Software Agility - Introducing Software Security

Soft Starters are solid state devices that can be used in place of across the line motor starters to reduce the inrush current surge caused by large loads. This can minimize mechanical damage to belts, gears, and chains. The Soft Starter can also prevent the jarring of valuable products being conveyed in materials handling applications.

Beyond soft starter technology, which starts the motor in a slow, controlled manner, a solid-state soft starter has the added capability of protecting the motor from an overload condition. It provides this protection by either electromechanical or electronic means, Both models have fully programmable electronic overload protection that meets code requirements. The ability to program the soft starter allows it to bridge the gap between full voltage starting and inverters while maintaining the flexibility of the latter.

Another form of soft starters, motor controllers, use a different approach to bringing the motor to speed in a controlled manner. Software security is fast becoming one of the hottest topics in computer software circles. Today, anyone can easily find a cracked version (software which comes with an illegal software key) by looking in the right places on the internet. In the real world software resale, software renting and software backup are all considered to be "software piracy".

Software Security – The Problem

Although, most countries have copyright laws which apply to software, these laws are rarely enforced and in some countries never enforced. It is virtually impossible to track who has an authentic copy of a software program and who doesn't. While software piracy may seem like a victimless crime, most piracy is done against small or medium companies. Software programmers spend years developing a program need to protect their hard work. In last few years with the lack of software protection enforcement, programmers have taken of the issue of Software security into their own hands.

Software Security – The Solution

There are a few companies today that develop Software security in order to make the application code and licensing rules hacker-proof from modifications and eliminations. One way to protect software is by using obfuscation code.

Software security - code obfuscation

Obfuscated code is source code that is (usually intentionally) very hard to read and understand. Some computer languages are more prone to obfuscation than others. C, C++ and Perl are most often cited as easily obfuscatable languages. Macro preprocessors are often used to create hard to read code by masking the standard language syntax and grammar from the main body of code. The term "shrouded code" has also been used.

Programs written in languages such as C++ or Pascal are compiled into the machine language of a given computer before they become a program. Programmers write "source code", computers run "machine code" so this conversion is necessary. There is (generally) a one way transformation from source code to machine code. Machine code is not encrypted and is easy for anyone to see, but the format is so tedious for humans that reverse-engineering efforts are slow and painful.

In-house application development organizations provide highly-customized, mission-critical software for enterprises worldwide. No less than ISVs (Independent Software Vendor) , these teams are in need of protection and control for their products – especially as they become more service-oriented, playing a more central role in overall enterprise business.

With an understanding that code protection and licensing schemes need to fully interoperate, in-house development teams are today taking a holistic approach to Software security that includes a more completed Software Lifecycle Management.