EXPERT SYSTEMS ANALYSIS FOR DEEPER INSIGHT

Our support and advance plan helped improve security and system performance

Miles IT helps NCS (National Credit-Reporting System, Inc.) accomplish more by providing analysis and consulting services for their existing software systems as part of an ongoing “Support & Advance” plan. Miles helps NCS interpret and take action on third-party security scans that identify potential vulnerabilities in its application, and provides ongoing analysis & recommendations that focus on enhancing the application’s performance. These services enable NCS to ensure security and performance without having to hire in-house experts.

THE CHALLENGE: A KNOWLEDGE GAP

IT management team lacked security and application performance experts

NCS’s IT management team did not have cybersecurity and application performance experts in-house to help analyze issues & make recommendations to resolve vulnerability problems identified by third-party vendors and performance issues reported by their own growing user base. Hiring experts in-house would significantly increase their costs, and any time devoted to these issues would take their IT management team away from other critical tasks to maintain operations. NCS required a solution that would address the following objectives:

Security Analysis (AND remediation)

NCS had a third-party security verification company to perform static code scans to identify vulnerabilities in their application. The company provided results and identified vulnerabilities without having domain knowledge of the actual application. NCS required security experts to review the results, interpret the data, and provide solutions to address the vulnerabilities found.

Performance Analysis (AND improvement)

NCS needed their application to perform efficiently to provide the level and speed of service they expect for their customers. Performance issues cause downtime and slow down order processing. They relied heavily on the application to run their entire business operations. NCS did not have DBA and application performance experts in-house to identify performance issues, analyze the cause, and provide recommendations to address and mitigate them. And, as they grew, they couldn’t afford to live with inefficiencies.

THE SOLUTION: ASSIGNED EXPERTS, SERVICES, AND TOOLS

Leveraging our experience in software analysis

Miles IT reviewed NCS’s objectives and challenges to develop a solution that would protect against potential application security vulnerabilities while improving performance at the same time. The service plan includes not only the analysis & consultation services, but actual solutions! Our team of software professionals identified several ways we could help NCS accomplish more by providing them with the expertise, services, and tools to address ongoing security and application performance issues.

On-Demand Security Experts

Miles provided a full-scope analysis and action plan to help interpret the third-party scan results AND help improve the actual security stance of the NCS software applications based on the analysis. In-house Miles security and application experts were assigned to analyze the issues identified in the report. After reviewing the data, our experts provided recommendations and specific mitigation and remediation solutions to address the application’s security issues, and even helped implement the appropriate updates.

Application Performance Tools and Services

Our software consultants designed and implemented Performance Monitoring & Improvement Services into NCS’s Support & Advance plan that provided the following proactive services & tools:

Database Performance Analysis

Miles also included database analysis services for NCS that apply a combination of analysis tools and expert DBA’s to identify slow-running database queries to be refactored, creating appropriate indexes to improve performance, and setting up regular database maintenance plans to ensure that the database performs optimally.

THE RESULTS: TEAM EFFECTIVENESS

Improved focus on critical IT issues

With Miles’ help, NCS doesn’t have to hire and keep security and application performance experts on staff. Their IT management team can focus on other essential tasks with the peace of mind that having Miles IT as a partner brings. At the same time, they have access to our experts when needed, reducing unnecessary costs while mitigating security vulnerabilities and ensuring peak application performance.

Workforce Efficiency

NCS’s IT Management team can depend on Miles’ experts while they focus on other critical IT issues. NCS staff can get their jobs done efficiently with high-performing software.

Proactive Support

Our experts can review all details provided by third-party vendors and tools or use our own to identify issues and recommend solutions before they significantly impact operations.

Reduced Costs

Our solution ensures that NCS can resolve security and performance issues without hiring additional in-house staff or investing in new systems to manage ongoing or future challenges.