People, process, technology: How to shift security testing left successfully


The benefits of shift-left security are clear. It puts security testing in the hands of the engineers who write the code, enabling vulnerability fixes to occur before software hit production. This provides fixers with faster feedback loops on vulnerabilities found, as well as ensuring more efficient time to feature delivery and cohesive teamwork between security and development teams. With all the benefits that come with shifting API and web application security left, it’s no wonder that 57 percent of security team members have either already shifted their security strategy left or are planning to do so this year, according to a GitLab survey.
So, how do organizations implement a shift-left security strategy successfully? The answer lies in the popular three-legged stool analogy: assessing the process, people, and technology behind this major organizational change, and how they all can work together interdependently.
Driving a people-first approach to digital adoption


There’s no doubt that change is stressful; it’s how organizations handle it that makes all the difference. The key to making it a success comes down to reducing as much friction as possible through understanding the customers day to day use cases, creating a sound communication plan, and providing a realistic timeline for delivery.
If you’re looking to implement new technologies, that’s where a robust user adoption strategy needs to come in. Its role is to lay the groundwork for a positive experience, while mitigating the negative connotations that come with change. In doing so, it will help employees to embrace new tools, use them to their full potential and ultimately improve working practices. A successful user adoption strategy starts with understanding the problem, the people, the processes and how the new ways of working are going to affect the user -- before the change happens. This helps to ensure that the roll-out is smooth, cohesive and everyone has the same expectations.