Source code theft is when a malicious insider, or someone outside of your organization, steals the source code to your software.
Threat from external actors is often spoken about. Every day we awake to news of a customer data breach or damaging data leaked online. But the problem of source code theft has flown under the radar. Very few software developers or development companies have talked about the issue.
Source code theft is an unspoken problem that is plaguing the software development industry. If you are a founder or CEO then you may have already asked yourself this question.
“What if my code ends up on the internet or with my competitors?”
If this question keeps you awake at night and brings stress into your days, then we can assure you that help is out there.
As a founder or CEO of a software development company, you know that the core value of your business lies in its intellectual property. Intellectual property can cover anything from source code, proprietary algorithms all the way through to marketing data and sales contacts.
It can take years to create this value. You may be lucky enough to have a blockbuster idea that explodes on the market straight away, but most companies accrue value over time. Throughout this time, you will be working with a huge number of individuals and external parties. As software development is a creative industry at heart, you may have to be flexible on the sort of working practices that take place in your business. This increases the risk of internal threat to your intellectual property. When you add that to the fact that anyone leaving your company could take your secrets out the door with them, you can get a real picture of exactly how your business is at risk.
When looking at this potential loss there are two factors to consider. One is economic. How would your business suffer financially if all your trade secrets were out in the open? For most software companies, it could sink them. The second factor is your reputation. How would your brand be damaged if it became known that an employee had walked away with your business’s crown jewels? At best it would be embarrassing and at worst it could damage your relationship with your customers.
Whatever your business model, the need to protect your source code is the same.
There is no simple panacea to the problem of source code theft, with threat vectors increasing as you expand staff levels, implement new technology, and so on.
However if you are looking for a quick way to secure your source code, we recommend starting by implementing a source code theft protection software solution.
KnowIT is a cloud based source code theft solution developed specifically for software development companies.
It is compatible with Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android, and is available to try for free for 14 days, no credit card needed.
Discover how KnowIT can help protect your business against source code theft
