2 weeks Ago
In the interconnected age of today, businesses are increasingly relying on technology. This arises the need for protecting Intellectual Property (IP). Now, for companies relying on external partners for product development, this becomes challenging as proprietary technology and code need to be shared but also safeguarded.
Working on this challenge is Omkar Wagle, a distinguished engineer with a company specializing in operating systems for TVs and set-top boxes. He has developed a strong system which protects sensitive code from being shared inadvertently—without slowing down collaboration. As a member of an organisation that partners with various system-on-chip (SoC) vendors, the developer has faced a big challenge.
Discussing the same, he mentioned, “Certain proprietary algorithms and features that give us a competitive edge are not shared to protect our intellectual property.” Talking about the earlier approach of work, the professional stated, “Initially, we conducted code audits every six months, a month before the release date. This involved manually comparing the previous release with the current commits to identify new modules added to the source code.
For every new module, we would contact the module owners for review, which typically took a day or two.” But this process was inefficient, often taking weeks and leaving room for errors. “Given that thousands of lines of code are added to our operating system source code over six months, this process was extremely time-consuming, error-prone, and tedious,” shared the engineer.
As code bases grew and more modules were added, the chances of missing unauthorized or sensitive changes increased. With their critical IP at stake, the team realized that waiting for a semi-annual review cycle was no longer practical. Instead, they needed a way to track changes continuously and detect any unauthorized modifications as soon as they happened.
This is when Omkar Wagle rose to the occasion, designing and implementing a solution using Flask—a lightweight web framework. The new application integrates seamlessly with GitLab, a widely used version control platform, and tracks every new merge request. To explain its working simply—when a developer submits a change, the application compares the new code with the existing structure of the codebase.
If any changes or modules that shouldn’t be shared are found, the system sends immediate notifications to the team. This solution ensures that unauthorized code is flagged before it can be merged, minimizing the risk of IP leakage. The impact of this shift has been dramatic.
“By automating the detection of new modules in real-time, I eliminated the inefficiencies of the manual audit process, reduced the risk of accidental leaks, and ensured that our intellectual property remains protected,” he noted. What once took weeks to review now happens in a matter of days. The team has opted to review each module individually rather than auditing all changes for an entire 6 months.
By using real-time auditing, the process has become more effective, giving the team more confidence in their ability to protect sensitive data and work effectively with external partners. By moving to real-time auditing, valuable resources are saved, allowing the firm to focus on other tasks and improve the development cycle. The organisation’s partnerships are also strengthened.
Now, looking forward at the broader picture, industry experts see automation and AI-driven tools as key players in the future of software development and IP protection. As DevSecOps and similar technologies grow, the need for real-time monitoring will increase. These practices will help detect issues early and keep sensitive information secure.
Lastly, by embracing real-time, automated solutions, companies can protect their technological advantages without stifling innovation or teamwork. In an industry where both speed and security are critical, this shift in process is an important step forward for anyone working with sensitive code..
