Organizations can scale secure development practices effectively by integrating security into engineering workflows and empowering developers with actionable guidance.
This webinar showcased practical insights from experienced security leaders on embedding application security into the software development lifecycle using tools like SD Elements. The discussion covered real-world challenges, strategic approaches, and proven benefits from proactive security adoption.
What Prevents Proactive Security Adoption?
Security adoption struggles when leadership, enablement, expectations, and accountability are not aligned.
Tim Ferguson emphasized that security isn’t seen as special by developers unless it’s backed by organizational infrastructure:
- Leadership Commitment: Must go beyond lip service to set real priorities.
- Enablement: Includes training, tools, and support for teams.
- Clear Expectations: Developers need defined responsibilities.
- Accountability: Teams must be held accountable for secure practices.
Without these, security efforts often remain siloed or deprioritized.
Do Developers Naturally Prioritize Security?
Most developers won’t consider security unless explicitly required or rewarded for it.
A webinar poll revealed:
- 50% said developers are “somewhat likely” to consider security
- 39% said “not very likely”
Developers are primarily incentivized to ship features, not manage security risks. Without built-in expectations and incentives, security is often overlooked.
Why SD Elements?
SD Elements enables scalable, secure development by delivering customized, actionable guidance to developers.
Tim shared a multi-stage journey:
- Initial SDL approach with centralized security experts
- Scaling via internal product security engineers
- Expanded training programs
- Adopted SD Elements to automate guidance and reduce expert dependency
This approach made it possible for non-experts to act on secure development tasks effectively, closing the gap between policy and implementation.
How Does SD Elements Fit Into the Security Toolchain?
SD Elements complements existing tools by addressing design and requirement-level security gaps.
| Tool Type | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Static Code Analysis | Finds issues in existing code |
| Runtime Protections | Detects issues in deployed applications |
| SD Elements | Identifies missing security controls upfront |
Tanya Skinner stressed that no single tool is sufficient. SD Elements fills a key gap: helping developers define secure requirements from the start.
What Do Developers Value Most in a Security Tool?
Actionable, developer-friendly guidance is the top priority for adoption.
Poll results showed:
- Actionable guidance ranked highest
- Other factors, like integration and automation, were also valued
Given gaps in formal education, developers rely on tools like SD Elements for practical security know-how embedded into their workflow.
How to Drive Adoption and Overcome Resistance
Trust in the tool’s knowledge base and seamless integration into workflows are key to adoption.
Tanya outlined strategies:
- Validate the content: Internal security engineers rated SD Elements’ tasks for accuracy.
- Feedback loops: Flagged items were reviewed and refined with vendor support.
- Integrated delivery: Tasks pushed into Jira helped reduce workflow disruption.
This approach built trust and reduced pushback, especially among initially skeptical experts.
What Was the Business Impact?
SD Elements improved security awareness and reduced vulnerabilities by embedding secure thinking across the org.
Biggest benefits observed:
- Developers had “aha” moments realizing prior habits led to vulnerabilities.
- A security-first mindset spreads organically.
- Vulnerabilities were found in all types of code, not just security-specific logic.
| Business Benefit | Result |
| Fewer vulnerabilities | Developers learned secure practices proactively |
| Security culture shift | Security became part of an engineering mindset |
| Knowledge retention | Guidance used in real-time reinforced best practices |
Key Advice for Getting Started
Treat application security as an engineering process improvement initiative, not just a tool rollout.
Tanya and Tim recommended:
- Understand your org culture: Use top-down mandates or peer influencers as needed.
- Start small and scale: Pilot with representative teams, measure impact.
- Secure executive sponsorship: Leadership backing ensures alignment and accountability.
- Integrate into dev workflows: Meet teams where they are (e.g., Jira).
SD Elements works best when it’s aligned with how developers already work, supported by clear processes and change management.
Final Thoughts
Security is becoming a non-negotiable business requirement driven by both risk and regulation.
With increasing compliance pressures like the EU Cyber Resilience Act and the U.S. Cyber Trust Mark, proactive security isn’t optional. Organizations that embed security into their development processes early will:
- Reduce risk
- Improve product quality
- Gain a competitive advantage
SD Elements provides a scalable foundation to make this possible.