In today’s dynamically developing world, companies’ most critical competitive advantage is their efficiency, which is determined by the speed of response to changes in business conditions and the addition of new functionality. For many, the use of management software becomes the most justified choice. However, the benefits come with unknown risks that need to be considered when deciding to migrate to such software.
Risk #1: Data privacy
The first risk that most companies think about is unauthorized access to confidential information by the service provider. This is because the actual processing will be carried out on the provider’s equipment without the ability to control its actions physically.
It should be noted that the simplicity in creating and configuring some services leads to the threat of unauthorized access to published databases and other services for storing information (for example, S3 or Object Storage). The most common mistake is publishing databases on the Internet, which in most cases leads to the leakage of stored information.
Risk #2: Service Availability
The second most important risk is a violation of the service’s availability due to the provider’s fault. This is because any technological failures in the infrastructure of the provider or political restrictions can directly impact the operation of the dependent service.
Most often, this risk is a consequence of the implementation of threats such as:
- Restriction of access due to sanctions restrictions.
- Any other refusal to provide the service by the provider.
- Technical failure on the provider’s equipment.
In addition, it should be taken into account that unauthorized access to the management console by an external intruder is highly likely to lead to a disruption of the service.
Risk #3 Switching from Free to Paid
The simplicity and speed of resource allocation in programs for managers is an indisputable advantage of this approach. This allows you to quickly scale services with an increase in the number of requests from clients. On the other hand, it is essential to remember that if you do not limit the allocation of resources, then, in the end, a free service will become paid for.
The problem of unlimited scaling is especially acute during DDoS attacks. For example, suppose the service tries to process all incoming requests. In that case, this will eventually lead to the fact that the cost of resources will exceed the possible limits, and the databases will be clogged with useless information. Therefore, it is essential to pay attention to resource use efficiency. If, for example, powerful servers were rented that are less than 10% loaded, this will also lead to overspending and lower profits.
Risk #4 Unauthorized Software Change
The software is responsible for all aspects of the operation of Internet services. In the context of using Board Management Software, it is critical to ensure the integrity of the application, from writing the source code to running that code on the production service. There are additional threats when using external services, such as making unauthorized changes to the collection containers and injecting malicious code during the compilation process.
To minimize this risk, full control over the source code repository and container registry and the integrity of the software throughout its life cycle should be ensured.