4 Simple Data Security Tips for Self-Taught Developers

The vast majority of developers are self-taught. This makes sense, considering how quickly technology evolves and adapts to changing market conditions. It just isnt feasible to return to universities and coding boot camps every time something changes. But, the most shocking statistic to come out of a recent survey of software developers is that approximately 13% of coders are completely self-taught; completing bypassing traditional education programs.

For the self-taught coder out there, or the intrepid high schooler with a laptop and a passion for creating digital magic, security is something that is usually lacking. Ive worked on projects with dev teams consisting of individuals with a variety of backgrounds. The common thread, in my experience, is that self-taught coders oftentimes lack the foundational concepts behind securing the content they produce.

Granted, some of these guys started out as hackers, but the majority of white-hat, self-taught developers need the help of formally trained developers in completely securing their project for release into the wild.

1. Collaborate with Your Peers and Build a Reputation the Hard Way

If youve learned to code on your own, dont limit yourself by remaining a solo operator. Teaming up with a group of seasoned experts can dramatically increase your knowledge, and the networking opportunities for future work are incredibly valuable.

I spoke with one of the Founders of a hybrid networking and cloud communications firm in Texas. In his experience, the industry is consistently rewarding teams of developers with lucrative contracts because of their ability to leverage diverse backgrounds and provide services that cross-platforms and other traditional barriers.

The bottom line is that working with a team allows for customers to utilize one point of contact for their entire project. Dont make the mistake of offering a limited service to customers that require a complete solution.

2. Carefully Select Your Hosting Partner

Finding a fast, reliable hosting provider is an important step in providing a secure solution for your customer. Google pays careful attention to the loading speed of an online platform when ranking it in search results related to the company or service the site is designed to represent. There are a variety of tools available to measure the speed of your website.

Youll also want to employ encryption on a website to help its search engine ranking, and improve customer trust. By encrypting the information communicated between the server and a visitors computer, tablet or smartphone, the information is virtually unreadable while in transit (the weak link in the chain of site security).

3. Take a Deep Dive into Understanding Server Infrastructure

As a self-taught developer, you already know that the best way to learn something is by doing. Designing your own hardware can provide you with a firm foundation for knowledge of server and broader computer hardware infrastructure.

Whether assessing a customers equipment and compatibility with your software solution, or considering an outside vendor to provide your projects hardware needs, take the time to learn the hard skills that power your creations.

4. Regulatory Compliance Cannot be Ignored

While the average cost of a data breach is $188 per record, there are potential legal fines when things go wrong. The types of local, state and federal regulation that affect your design efforts differ from industry to industry. In the United States, consult a legal professional to better understand how a clients data needs to be secured in order to minimize the likelihood of a successful lawsuit against you, or your client.

These laws include:

• Federal Trade Commission Act
• Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act
• Fair Credit Reporting Act
• Federal Information Security Management Act

By understanding the legal requirements that apply to your platform, youll better be able to steer clients in the right direction. At a minimum, have a conversation with your client about the potential consequences of ignoring the legal burden for data security. Ignorance of these rules and regulations is not a defense in court. And it is absolutely possible for a victim of a data breach to sue the developer behind the compromised platform.