Software applications have become core components of the business, but securing and gaining visibility into these applications is an issue CISOs consistently seem to lose sight of.
Organizations struggle to recruit the technical expertise needed to maintain application security (AppSec) programs, one of the many factors that have 78% of CISOs concerned about the unmanageability of their AppSec attack surfaces. With enterprises lacking the knowledge and resources to identify and manage AppSec risks, coupled with 77% struggling to determine ownership of AppSec programs, there is an obvious problem.
To overcome this obstacle, RiskApp is redefining what an AppSec program should look like.
AppSec requires posture management
Gartner defines application security posture management (ASPM) as a strategy that “analyzes security signals across software development, deployment, and operation to improve visibility, better manage vulnerabilities, and enforce controls.”
ASPM has become an essential element of DevOps, enabling teams to identify and resolve vulnerabilities proactively. It provides teams with a holistic view of vulnerabilities and risks, which allows them to quickly prioritize resolutions while keeping up with the rapid pace demands of modern development lifecycles. Gartner predicts that 40% of organizations will adopt an ASPM strategy within the next two years.
Developers are increasingly expected to take the lead on AppSec as they are the ones writing the code and building the application, so the thought is that ownership lies with them. This also ties in with the shift-left mentality – bringing security earlier into the CI/CD pipeline increases the chances of finding and resolving issues quickly. However, the reality is effective ASPM relies on the need for CISOs to own AppSec and empower their teams to develop with a security-first mindset.
The key ASPM challenges
However, there are several challenges in putting this into practice. One of the most pressing issues is a lack of visibility into risk posture. A fragmented selection of tools and processes means security and DevOps teams lack a single source of truth for risk and struggle to define clear AppSec priorities.
Furthermore, security heads tackling application security are often mired in technical debt, struggling to fully grasp the nuances of their organization’s AppSec posture and communicating these challenges to the board and other senior stakeholders. This can also lead to political struggles between departments -while DevOps may be taking on more security activity, they are not ultimately accountable for cybersecurity – that buck stops with the CISO.
These problems are exacerbated by the global shortfall of roughly four million cybersecurity positions. Highly specialist roles like AppSec feel this shortage even more acutely, as research has found that 58% percent of companies don’t have application security experts.
It’s time for a solution that can navigate the complexities and reduce the risks and burdens of managing and maintaining your application security program.
Putting CISOs back in the driving seat
Amidst this backdrop, RiskApp brings a new approach to ASPM. Our vision is centered on simplification, making advanced application security management accessible to a broader audience, including those without technical expertise. This innovative platform is designed to bridge the existing knowledge gap, enabling users to manage application security with the proficiency of seasoned experts.
By democratizing the process of securing applications, RiskApp addresses the issues preventing teams from dealing with application risk and provides CISOs with meaningful and actionable insights.
Connecting the missing link in ASPM
Most ASPM solutions today are centered around CI/CD activity, mapping processes to frameworks like NIST and MITRE. While this is important for addressing risk, it’s missing a crucial element – business context. To address the risks that truly matter, AppSec needs to be placed firmly in a business context.
RiskApp’s groundbreaking approach focuses on the creation of a customized risk score. By centralizing and normalizing data from diverse sources, including SAST, DAST, SCA, WAF, MFA and penetration tests. We enable security leaders to establish a comprehensive understanding of their unique application security needs.
Advanced analytics provides the insights needed to make confident, data-driven decisions that are always relevant to the organization’s needs. These insights also empower CISOs to explain application security to the board and other non-technical stakeholders by linking risk directly to the business context.
Find out how RiskApp can help you
RiskApp redefines ASPM by making it accessible and manageable, even for those without deep technical expertise. We empower security leaders to secure their digital assets effectively. Discover how RiskApp can simplify your ASPM process and bridge the expertise gap. Join us in creating a more secure digital future—explore RiskApp today.