Improved Security and Performance of a Healthcare Application in the US
The client
The client provides a suite of applications for people living with diabetes, for those starting a ketogenic diet, and for veterans managing their own health.
The challengeWhat the teams actually needed
On taking the project over, the first priority was verifying the quality and security of the whole system before any further product development happened.
Challenge 01Code that left them exposed
Analysis by the security team found the application’s code poorly written, which left the client open to a breach. We told them immediately and set out how to mitigate it.
Challenge 02Sensitive medical data
The app holds a great deal of medical data, which puts it in a higher risk category than most products.
Challenge 03HIPAA, and the EU next
Yearly security reviews are required under HIPAA, and a planned entry into the EU market raised the bar further.
What we did
Security established before anything new was built
A detailed analysis let the team redefine priorities and match them to where the project actually was, with the security team involved in a thorough review.
Vulnerabilities found
The analysis identified several high-severity vulnerabilities, and appropriate measures were taken on each.
Built against the threats
The system was designed with every plausible vulnerability and security requirement considered in advance rather than patched afterwards.
Checklist and documentation
Performance testing, a production readiness checklist and comprehensive documentation preceded deployment of the new Python backend.
Regular inspection
Alongside functional requirements and the non-functional ones covering privacy and confidentiality, regular security inspections became part of how the product runs.
Tech stackThe tools that made it possible
01
Python
The backend deployed after the security work was complete.
Netguru quote
Our Product Security Engineering services helped a client in a tightly-regulated industry extend their product's functionality and improve its quality, while also meeting local regulatory requirements and expanding into new markets.
By prioritizing security through our tailored approach to agile development, the client was able to build trust with their clients and attain their business goals.
More like thisOther places we scaled product teams for growth.
What’s next