By now, most are familiar with the concept of DevSecOps. With DevSecOps, application security (AppSec) is moved to the beginning of the software development lifecycle (SDLC). By scanning earlier in the SDLC, you are able to find and fix flaws earlier. This can result in significant time and cost savings. Most organizations understand the importance of static analysis, which scans for flaws during development, but dynamic application security testing (DAST) is just as important.

We recently partnered with Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG) to survey software development and security professionals about modern application development and how applications are tested for security. The soon-to-be-announced survey found that 53% of organizations provide security training for developers less than once a year, which is woefully inadequate for the rapid pace of change in software development.

Texas passed House Bill 8 relating to cybersecurity for state agency information resources. The bill sets mandatory practices for state agencies, institutes continuous monitoring and auditing of network systems, adds protections for student data privacy, and updates the penalties for cybercrimes.

Your stakeholders have signed off on an application security program, you’ve selected a vendor … but now what? There is no detailed handbook or instruction manual for getting started because every organization is different. You need to formulate your own plan to make sure the program meets the individual needs of your organization.

If there’s one thing you need to value as you move through your career as a modern software developer, it’s the importance of security. With application layers increasing and the shift left movement bringing security into the picture earlier on the development process, security should be top of mind for every developer working to write and compile successful code.