Review: Fortify Source Code Analysis

For: Scans code prior to implementation to catch holes before they happen.
Against: For the non-full-time programmer, the utility might be a bit tricky.
Verdict: A great CASE program, which should be used as part of any system development lifecycle.

This ties tightly to the PCI-DSS standards, which require code reviews, and also should be part of a SDLC (system development life cycle). The use of source code analysis is, of course, the best way to spot flaws and, unlike most of the products we tested, is not a black box test.

Source Code Analysis (SCA) suite supports many languages — including ASP.NET, C/C++, C#, ColdFusion, Java, JSP, PL/SQL, T-SQL, XML, VB.NET and other .NET languages.

Source Code Analysis (SCA) suite also supports several development environments, such as Microsoft Visual Studio, Eclipse, WebSphere Application Developer and IBM Rational Application Developer. Source Code Analysis Suite can be installed on a variety of operating systems, including Windows, Mac, Solaris, Linux, AIX and HPUX.

The installation of the suite was simple and the utility automatically downloads updates during part of the installation process. The process was a bit time-consuming as the process configured the system.

The application installation performs most of the configuration without the need for user intervention. All in all, the installation process was among the simplest in this Group Test.

The suite arrived with a guide for the initial installation in hard copy. A PDF version of the document is also available. The PDF files are not indexed and searchable, so the PDF needs to be scanned manually.

Support is offered through phone and a password-protected web portal, and also through email. In addition, the standard price allows for quarterly updates for the latest security tests for code review. Phone support is available 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pacific Standard Time.

The pricing for Source Code Analysis (SCA) suite is $1,200 per developer. This prices Source Code Analysis (SCA) suite at the low end of the spectrum. For a feature rich CASE environment, this price is definitely a value.

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