Every digital platform is only as strong as its weakest link. Ensuring cybersecurity prevents attacks of the most varied natures. Low-code platforms are an excellent alternative for your organization, as, in addition to including security features of digital platforms by default, they are constantly updated.

IT managers must be aware and create strategies to deal with the risks. In terms of cybersecurity, preventing the most common attacks, transferring the risk to third parties, mitigating the risk of fraud or data theft, or consciously accepting the risks that you can deal with in the future are the basic rules.

One of the ways to prevent risks of cyberattacks, data theft, compromise of systems, among others, is to use low-code enterprise platforms developed from scratch with security and privacy features. And, more than being built from the first moment considering these materials, they also benefit from the fact that they are in constant development.

By reading this article you will learn more about:

1. What is the security of digital platforms;
2. Why the security of Digital platforms is important;
3. Understand that no organization is safe from cybercrime;
4. Mitigate vulnerabilities created by the human factor;
5. Know why platforms for sending documents are safer, when compared to e-mail applications or sharing documents on social networks;
6. How can a low-code platform contribute to increasing your organization’s security;
7. How to choose and keep low-code platforms safe;
8. What differentiates the UnikSystem platform from other solutions on the market..

The security of digital platforms is the process that makes applications more secure by searching, repairing and improving their security.

Much of this work is carried out during the development phase, introducing tools and methods for securing applications once implemented.

Platform security has gained importance with the exponential growth of the cloud and gained widespread attention with the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced companies to shift their employees to remote work. The already large security perimeter has increased substantially in the last two years.

Applications such as e-mail are often an open gateway for entry into your company’s systems and also for the exit of critical and confidential business data.

To meet this imperative security need, there are tools on the market that protect platforms including blocking encryption changes, evaluating inadvertent encryption threats, evaluating encryption options or auditing permissions and access rights.

There are also tools developed to protect mobile applications, network-based applications and firewalls designed with web platforms in mind. Platforms that mitigate vulnerability risk from the first line of code.

The security of digital platforms has never been as relevant as it is today. Studies reveal that more than 80% of applications have at least one security flaw. 20% have at least one major flaw. This volume of failures represents a significant security risk. Therefore, the earlier you find and solve security problems in the software development process, the more protected your company’s systems will be.

As the security perimeter increases and threats increase, leaders in the areas of security and risk management need to adopt a platform security visibility system. Policymakers should focus on orchestrating multiple application security innovations to achieve a coherent defense, rather than relying solely on stand-alone products, explains Gartner.

Cybercriminals are aware of vulnerabilities and have found ways to break into critical service systems, as was the case with the cyberattack on Vodafone Portugal in early February, which affected four million customers, as well as banks, food distribution chains, media and even the Assembly of the Republic, among other incidents, were made public already this year. No organization is safe.

After the pandemic and the increase in teleworking, the world is now dealing with the instability of the war in Eastern Europe. The European Central Bank (ECB), which has been focused on the computer frauds that gained momentum during the pandemic, is currently alerting banks to the possibility of attacks launched by Russia, as a side effect of the Russia-Ukraine war. The New York Department of Financial Services and the United Kingdom’s National Cybersecurity Center have also issued warnings about this unstable situation and about the possibility of cyberattacks coming from Russia.

Investment in security by default and by design, for example, on low-code platforms, is crucial.

A large percentage of companies do not adequately control access to corporate applications. At stake is the weakest link in information systems: the users themselves. Voluntarily or unintentionally, they are often responsible for cyberattacks that affect organizations. In general, this is due to a lack of care and knowledge and not with malicious intentions, but also because companies have neglected to invest in cybersecurity training.

It is important for companies to have automated ways to detect risky behavior by users.

Users click links to malicious software, share sensitive information on insecure websites, lose unblocked devices, use compromised flash drives, access public Wi-Fi networks, or do not change home network access credentials.

In general, company IT teams have limited ability to monitor all these user logs and audit their activity. This limitation jeopardizes user sessions that open the door to cyberespionage, to the theft of credentials, which may jeopardize the functioning of information systems and the organization itself, with financial, reputational costs and at the limit, if the attack is to critical services, may jeopardize national security.

Visibility and control solutions help the business keep high-value, confidential data safe. Tools that contain confidential data (financial records, customer information, intellectual property), such as financial applications, hygiene and health at work, marketing, development, must be safe from threats and cyber-attacks.

