The software development lifecycle (SDLC) has been around for many years. The SDLC is composed of clearly defined work phases used by systems engineers and developers in order to plan, design, build, test, and deliver software projects. The SDLC is focused on delivering quality systems that meet or exceed a customer’s expectations based on their initial requirements. Software developers use this as the standard by which they develop and deliver software.
Benefits of using the SDLC
The SDLC is designed to help produce quality software at a cost effective rate. Once a software application is developed, the SDLC connects the proper lifecycle of it from the time it is deployed to the time it is no longer needed. The SLC methodology has several phase including analysis, construction, testing, release, and maintenance. You should include security testing as part of this lifecycle. Businesses benefit from this lifecycle as it organizes all phases software goes through and offers a finite date for which the project needs to be refreshed or updated. Other benefits include the fact that applications are easier to change if they have a phased lifecycle. Businesses are not tied down to a specific infrastructure and can benefit from a customized system in less time than it would take to deploy packaged software. Segments of code can be reused which also saves time and money.
Phases
- Phase 1 of the SDLC is the requirements phase. In this phase the customer defines their requirements for the software project. All the goals and requirements are developed in this stage.
- Phase 2 is the software design phase. In this phase software developers begin to design some of the code for the project based on the customer’s requirements from phase 1. The project begins to take shape as all the goals and objectives are planed out.
- Phase 3 is the software development phase. In this phase the developers begin to engineer the project and write the segments of code needed to fulfill the objectives of the requirements set out from phase 2.
- Phase 4 is the testing and deployment phase. In this phase the software has already been developed and completed and is now being tested to see if it works as initially planned. These tests should include static and dynamic analysis and should be security tested to discover any vulnerabilities. The security testing should include a penetration test. A penetration test will discover any vulnerabilities a hacker may use to exploit the system. Once the software works as planned and has the proper security it can be delivered to the client to implement and move onto the next phase.
- Phase 5 is the final phase in the SDLC which is the maintenance phase. This is the most expensive phase of the SDLC depending on the life of the software. Security always needs to be updated, new features can be added, and any issues need to be resolved. This is ongoing throughout the life of the software and is more expensive than the events in the previous phases.
