How DNV safeguards Synergi Life: A comprehensive approach to cybersecurity

Ensuring the security of DNV’s Synergi Life

As technology advances, so do the risks associated with cyber vulnerabilities, making secure software solutions a necessity. Cyber threats are more sophisticated and relentless than ever, placing immense pressure on organisations to safeguard their digital ecosystems. A single vulnerability in a software system can lead to data breaches, financial losses, and irreparable damage to an organisation's reputation. This reality underscores the critical need for a robust cybersecurity program to protect against emerging threats.

At DNV, we recognize the importance of providing our customers with a safe and secure software environment. Our Synergi Life application is built with security as a fundamental principle, ensuring customers can focus on their core operations without the fear of compromising sensitive data. Here’s how DNV ensures the security of Synergi Life throughout the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC).

 

security in the synergi life development cycle

Plan & design: Building security from the start

Security is embedded into the earliest stages of Synergi Life’s development process, starting with security requirements specification. This ensures that every feature designed into the platform adheres to stringent security guidelines. During the planning phase, threat modelling and mitigation planning sessions are held to identify potential risks and define strategies to address them. These proactive sessions allow the team to evaluate potential attack vectors for new features and ensure the system is designed to withstand them.

Furthermore, DNV’s secure coding standards framework guides developers to write code that minimizes vulnerabilities from the outset. This framework is aligned with industry best practices and ensures that secure development principles are consistently applied across all projects.

Develop & test: Ensuring code quality and security

During the development phase, DNV follows a Secure Development Life Cycle (SDLC), which incorporates multiple layers of security testing and validation. All code changes are subjected to a peer review process, ensuring that another layer of scrutiny is applied before they are merged into the main release branch. Synergi Life also uses a hotfix-ready approach, allowing the team to implement patches or fixes for any vulnerabilities detected after release.

Security testing is an integral part of the development phase. This includes a wide range of practices, such as Static Application Security Testing (SAST), Software Composition Analysis (SCA), third-party license scans, and header security scans. DNV leverages automated tools to conduct these tests continuously, ensuring that every build meets security standards before deployment. In addition, Application Security Self-Assessments (ASSA) and external penetration testing provide further validation of the system’s security posture.

Testing environments are isolated from production systems, ensuring that vulnerabilities identified during testing are not carried over into live environments. Automated testing systems also run regularly, flagging any inconsistencies or security issues for immediate attention.

Release & deployment: Secure and efficient rollouts

When it comes to deployment, DNV applies a meticulous process to ensure security and compliance. Retrospective learning meetings are held after every release to review the deployment process, identify areas for improvement, and ensure that lessons learned are integrated into future releases. Before any release goes live, an internal security policy check is conducted to ensure that all security measures have been met.

This careful planning and attention to detail during the release phase ensure that Synergi Life is deployed with minimal risk, allowing customers to benefit from new features without compromising on security.

Operate & monitor: Ongoing protection and monitoring

After deployment, DNV remains vigilant in protecting Synergi Life through a robust set of monitoring and security protocols. DNV’s VerIT Infrastructure Security Policies provide multi-factor authentication (MFA) and password policies to ensure secure access control. Change and patch management systems are in place to ensure that any updates are thoroughly tested and deployed quickly.

DNV implements disaster recovery procedures and regular testing, ensuring that Synergi Life can recover from unexpected disruptions. In addition, encryption at rest and in transit, along with appropriate logging, ensures that sensitive data is always protected.

Proactive security measures are also employed, such as daily vulnerability scanning, real-time alerts, and AI-powered threat detection. These tools ensure that the Synergi Life team is constantly aware of potential security risks and can respond rapidly to emerging threats. Major incident handling procedures are well-defined to deal with any security breaches swiftly and effectively, ensuring customer data remains safe.

To further safeguard operations, DNV conducts regular security and access reviews, and anonymization procedures are employed where appropriate, protecting customer data privacy.

Comprehensive security frameworks at DNV

At DNV, security extends beyond just development and technical aspects—it is ingrained throughout the entire organization. The Group Security Organization manages security initiatives such as asset inventories, document classification, and data governance, ensuring that all information is handled securely. DNV also complies with ISO 27001 standards, ensuring that information security management is aligned with global best practices. A robust Document Management System (DMS) further strengthens document security, managing access and protecting sensitive information throughout its lifecycle.

Employee training and security awareness

In addition to technical safeguards, DNV emphasizes the importance of employee training and awareness to foster a security-first culture. Personnel and supplier vetting ensures that only individuals and partners who meet DNV’s strict security standards are engaged. DNV’s Security Black Belt Scheme, Extensive Security Awareness Programs, and the Security Champions Network are designed to equip employees with the knowledge and skills to identify and mitigate threats.

The Cyber and Data Information Hubs serve as a central resource for ongoing security training, while DNV’s comprehensive onboarding and offboarding procedures ensure that security is maintained at every stage of an employee’s journey.

Why security matters in today’s software solutions

Cybersecurity is a growing concern for organizations across all industries, and selecting the right software is crucial. While powerful features and user-friendly interfaces are important, they should never come at the cost of security. A software application with weak security protocols can introduce vulnerabilities into an organisation’s IT infrastructure, making it an attractive target for cybercriminals.

When evaluating software solutions, businesses must ensure that security is integrated into the core of the application. This includes regular vulnerability scanning, fast patching capabilities, and external testing. Additionally, it is critical to select a software provider like DNV, which prioritises security at every stage of development, providing peace of mind that your business operations are safeguarded.

Choosing software that secures your organization

As cyber threats continue to grow in scale and sophistication, organisations must be diligent in choosing software solutions that prioritize security. At DNV, we understand that security is not optional but essential. Our Synergi Life platform reflects our unwavering commitment to keeping our customers’ data safe, allowing them to operate with confidence in a secure digital environment.

When selecting software for your organisation, always consider its security credentials. Ensure the software provider has robust measures in place, such as regular security scans, hotfix readiness, and external testing, to protect your organisation from vulnerabilities. With Synergi Life, you can trust that you are choosing a solution that puts your organization’s security first.