This type of solution makes it possible to act preventively, but also to identify more quickly the source of a security incident.

Organizations should still look at their safety culture. Platform users may not be programmers or security professionals, but they should understand the security implications of their behavior.

The shortage of IT professionals is known to all. And we are also aware that the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the process of digital transition of a large part of the economic fabric. But there is a solution for everything and low-code can be the ideal option for managing business processes, as it avoids using traditional code to create your applications.

First, low-code is the fastest and most cost-effective way to accelerate your organization’s development. In addition, low-code takes advantage of intuitive graphical interfaces and configuration wizards suitable for non-IT professionals to be able to map business processes and automate workflows, mitigating the lack of specialized human resources or freeing them up. for higher added value tasks. It is an agile way to improve the productivity of departments and organizations.

Low-code platforms are designed to accelerate business without neglecting data security and privacy challenges. For example, if there is a new European or national regulation, such as the new Digital Services Act, or some attack on companies in Asia, the low-code creators are certainly on top of it. This is one of the advantages of collaborative development that low-code allows: constant updating and mitigation of risks.

In legal matters, this regular update is essential to ensure compliance with data privacy rules.

If organizations are uncomfortable with outsourcing these platforms they can always request the software bill of materials (SBOM) from the manufacturer. In this way, they have access to an overview of the components it contains, as well as the associated vulnerabilities, if any.

A study by the Linux Foundation indicates that 78% of organizations have plans to use SBOM this year.

• Select software and platforms from trusted vendors with recognized industry reputations;
• Ensure that the choice falls on products with certifications attested by third parties to represent their internal security practices and processes;
• Include low-code platforms in application and software inventories, as well as applications created using the platform;
• Maintain effective access control to know who is accessing the platforms and what activities they are authorized to perform;
• Implement good data security practices: knowing where critical data resides and if the applications created host sensitive data;
• Know where the low-code platforms are housed. Is this hosting carried out by data centers from global providers of cloud services, such as AWS or Microsoft Azure, as is the case with UnikSystem? Or are they housed in data centers with limited or no logical and physical access controls?

UnikSystem is available to help companies create and protect collaborative digital platforms from scratch, namely Human Resources platforms, which need to work with employees’ sensitive data. Count on the experience of teams that have worked with regulated industries such as Banking, Insurance or the Court of Auditors.

An organization can start with modules that allow employees to interact through mobile or web forms, email inboxes, web services or other applications through interfaces (API), with support for service level management (SLA) and real-time notifications.

It also allows for the analysis of key performance indicators (KPI). In this way, users can work with this updated data in real-time, anywhere or on any device, being able to manage business information accurately and make informed decisions in security and with support from the main manufacturers of software and database technologies.

The Unik Low-Code BPM automation platform is composed of modules that allow you to automate the processes in your organization, gradually and according to your needs.

The platforms, created in low-code, integrate, from the outset, security and data privacy features, which are constantly being updated. Companies can rest easy as the platform evolves as both legislative changes and new threats in cyberspace emerge. Experts handle these matters, freeing up company resources to focus on their business.

With the Unik Low-Code BPM collaborative digital platform, organizations can:

• Create corporate applications visually and quickly;
• Reduce 70% of the time dedicated to software development;
• Decrease software development costs by 60%;
• Increase security by integrating previously available paper or Excel documents into a collaborative digital platform;
• Working in the cloud (Google, AWS, Azure), through DevOps;
• Extract data from documents with 100% accuracy;
• Pay by use/volume;
• Have an advanced workflow engine with iFlowBPM;
• Make seamless integrations with DocDigitizer, M-Files and LDAP;
• Take advantage of a secure, auditable and expandable low-code platform;
• Be compatible with the main technology providers (Microsoft, Oracle, IBM);
• Have a service level support (SLA) in line with business needs;
• Have a modular solution that grows at the pace of your organization.

By reading this article, it is possible to conclude that cyberattacks are increasing, that the security of digital platforms must be a priority to protect information systems and critical data of the business and people. It is critical that Human Resources departments keep the security platforms up-to-date.

With the media examples cited, it is easy to understand that not even multinationals, with high resources to defend their perimeter, are no longer victims. Neither the banks, nor the media, nor the systems of Public Administrations are fully defended.

Prevent your company’s critical data from circulating uncontrollably and opening doors for new threats to enter. Bet on employee training and opt for secure low-code platforms, such as UnikSystem solutions

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