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6 Ways a Code Quality Tool Prevents Salesforce Security Risks

Josh Rank
November 15, 2023

Continuous production of secure updates is a great way to combat data security threats—but only if you guarantee perfect code with a code quality tool.

Why It Matters: Unstable updates and applications can misfire, damaging datasets and even exposing sensitive records. Using a code quality tool to maintain high-quality standards not only makes a better end-user experience, but it also supports your Salesforce data security strategy.

Failing to produce stable products creates back doors for cybercriminals to access your Salesforce data.
Code quality tools support proper functionality of both the eventual application as well as the other DevOps tools used in the development pipeline.
The synergy created through these tools increases ROI while supporting data security and compliance.

Here are six ways a code quality tool mitigates Salesforce security risks:

Reduces Misfires
Expedites Integration Processes
Flags Technical Debt
Produces Insights and Reporting
Decreases Manual Processes
Documents Compliance

1. Reduces Misfires

Every developer wants their code to be flawless. However, this is incredibly difficult to maintain over a long period of time. And when these mistakes slip through, it can result in fault applications that don’t function properly.

Utilizing a code quality tool enables developers to produce perfect code every time to eliminate the chances of a misfire in the final product.

These misfires can open backdoor to cybercriminals while also damaging system data. Reducing these instances supports quality and stable releases.

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2. Expedites Integration Processes

There are many rounds of testing with a Salesforce DevOps pipeline. Or, at least there should be. Failing to properly test your lines of code before they hit production leaves you open to costly errors and bugs that can open data security vulnerabilities in your environment.

Testing your code prior to integration makes the ensuing processes much smoother, faster, and comprehensive.

A secure environment requires frequent upkeep. The ability to quickly produce reliable updates greatly expands the security capabilities of an organization.

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3. Flags Technical Debt

Bugs and errors that make it into a live environment can still be fixed; it’s just much harder—and costlier—to do. Occasionally these bugs can exist for a long time without being noticed. However, they have the potential to create data security vulnerabilities and need to be fixed as soon as possible.

Automated code quality scanners can be used to find and flag existing technical debt within your system so it can be fixed before negatively impacting your Salesforce environment.

Cleaning up your environment can go a long way toward avoiding costly data exposures or outages.

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4. Produces Insights and Reporting

Information is key to maintaining a secure Salesforce platform. You can’t fix what you don’t know is wrong, and you can’t improve upon habits that aren’t tracked. Data security requires shining a light on every corner of your environment, and this is the way to do that.

A code quality tool is able to compile the findings of its scans into reports that can be tracked and managed over time.

Use these insights to redirect your efforts to account for any deficiencies. Further streamlining your processes makes you more agile, flexible, and secure.

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5. Decreases Manual Processes

Human error is unavoidable. Even the most talented team members are prone to make mistakes. And when it comes to quality and security checks, every error has the potential to cost your organization a lot of money.

Automating scans of your code reduces the strain on your employees while also improving the reliability of the results.

This works alongside other DevOps tools like data backup and recovery and CI/CD processes. Reducing manual touchpoints makes the results much more reliable.

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6. Documents Compliance

The reporting available from code quality tools serves another purpose to those operating in regulated industries. Compliance with data-handling regulations needs to be top of mind for anybody susceptible to audits. Data security and compliance go hand in hand.

Automated DevOps tools compile information that can be repackaged for compliance audits, making it much easier to demonstrate adherence to stipulated standards.

Data security is a holistic consideration. Everything an organization does will touch security in one way or another. Guaranteeing strong code with the help of a code quality tool goes a long way toward staying safe and compliant in the face of evolving threats.

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Next Step…

Code quality tools have a lot to offer an organization. However, these benefits are more pronounced when the tool itself is continuously updated.

Read our blog, The Evolution of Our Salesforce Code Quality Monitoring Tools, to learn more about how CodeScan continues to drive more value for users.

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FAQs

What are some best practices for integrating code quality tools into Salesforce development projects?

It can be easy to integrate new DevOps tools into your release pipeline with a little planning. The very first step is to find the best code quality tool that suits your needs. Every Salesforce environment is going to have its own customizations, so you need to be sure your tool will work with your existing toolset—this will likely mean you want to avoid generic offerings. From there, you should teach your team to use this tool to run frequent scans both in the code-writing phase as well as through integration and deployment. You can’t see the benefits of these tools if you aren’t using them, and there are a lot of ways to use them.

Can code quality tools automatically fix security issues in Salesforce code?

Code quality tools typically focus on identifying and reporting security issues in code rather than automatically fixing them. While they can provide valuable insights and suggestions for improvements, automating fixes for security issues can be complex and risky, as it might result in unintended consequences or break functionality. Developers often need to assess the context and impact of identified issues and apply fixes manually to ensure they don’t introduce new problems.

What is a code quality tool, and how does it relate to Salesforce security?

A code quality tool is a software application designed to analyze and assess the quality of a software’s source code. It examines various aspects, such as coding standards, best practices, maintainability, and security vulnerabilities. In the context of Salesforce security, code quality tools play a critical role in identifying potential security risks in the custom code developed for Salesforce applications.

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6 Ways a Code Quality Tool Prevents Salesforce Security Risks

1. Reduces Misfires

2. Expedites Integration Processes

3. Flags Technical Debt

4. Produces Insights and Reporting

5. Decreases Manual Processes

6. Documents Compliance

Next Step…

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