There is an app for everything, literally. Whether you want to communicate with people far and wide or, cut down on your social media habits, you have an app that will help you. In the growing mobile world, with the number of smartphone users increasing with each passing day, it has become essential for you to come forth with a mobile app for your startups or business as well. It will not just improve your user base, but also increase your profitability in the long.

Before approaching the mobile app development company, you ought to single out on the goal for your business app. What exactly do you aim to achieve with the help of a mobile app? Do you want to increase the business visibility or, you want to convert more people into your brand users?

It is important that once you are sure of the mobile app, you partner with someone who will offer you a functional and high performance app with end-to-end services. The partner should have a complete understanding of the app development needs put forth by you along with the app security needs for a successful launch.

Most of the business apps are either rejected or get uninstalled with a few hours of being installed owing to the security issues they pose. In case of business apps, there is data and confidential information that needs to be maintained, and the security of these apps are important.

So, how will you manage the security of the mobile app you are getting developed for your business? Here is a checklist that should help you with app security and help you with a successful partnership with the mobile app development company.

Secure the Code Completely

The first aspect that you need to consider when you are securing the application is the code. You should start with securing the code. The native mobile apps are slightly different from the web applications, as the latter ensures that the data and software exist on a server, and the client side is only an interface for the users. However, in the native apps the code becomes a part of the device, and is accessible to the hackers with ease.

The native apps come with a vulnerable source code. While this may not seem like a concern, your app needs to be completely secure, if you want to avoid hacking and entry to the data. It is important to secure your app’s code, and check for any vulnerabilities and errors.

Encrypt the code to start with. Obfuscation and minification are some of the methods commonly used to encrypt the code. You can also add algorithms to the APIs you are adding for encryption.

Coding should be agile, and the security inherent so that the mobile app security is no compromised with updates.

Finally, keep the file size and memory as well as performance in mind when you are planning for the code security.

Secure the Network Connections

 

The servers, both local and cloud based, should be made secure, if they are going to access the data on your application. Even the APIs accessing these servers could be attacked, if the network is vulnerable.

In order to secure the network connections, here are a few things that you can follow

• One of the commonly used processes in order to store the data and documents is containerization.
• You can ask the network security specialist to conduct the penetration testing in order to check if the data has been secured correctly or not.
• You should encrypt both the database and the connections.

Secure the Device

 

It is important that you secure the devices in order to keep the app from being hacked and falling prey to the possible vulnerabilities.

You need to have an excellent mobile encryption policy in place. This is even more true, in case you have a BYOD policy at your corporate. Let’s get started with a few tips that should help you with your case.

• File level encryption will help you protect the data on all the files. This way the data will need to be intercepted before it is read.
• You should ideally design apps such that secure information such as password and other credit card information is not saved on the device directly. In case of iOS, the encrypted data is stored in the keychain.
• Key management should be a priority for mobile app security management.
• Make sure you can restrict the access of the devices in case of enterprise applications.
• Jailbreak technology will help you with ensuring completely secure device

In case of BYOD, the following steps will help you in protecting the devices and ensuring the applications don’t bother you, security wise.

• Implement VPN, which will help create a secure connection, and will allow you to know all about the potential hacking in advance.
• You should ideally block the unauthorized devices using firewall and prominent antivirus software.
• Install remote wipe capabilities, so that in case the device is stolen, the entire data will be wiped out and your sensitive data won’t be stolen.

Secure with a Strong API Strategy

 

It is important you have a strong API strategy, if you want to secure your app completely, and ensure your data is secure. The reason being API is a strong and important part of the mobile app.

When initiating API strategy, make sure you have the three methods implemented: identification, authentication and authorization. The three steps of installing API to your software should minimize the risks posed by integrating APIs.

Test as Much as Possible

 

The most important step is testing. Make sure you follow all the testing methods to check the app for its functionality, feature and performance.

Before you launch it to the market, you need to ensure that all the possible tests have been conducted for the application.

• Test it for the different environments and possibly for all the devices possible.
• Make a checklist of all the tests you need to conduct.
• Finally, authorization and authentication tests should be conducted with similar thoroughness.

Summing up

 

App security is an important consideration for app developers. If your app is not secure enough, then you might not be able to convert the customers or even get a chance to showcase your business app on the store.

You should ideally test the app for all the possible theories and test cases before uploading it.

You should secure the code and the device as well as the network and API before you can plan for the launch.

Finally, you should have a thoroughly defined BYOD and mobile encryption policy to help you keep a check on the vulnerabilities posed by your app.

To help you maintain your app’s security, and launch a successful app to the store, Coruscate has a well-defined strategy and process in place. Partner with us to successfully launch your business app to the store. Get in touch with us via email or phone, and we will help you define the app pre-launch, launch and post- launch strategies and offer you end-to-end mobile app development services.

Note: We do not make clones of any exact application, clone means to us is how better we can execute your app idea with existing app features and experience.