With the advent of cloud-based technology, it has become very easy to build powerful and efficient applications. However, making an application secure is not that straightforward for many developers. Below are the five (5) important skills developers will find very useful if they want to build secure cloud-based applications.
- Cloud Identity Management and Authentication
There are no prominent security issues with cloud infrastructure itself. The authentication layer can be a weak point if you do not understand and know how to manage it well. The problems that may arise from authentication includes; weak passwords and error on security permission configuration.
Most cloud data breaches are caused by authentication-related issues. Therefore, it is pertinent for developers to understand the security of the cloud platform and any other risks that may be involved. If you are willing to be acquainted with the Identity Access Management (IAM) for cloud, it will be very useful for you.
- Information Security Management
Another vital skill is knowledge of information security management. This will enable you to prevent cybersecurity issues. if you have a certification in any division of the information security management e.g. Certificate of Cloud Security Knowledge (CCSK). People can count on you for maximum cybersecurity without any shadow of a doubt. Also, expertise on the field like Certified Information Systems Professional (CISSP) which touch areas like cloud architecture, encryption, etc. give employers the confidence that their employee is capable of achieving their security targets.
- Database Configuration
A lot of popular databases such as MongoDB are, by default, insecure. To use them, there are certain settings required in order to make them secure. Usually, naïve and ignorant developers just proceed to make use of them without the necessary configuration. As a result, sensitive information is made available to almost anyone with internet connection. This has resulted in some of the worst data thefts in recent history.
Understanding the default setting of a database and how to secure it for production use is highly indispensable. Skills such as SQL and NoSQL are usually valuable for database configuration.
- Basic System Administration Skills
You might know how to develop an application, but do you have any System Administration Skill at all? It has been observed that majority of software programmers have few inkling about system administration. The onus is therefore on engineers who manage cloud servers to acquaint themselves with the latest operating system and try to acquire System Administration Skills.
- Detailed Knowledge of The OWASP Top Ten
Every year, the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) releases a summary of the most vicious online security threats. These usually include injection attacks, security misconfiguration, and insufficient logging. A software developer must know each risk, how it works and how to develop apps that will be resistant to these threats
A lot of businesses are currently searching for software engineers to build secure cloud-based apps. A dearth of experts in cloud security is responsible for the ever-increasing menace of security breaches. Therefore, there will always be opportunities for people with requisite skills in cloud software computing.
