Top 5 takeaways from the Application Security Posture Management Innovation Insights by Gartner

Since our ideation days back in 2020, Enso Security has been preaching what I like to call the “ASPM gospel.” While no approach to security is a magical, get rid of all your problems, solution (despite what marketeers like myself would like to tell you), we witnessed how the traditional, siloed approaches to AppSec were no longer working and wholeheartedly believe the industry must adopt a more risk-focused, data accountable and holistic approach. Created by AppSec professionals who grew tired of manual processes and the internal chaos when trying to manage software security, Enso Security was created on this exact mission. 

This is why we are so excited that Gartner has come out with the long awaited “Innovation Insight for Application Security Posture Management (ASPM).” The report highlights some important findings into the current state and future of Application Security Posture Management, and how organizations can use it to improve their overall security and business outcomes. In this blog, we will summarize the key takeaways from the report and what organizations should look for when choosing a vendor. 

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1. ASPM is becoming a critical tool for managing application security risks, and we are just at the beginning. The report highlights how ASPM solutions can help organizations manage the complexity and scale of modern application environments, predicting that “by 2026, over 40% of organizations developing proprietary applications will adopt ASPM to more rapidly identify and resolve application security issues.” As noted, ASPM is in its infancy and is still being defined in different ways, so when searching for a vendor make sure it hits the mark on your specific use cases. 

2. ASPM solutions must successfully integrate with other security tools and processes. A major benefit of ASPM is to get rid of the silos of visibility and responsibility which dominate traditional AppSec approaches, and replace them with a single, consolidated view of security-related information. As various teams or departments within an organization use multiple security tools, the success of an ASPM is based on broad internal buy-in, wide implementation and integration capabilities, including with vulnerability scanners, SIEM, bug bounty programs, and CI/CD pipelines.

3. ASPM solutions must provide actionable insights and prioritize remediation efforts. This is where ASPM can rise above traditional AppSec tools which are highly manual and lack powerful analyzation and prioritization mechanisms. ASPM tools are the next generation approach to AppSec, enabling teams to focus their efforts on those issues that will provide the greatest return in overall risk reduction, or as Enso calls them, the business critical assets. 

4. ASPM solutions must support multiple deployment models. The report notes that ASPM solutions need to support multiple deployment models, including on-premise, cloud, and hybrid environments. Before selecting an ASPM vendor, make sure they can support any legacy applications in your organization’s portfolio, as most tools are tailored for cloud-native applications.

5. Automation is key to effective ASPM. The report highlights that ASPM tools should automate as much of the testing and remediation process as possible to reduce the burden on security teams. This includes (but not limited) to automating the testing and remediation process, providing continuous testing and monitoring to ensure that new vulnerabilities are identified and remediated in a timely manner respective to their priority level. 

Thanks again to Gartner and the authors of the report for shedding light on what we consider to be the next widely adapted approach to AppSec. If you would like to talk AppSec, ASPM or discover how Enso Security can enable your organization to eliminate AppSec chaos, please feel free to reach out. 

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