Situation

• Motorola designs and delivers "must have" products, "must do" experiences and powerful networks, along with a full complement of support services
• Motorola's end users rely on the company's products to connect seamlessly to people, information and entertainment
• With infrastructure increasingly protected, intruders are looking for softer targets and find them in software
• As a leader in the industry, Motorola set out to ensure that its software developers lead the field in security knowledge and expertise

Approach

• Motorola made the decision to work with the industry leader in secure software development
• Motorola adopted the complete TELUS Assurent Secure Software Development Model and engaged TELUS Assurent to assist with its customization and integration into their development process

Business Benefits

• The process of embedding security into every aspect of Motorola's software development lifecycle was significantly accelerated
• Motorola has developed improved software security processes and developer security training packages
• An official security program for Motorola software engineers is now part of the curriculum at Motorola University and has already been taken by over 90% of the Motorola Software Group's engineers
• Development cycles have been shortened and the solution is well on its way to repaying the company's investment

Solution

Motorola is known around the world for innovation and leadership in wireless and broadband communications.  Inspired by their vision of Seamless Mobility, Motorola is committed to helping their customers connect simply and seamlessly to the people, information and entertainment they want and need.  Motorola designs and delivers "must have" products, "must do" experiences and powerful networks--along with a full complement of support services.

Realizing the Seamless Mobility vision requires world-class software and Motorola recognizes the critical role security plays in software development and delivery of its "must have" products.  Anson Chen, Corporate Vice President, Motorola Software Group explains.  "Software is now the prime point of access for hackers.  Companies have learned how to protect their systems at the infrastructure level, so hackers and other criminals are looking for softer targets."

Headquartered in Schaumburg, Illinois, Motorola's Software Group has more than 5,000 engineers globally, researching and developing production-level software used in Motorola's products, such as the Moto Q™ and MotoRazr.  Motorola uses a Digital Six Sigma process for software development and over 90% of the company's engineers are CMMI certified.

With security in mind, Motorola Software Group set out to ensure that its developers are fully versed in secure software architecture, secure software implementation practices, software security testing and all other security-sensitive processes at each stage of the software development lifecycle.

The group turned to Assurent to help train its developers in these all-important areas.  Recognized by other software security vendors as having the top vulnerability research lab in the industry, Assurent was acquired by TELUS in April 2006 and renamed TELUS Assurent Security Solutions.

As an Internet provider, TELUS is all to aware of the importance of security, while as a provider of managed solutions,the company is an ideal partner for Motorola.  "We work with TELUS on a number of fronts, so we know they share our views on the importance of security.  We also know that Assurent has unique expertise in software security," says Chen.  "More than just providing us with patches, they work with us to ensure that security becomes an integral part of our software development process."

To speed the process of embedding security into its development systems, to assure the quality of results and to decrease costs.  Motorola decided to leverage the TELUS Assurent Secure Development Model.  A sophisticated and comprehensive framework, it includes over 50 highly specialized documents that comprise secure development practices, processes and training materials access all aspects of software development.  Combined with consulting services from TELUS Assurent Security Solutions, this licensable intellectual property greatly accelerates a developer's adoption of security best practices.

Motorola licensed the complete document set and engaged TELUS Assurent Security Solutions to help integrate the materials into their existing development processes.  Thanks to this approach, Motorola:

• Developed an even better understanding of current software security processes and product security capabilities
• Developed improved software security processes and developer security training packages
• Launched an official security program for Motorola software engineers.  Part of the curriculum at Motorola University, the course has already been taken by over 90% of the Motorola Software Group's engineers.

Thanks to its work with TELUS, Motorola has a strong program for secure software development.  In addition, development cycles have been shortened and the solution is well on its way to repaying the company's investment.  "By leveraging TELUS Assurent's materials and training documents for secure software development, and by working with TELUS Assurent Security Solutions to customize them to fit into our framework, we've been able to implement our program and in far less time than it would otherwise have taken," says Chen.