Having someone steal your software is an awful experience that should not happen to anyone. This can be something small, such as someone stealing part of your code or something big such as someone taking all of your code and making a profit out of your idea.
Luckily, there are certain steps that you can take to ensure that your software and code does not get stolen. Every code situation is going to be different, such as you making an app or someone creating a website for a customer.
Here are 5 things that you can do to make sure that your software is protected and secure:
Communicate Clearly
This is going to be the biggest concern when you are working with others. There will probably be papers and different documents that need to be signed. You will want to read these papers and be sure that ownership is clearly stated in the document.
You can also go a step further and get your code branded and trademarked . This may be necessary if you are planning on selling your code or if it is for a company that offers software as a service (SaaS).
Use Best Practices
The world of technology is ever-changing and you will want to stay up-to-date with different best practices. There are different SaaS Security measures that you will need to take with the different software services that you are using in your company.
If you do use a SaaS company, do a thorough search of what they include in their services. You will also want to make sure that you are using best practices within your own company. This can help minimize risk within shared sources, such as a cloud based service that is often used within companies.
Choose the Right Applications
There are different places where you can store your code such as Github and other repositories. Each one is going to be different and many have different options. If you want to make sure that your code is private and is not open to the public, you will want to choose a private option.
These private options usually cost money but are well worth your money, especially if it means that your software idea is safe and sound. It is also important to make sure that you are using a platform that is secure and not a fraud service that will take your code.
Working With Others
If you decide to work with other people or even other companies, you will want to make sure everything is spelled out correctly. Another concern that you will want to think about is who you are working with and your relationship with them.
You want to choose a service or a team that is easy to work with that you trust. If you are not sure about a company or they are hard to get a hold of, you may want to look at the different options that are available. This will also be true for you as a customer, you will want to stay open to communication while also being to work with the other party that is involved.
Be Smart
If you can, you will want to decide to work with people or companies that are close to where you are located. You may also want to outsource if you feel like you trust those people more than anybody you can find locally.
Do some research to find out what kind of protection and measures they take to make sure that your code is safe and sound. This may feel like it is going to take a lot of time but it is worth the time if it means that your code does not get stolen.
Keeping your code secure requires a few extra steps but it is well worth the time and effort. What are some of your favorite ways to secure your code? Comment below to start the conversation!