How might a corporation use reverse engineering to convert to a new database management system? How might it use reverse engineering to uncover the trade secrets behind a competitor’s software?

Answer 1

Reverse engineering is the process of taking something apart in order to understand it, build a copy of it, or improve it. Using reverse engineering, the corporation can use the code of the current database programming language to recover the design of the information system application. Next, code-generation tools can be used to take the design and produce code in the new database programming language. This reverse-engineering and code-generating process greatly reduces the time and cost needed to migrate the organization’s applications to the new database management system.

Decompilers and other reverse-engineering techniques can be used to reveal a competitor’s program code, which can then be used to develop a new program that either duplicates the original or interfaces with the program. Thus, reverse engineering provides a way to gain access to information that another organization may have copyrighted or classified as a trade secret.