Introduction: Why ASPM Matters
The multitude of devices, applications, servers, and systems that exist in enterprise environments requires vigorous protection in the ever-expanding landscape of security threats. Given how essential these components are, they each demand a tailored approach. Application Security Posture Management, or ASPM, is specifically designed to address and enhance the security of applications employed by and built for enterprise environments.
Cybersecurity principles must be incorporated into applications from the start, which is often a challenge in siloed teams. The level of thoughtfulness and foresight required to go into their development and usage is unprecedented, given the rapid technological change in which both occur. Advancements in engineering, computing power, AI, and machine learning make possible the development of cutting-edge tools and software that become essential for organizations—and also present an attractive target for cybercrime, given the lucrative, sensitive, and expensive data they carry.
Enterprises and organizations have not just an obligation but a dire need to keep their assets safe and protect their valuable proprietary data from bad actors. Investing in a dedicated SecOps division that would oversee the security posture effort, including ASPM, endpoint security, and others, is an additional contribution towards fostering a secure and resilient environment that protects reputation and inspires trust.
What is Application Security Posture Management (ASPM)?
Application Security Posture Management is a concentrated approach to managing the security of applications used across enterprise environments, which may encompass the assessment, buying, implementation, and in-house development and integration of applications, APIs, databases, and data flows. ASPM is an essential area of investment for enterprises dealing with large swaths of sensitive and/or proprietary data, like government agencies, financial, and medical institutions, although in the current cybersecurity landscape, an organization of any size stands to benefit from ASPM.
The key components of Application Security Posture Management include:
- Assessment and analysis of applications in use, in development, and within cloud environments, including against the latest security threats
- Vulnerability management, integration with security testing tools and ticketing systems
- Development of policy for application standards and its enforcement to ensure consistency
The function of ASPM seamlessly integrates into the mandate of security operations (SecOps) that work to standardize security practices and bridge the gaps between teams to improve and maintain security posture across environments not limited to applications.
What is Security Operations (SecOps)?
SecOps promotescybersecurity at an organizational level, acting as a multidisciplinary team to reconcile any differences between the development and the IT security teams should such differences or conflicts arise. A SecOps branch is all but a requirement in a large enterprise that typically contains multiple divisions, teams, systems, and networks.
SecOps acts to foresee, mediate, and balance the pace of operations with reasonable yet comprehensive measures to strengthen the security posture of the enterprise. They walk a fine line between “moving fast and breaking things” and “the slow and the cautious.” A rapid pace of development may result in rushed products with security gaps and hidden vulnerabilities that may be discovered too late into development or not at all. On the other hand, projects with a deliberate, careful, and security-first approach may be preferred from a security standpoint but require a great expense and length to complete – a degree of caution that is impractical with respect to the needs of the business.
SecOps’ mandate is proactively monitoring, detecting, and responding to security threats in all contexts of enterprise operations. From endpoint security to ASPM, to updating incident response playbooks and spearheading cybersecurity training and education, SecOps champions the concept of “proactive cybersecurity” organization-wide.
Key Roles in a SecOps Team
A successful cross-functional SecOps team needs highly trained and educated cybersecurity specialists providing expertise in the following key areas.
The SecOps Manager oversees the overall functions of the SecOps team, typically reporting to the Chief Information Officer (CIO) and/or Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). This is the person who gives the security operations shape and direction, making it the highest-responsibility hire on the team. The head of SecOps is also tasked with hiring other team members, making decisions about the technological toolstack, and liaising with heads of other teams and departments.
Security Engineers take charge of protecting and securing the systems, networks, and data of the organization. Their core responsibilities lie in the design and implementation of security solutions, hands-on threat intelligence, and incident response to support the efforts of security analysts.
Security Analysts proactively monitor and hunt for threats in the organization’s systems, working with logs, traffic, and data streams to identify vulnerabilities, mitigate risks, triage issues, and respond to incidents when and if they occur.
SecOps and ASPM: Cooperation and Best Practices
SecOps teams are an asset to an organization’s security posture as they work to strengthen its overall defense, from process reviews, integrating tools, monitoring and incident response to staff education and cybersecurity initiatives company-wide.
ASPM encompasses everything to do with application-level security visibility and vulnerability management. ASPM occupies itself with the full application lifecycle within an organization’s systems, from development or integration to deployment and use. Proactive monitoring from the start catches issues early, allowing the development team to address them as they go, avoiding costly vulnerability patching post-deployment.
Should security incidents occur, both ASPM and SecOps boost the incident response capabilities of an organization. At the application level, a fine-tuned ASPM solution provides alerts and builds hierarchies of priority, allowing teams to respond in near-real time. SecOps oversees the response from the overall security perspective, using insight from ASPM to analyze the incidents, find their root cause, and update policies and protocols to prevent future occurrences of threats of similar nature.
The best practices for SecOps teams strengthening the security posture with ASPM systems are standard for an organization with good cybersecurity hygiene. Three key areas include:
- Creation of an incident response plan that outlines the procedures, protocols, and triaging criteria for incidents that take into account the risk and business impact. Advanced ASPM solutions with AI and machine learning capabilities may predict potential threats and implement proactive measures before incidents take place.
- Tracking of main incident response metrics and their continuous improvement:
- Mean Time to Detect (MTTD), the length of time from the occurrence to the detection of a security incident.
- Mean Time to Resolution (MTTR), the length of time from detection to its successful resolution.
- Mean Time to Restore Services (MTRS), the length of time required to mitigate the disruption caused by a security incident.
- Continuous skill improvement, training, and education for all members of the SecOps team to stay current with new threats and tools.
Conclusion
SecOps and ASPM working in tandem are a tangible asset to an enterprise that chooses to invest in them. SecOps, with a built-in layer of ASPM solutions to support its functions, works around the clock to reduce security risk, ensure compliance, and build trust in the organization’s practices. Cybersecurity education for teams provides the upskilling necessary to stay up-to-date with the current cybersecurity landscape, strengthening teams and their ability to safeguard not just company internal assets and data but its reputation and security posture overall.
