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How Salesforce Code Scanning Tools Support Compliance

Josh Rank
June 15, 2022

Every business has a responsibility to keep the information of their employees and customers safe. This is simply good business practice. However, there are some industries such as healthcare, banking, and insurance that deal with extremely sensitive data.

Data security regulations have been established to outline the protections that need to be in place to secure various types of sensitive information.

These regulations will vary depending on the location and industry of a particular company. Here are a few examples:

ISO/IEC 27001: This international regulation stipulates requirements for starting, implementing, and sustaining an information security management system (ISMS).
SOC 2 Type II: This is a type of report for financial institutions to prove utilization of proper system operations.
HIPAA: The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) outlines proper handling of personal identifiable information (PII) within the healthcare and insurance industries.

But no matter where you are located or in which industry you operate, a strong Salesforce DevSecOps pipeline will help achieve these goals. Strong code is an essential aspect of producing secure updates and applications to support a compliant system.

Here are 7 ways Salesforce code scanning tools support your data security and compliance efforts:

Strong Code Prevents Vulnerabilities
Rules Aligned with Standards
Targeting Technical Debt Eliminates Existing Threats
Dashboards and Reports Provide Visibility
Metadata Inclusion
Flexible Deployment Models Offer More Control
Faster Releases Support Your Platform
Pairs Perfectly With a Policy Scanner

1. Strong Code Prevents Vulnerabilities

Strong code is essential for a well-performing update or application. Bugs and errors are well-known to impact the experience of the end user. However, these same errors can result in data loss or even breaches of your system as a whole.

Ensuring high Salesforce code quality reduces potential data security vulnerabilities by eliminating backdoors that can be exploited by cybercriminals.

Salesforce code scanning tools find these errors so they can be easily fixed before they become a liability.

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2. Rules Aligned with Standards

Salesforce code scanning tools check lines of code—either code that currently exists in your system or new code as it’s being written—against a series of rules. And the more extensive these rulesets are, the more secure your environment will be.

Data security standards like those from OWASP CWE, and SANS outline how code should be handled.

Code scanning tools that are aligned with these standards provide a rubric for companies to fall in line with applicable data security regulations.

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3. Targeting Technical Debt Eliminates Existing Threats

We’ve mentioned how poor code can have a negative impact on your data security strategy—and therefore your regulatory compliance. However, scanning new code is only half the battle in keeping your Salesforce environment safe.

Technical debt refers to bugs and errors that currently exist within the code of your system.

Salesforce code scanning tools can be used to locate this technical debt and rectify it before it has the opportunity to be exploited by cybercriminals or cause other problems.

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4. Dashboards and Reports Provide Visibility

Regulatory compliance is not a one-time operation. This is a standard that needs to be upheld. However, over time, mistakes can happen, standards can be relaxed, and Salesforce data security strategies can fall out of line with these guidelines if strict attention is not maintained.

Dashboards and reports provide constant visibility into the health of your system so you can be sure nothing falls out of line with regulatory guidelines.

These insights provide a high-level analysis of code health as well as other important aspects of your Salesforce environment.

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5. Metadata Inclusion

Data security regulations tend to cover the totality of your data, which includes the metadata. It can be easy to forget about metadata when putting together a data security strategy, but it is just as important as other types of information.

Metadata needs to be analyzed and protected just as vigorously as other types of data in your Salesforce environment.

A failure to do this can result in loss of functionality or even an exposure of sensitive data. Salesforce code scanning tools can be used to focus on your metadata to ensure everything remains operational.

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6. Flexible Deployment Models Offer More Control

The needs of every company are not going to be the same. Some will prize accessibility over security, while those in regulated industries will place a higher focus on remaining secure. How your platform is hosted will impact your control over data security.

The ability to scan your code in the cloud or on a private server allows you to tailor your environment to the specific needs of your company.

Control is a huge advantage in data security—and therefore compliance. Flexible tools allow you to adapt your approach to best fit your needs.

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7. Faster Releases Support Your Platform

Technology is constantly changing. Salesforce DevOps is aimed at staying up to date with these changes and hopefully getting ahead of the curve. Cybercriminals change their methods and are always finding new approaches to gain access to new systems.

An optimized and streamlined DevOps pipeline is the best way to stay ahead of these emerging threats by consistently introducing secure updates and applications.

Static code analysis helps speed along the development pipeline while ensuring errors don’t make it through production. This helps address new threats in real time without creating additional vulnerabilities. Compliance with data security regulations requires constant upkeep, and this speed is critical to avoid falling behind.

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8. Pairs Perfectly With a Policy Scanner

Internal rules can be put in place to ensure team members don’t jeopardize regulatory compliance. But how can you be sure these rules are being followed?

A Salesforce policy scanner works alongside a static code analysis tool to automate scans of permissions settings and other activities that impact regulatory compliance.

These two powerful tools magnify the benefits of the other to provide total visibility into your Salesforce environment. Regulatory compliance depends on this type of oversight.

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FAQs

Which industries are subject to data security regulations?

Regulations often relate to sensitive customer information, so any business that handles this type of data is likely subject to regulations. The most regulated industries are healthcare, banking, insurance, and education.

What happens if a company fails to adhere to data security regulations?

The consequences of failing to meet these guidelines will depend on the severity of the infraction, and the particular regulation. Penalties include fines, lawsuits, and can even result in jail time.

Which Salesforce DevSecOps tools help companies remain compliant?

Every tool that contributes to high quality updates and applications—such as static code analysis and CI/CD—will assist with compliance. Other security tools like data backup & recovery play a huge role in compliance.

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How Salesforce Code Scanning Tools Support Compliance

1. Strong Code Prevents Vulnerabilities

2. Rules Aligned with Standards

3. Targeting Technical Debt Eliminates Existing Threats

4. Dashboards and Reports Provide Visibility

5. Metadata Inclusion

6. Flexible Deployment Models Offer More Control

7. Faster Releases Support Your Platform

8. Pairs Perfectly With a Policy Scanner

FAQs

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