salesforce DevOps pipeline.
2. Fix Coding Errors Early
Even the best coders make mistakes. Well-structured updates
and applications don't include bugs and errors in their live instances, which
make them more secure. Any holes in the code can potentially be exploited by
cybercriminals as a back door to your Salesforce environment.
Smaller teams and a heightened need for data security
necessitate proper coding structures from the very start of the application development
pipeline.
Errors found later in the process become more expensive and
time-consuming to fix. It will be essential to streamline your processes in
2023. Static code analysis alerts
developers to these errors so they can be fixed immediately.
3. Maintain Recent Data Backups
We can never fully guard against data loss events. Even
Salesforce environments that restrict the highest levels of access control
still have the potential for accidental deletions, natural disasters, or
outages to knock out their systems and lead to the loss of important data.
Data
backup and recovery systems are essential aspects of a complete data
security plan.
Massive companies like Facebook
still experience data breaches. Current backups are critical to maintain
functionality and properly protect the sensitive data of users, employees, and others.
4. Leverage Low-Code Solutions
Employee turnover is just a part of business. However, 2023
is likely to see a new influx of developers. This group won't have the
experience of professional developers, which will make low-code solutions more
useful when approaching new projects.
Low-code DevOps tools streamline every development pipeline,
but they will provide even greater results when offered to younger developers.
Low-code tools like a policy manager also open up these
powerful tools to admins and other team members who don't have extensive coding
knowledge.
5. Update and Monitor Permissions
One of the most common sources of data loss or corruption is
simply mistakes by team members. However, this can be prevented with focused
attention, and 2023 is the year Salesforce DevOps teams need to lock this down.
Settings such as "modify all data" need to be restricted to only
team members who need this level of access to complete their tasks.
Audit your profiles and permission sets to ensure data isn't
being overexposed. And while this might seem like a lot of work, there are scanning tools that can check
profiles and permission settings.
While 2023 will present a lot of challenges to Salesforce
DevOps teams, establishing the necessary infrastructure to properly navigate
these challenges with automated tools will determine success.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
As
CEO of AutoRABIT, the leading DevSecOps
platform for Salesforce, Meredith is interested in connecting with
other business leaders in the technology space and sharing the insights he has
gained over his 30+ year career.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meredithbell/recent-activity/