Usability Vs. Security: Finding The Right Balance In Enterprise App Development

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USABILITY VS. SECURITY FINDING THE RIGHT BALANCE
IN ENTERPRISE APP DEVELOPMENT

• Security need not be a compromise on usability!

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Overview

• The importance of security cannot be overlooked
  by an enterprise application development company
  as the scale of data breaches reported year by
  year have been staggering.
• This in turn raises a concern for developers that
  security does not get in the way of usability and
  hinder app performance.
• Now, how to make usability and security go hand
  in hand?
• Before digging deeper, lets find out if security
  really impedes usability?

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Does security impedes usability?

• Well, the inherent conflict between usability and
  security does flourish at the workplace with
  users longing for ease of use while systems
  owners desiring comprehensive security.
• As security is mostly added at the end of
  development, it limits access to applications and
  also obstructs usability.
• Balancing security with usability might seem like
  an endless pursuit, still finding a balance
  between these two important factors is necessary.
  
• Consider having security and usability
  specialists in the development team, you might be
  able to find a balance in the security-usability
  spectrum.

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How to make usability and security go
hand-in-hand?

• As per the definition in the ISO 9421-11,
  usability is the extent to which a product can
  be used by specified users to achieve specific
  goals with effectiveness, efficiency, and
  satisfaction in a specified context of use.
• Heres seven key pointers to help you find the
  right balance between security and usability
• Security by design approach
• Focus on simplicity
• Implement biometric authentication
• Engage the users of your enterprise apps
• Provide different data access permissions for
  users
• Test to determine security and usability balance
• Integrate security in your culture

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Security by design approach

• Our team of software development experts believes
  that security by design is the best approach to
  security. This approach enables them to avoid the
  costly attempt of adding security at the end of
  development of the enterprise app.
• This proactive approach of co-opting security
  during the development process is analogous to
  building a door with built-in a tamper-proof
  deadlock while adding security layers at a later
  stage is like adding multiple locks after the
  installation of door to maintain the same
  strength.

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Focus on simplicity

• Apps with a minimalist design are not only easier
  to understand for users but are also easier to
  secure.
• Simpler code has lesser vulnerabilities and it
  also lowers the possibilities of users doing
  anything that compromises the security of your
  app.
• Also consider simplifying features and services
  of your enterprise apps and putting in the
  minimal security necessary. This would help you
  to detect and stop the actions of users with
  potential security implications.

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Implement biometric authentication

• Incorporating biometric-based security offers
  quite a few advantages to your enterprise app
  without affecting usability.
• Biometrics can replace the need for remembering
  passwords and managing token-based systems
  altogether while eliminating the risk of data
  breach through stolen passwords.
• You can also add multiple layers of security to
  your enterprise app with biometric-based
  multi-factor authentication i.e., add iris or
  face scan to fingerprint to provide strong
  authentication.

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Engage the users of your enterprise apps

• Security is not solely a technological challenge
  so bring in people of your organization in the
  security equation.
• Consider workforce training and awareness
  programs so that they can apply what they are
  taught. Engaging them in the process of data
  protection would not only help them avoid risky
  behavior but also ensure there are lots more eyes
  to monitor if anything is amiss.
• Making your employees active participants in the
  security awareness initiative would prevent your
  enterprise security provisions from getting
  compromised to a greater extent.

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Provide different data access permissions for
users

• Not all users of your enterprise are the same!
• Therefore, give users limited access to app
  features you in order to keep your enterprise app
  and data more secure.
• Our enterprise app development team closely works
  with security as well as UX experts to address
  the core problems of user experience without
  compromising security.
• They also include some in-product notifications
  in order to remind users the security preferences
  that they had previously chosen to prevent
  potential security risks, without affecting
  usability.

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Test to determine security and usability balance

• Testing is an integral part of our enterprise app
  development. Our developers observe users using
  their app features to test them for potential
  security as well as usability issues.
• Such observations have often helped them
  understand that something that appears quite
  obvious to them may not be that obvious for the
  users.
• Also avoid making an application unnecessarily
  complex by adding security layers as that could
  lead to poor user experience.

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Integrate security in your culture

• Consider including your workforce who will be
  engaging with your enterprise app in the security
  program. This will help in creating the security
  environment that you want in your enterprise.
• Heightened security in your app might decrease
  the ease-of-use in some areas. However, as people
  understand how to work through these challenges,
  it would eliminate workplace frustrations.
• Therefore, consider security of your enterprise
  data as a business problem and not as an
  IT-problem in order to make your security
  measures successful in the long run.

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Final Words!

• The battle between usability and security is
  often observed throughout the workplaces, such
  as
• critically strong passwords written down on
  sticky notes
• files shared through online services not
  sanctioned by IT departments, etc.
• Strengthening security measures typically
  undermines usability, no doubt, but there can be
  ways to address this conundrum.
• And the best and worst part is that there are no
  set answers!

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