Hyderabad, India:  CA Technologies (NASDAQ: CA) today revealed results following a global survey of more than 1,200 IT leaders around the topic of secure software development.  The study confirmed the growing need for security to be embedded at every level of software development for organizations to succeed. Conducted by IT industry analyst firm Freeform Dynamics, the new report titled, “Integrating Security into the DNA of Your Software Lifecycle,” highlighted that 91% of Indian businesses’ security approaches have moved from a post-production stage to an integral part of every phase of the software development lifecycle.
 
According to the research, a majority of the respondents agreed with the changing role of security as a “practice” in India. The report further confirmed that 93% of respondents agreed that Chief Security Officers (CSOs) and security teams are perceived to be leaders and not innovation blockers while 86% believed that security is now a fully interwoven component of their digital transformation journey.
 
Today’s digital economy is fuelled by strategic software development advances. Secure software development, an imperative for organizations to weave security into every step of the development process, not only supports growth and expansion, but also helps businesses compete and drive digital transformation. However, the report also unveiled that with the advent of digital, security concerns are exponentially on the rise. In fact, software related security concerns are growing in the country owing to breaches through web applications (82%), mobile applications (78%) and software/code issues (84%).
 
Respondents further highlighted key obstacles to embedding end-to-end security in software development processes:

• Time pressure: 81%
• Lack of budget: 65%
• Lack of skills: 73%
• Lack of political will: 64%
• Lack of proper tools: 64%

“Digitization of businesses is putting the spotlight on the need for enhanced security measures to address exposure to cyber threats. Our survey findings highlighted Indian CXOs increased focus on incorporating security at an early stage of software development and make it an integral part of the process,” said Stephen Miles, Chief Technology Officer APJ, CA Technologies. “Security is increasingly a business enabler. Coupled with Intelligent IT – the use of AI, machine learning and analytics to make better, more informed decisions – it can dramatically change the way that business is done,” he added.
 
As software continues to be the major driver of innovation and economic growth in India, advanced technologies like behavioural analytics and machine learning are now firmly part of the equation to resolve security hurdles. A majority of respondents understood the importance of making strategic use of these disruptive technologies to improve security in software development cycle:

• 91% are providing appropriate authentication controls based on what a user is doing
• 92% are providing a better user experience while still protecting user data
• 86% are assessing the threat of data breaches based on patterns of activity
• 87% are taking pre-emptive actions to avoid data breaches and/or mitigate the impact of one

Survey Methodology

The global online survey of 1,279 senior IT and business executives (575 in Asia Pacific) was sponsored by CA Technologies and conducted by industry analyst firm Freeform Dynamics Intelligence Unit in July 2017. It was augmented by in-depth telephone interviews with key industry executives. The Asia Pacific countries surveyed were Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Singapore, South Korea.

Download the full report and other supporting materials:

• Report: Integrating Security into the DNA of Your Software Lifecycle
• Infographic
• Ayman Sayed Blog: The Competitive Edge of DevSecOps