Do you follow a holistic approach to application security (AppSec)? Or do you rely on point solutions to guide your strategy?
Many organisations and their developers rely on point solutions to address AppSec. These might include Web Application Firewalls (WAF), Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST), and Code Review tools, which are excellent approaches to securing applications but can make things difficult when used separately. Leveraging multiple solutions in isolation often leads to complexity, higher costs, and security gaps.
For your organisation to truly improve AppSec, you need a holistic approach. For some, this change is already happening. A 2022 Gartner survey found that 75% of organisations planned to consolidate their security vendors, an increase from 29% in 2020. If you are among these organisations, how can AppSec as a Service support you?
Understanding AppSec as a Service
AppSec as a Service is an external team that continually improves security and embeds it into your software development life cycle (SDLC). Some point solutions rely on periodic audits that may not account for new vulnerabilities that emerge between assessments. AppSec as a Service uses automated security testing, ongoing vulnerability management, and consultation to monitor for and address problems as they arise. It provides up-to-date security measures and comprehensive defence against various threats to improve application resilience.
Regular assessments and continuous monitoring by AppSec as a Service provides actionable risk mitigation tailored to specific application stacks. This approach helps your organisation avoid new threats, allocate security resources and budgets properly, and focus on high-risk areas to maximise ROI.
Point solutions cause fragmentation
Point solutions have the common problem of fragmenting AppSec. When you have multiple tools targeting specific threats, you will inherently have gaps in your security coverage. As a result, managing point solutions demands significant resources and expertise that leads to inefficiencies and a complex security management landscape.
AppSec as a Service uses an integrated approach to prevent fragmentation from occurring. A team with diverse experiences handles AppSec to combine various aspects of security and provide cohesive protection. This holistic approach streamlines processes, enhances protection effectiveness, and reduces the complexity of managing multiple tools.
Moreover, AppSec as a Service improves visibility and control over security. When the organisation no longer uses point solutions, it becomes easier to manage the tools used, track alerts, and gain a clearer view of the vulnerabilities present.
Point solutions complicate monitoring
Continuous real-time monitoring supports quick threat detection and response, which enables AppSec teams to maintain application integrity and security. While point solutions include alerts, the lack of integration makes it difficult to keep up with notifications from each. Every point solution will also have its own data set and information, which means it becomes complex to reconcile the data between solutions.
AppSec as a Service improves monitoring by using integrated security solutions. This is particularly pertinent as the latest Notifiable Data Breaches report from the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), covering January to June 2023, found that 23% of breaches from malicious or criminal attacks took more than 30 days to identify. Data breaches caused by system faults took longer to identify, with 43% remaining unidentified for more than 30 days.
Time taken to identify breaches by the source of the breach
Point solutions become costlier over time
Due to their fragmentation, point solutions cost your business more over time. Each tool requires individual investment, and as an organisation grows and its security needs change, the cumulative cost of maintaining multiple tools increases. In contrast, AppSec as a Service reduces the need for multiple security tools. Its adaptability to evolving security needs means businesses can respond to new threats without constantly investing in new solutions.
Your organisation’s AppSec needs are not the same as another. AppSec as a Service delivers customisable security solutions that meet each company’s unique needs. Customisations account for your organisation’s operational environments, threat landscapes and compliance requirements. Rather than taking a blanket approach, AppSec as a Service targets the vulnerabilities most relevant to your business and enables you to allocate resources more effectively.
Conclusion
AppSec as a Service simplifies security by minimising the limitations of point solutions. It removes fragmentation by leveraging integrated solutions that offer continuous improvements, real-time monitoring and customisations for comprehensive, up-to-date defences against today’s threats.
Most notably, AppSec as a Service also provides a more cost-effective approach. It offers tailored security solutions that address each organisation’s changing needs to ensure that your security solutions focus on only the right moves for your organisation. AppSec as a Service also removes the need to invest in multiple, individual cyber security tools.
Why choose AppSec as a Service from Galah Cyber?
Our AppSec as a Service offering ensures that your software applications and related infrastructure are secure, reliable and compliant. Our expert team identifies and assesses security risks to deliver actionable insights and address potential application vulnerabilities at every stage – from the software development lifecycle to applications operating in live environments. Please visit our AppSec as a Service page for more information.
