IT security protects the integrity of information technologies like computer systems, networks, and data from attack, damage, or unauthorized access. A business trying to compete in a world of digital transformation needs to understand how to adopt security solutions that begin with design. This is what it means to “shift security left”—to make security a part of the infrastructure and product lifecycle as early as possible. This helps security be both proactive and reactive.

Continuous security is fed by a routine system of feedback and adaptation, often handled through the use of automatic checkpoints. Automation ensures fast and effective feedback that doesn’t slow the product lifecycle down. Integrating security in this way also means that updates and responses can be implemented quickly and holistically as the security landscape changes.

Containers make it easy to build, package, and promote an application or service across different environments and deployment targets. But there are some challenges to container security. Static security policies and checklists don’t scale for containers in the enterprise. The supply chain needs more security policy services. Teams need to balance the networking and governance needs of containers. Build and runtime tools and services need decoupling.

Not sure where to start?

While many people understand the benefits of cloud computing, they’re equally deterred by the security threats. We get it. It’s hard to wrap your head around something that exists somewhere between amorphous resources sent through the internet and a physical server. It’s a dynamic environment where things are always changing—like security threats.

You probably don’t keep your savings under your mattress. Most people keep their money in a trusted environment (the bank) and use separate methods to authorize and authenticate payments. API security is similar. You need a trusted environment with policies for authentication and authorization.

API security best practices include the use of tokens, encryption and signatures, quotas and throttling, and an API gateway. Most importantly, though, API security relies on good API management.

Digital transformation often makes IT feel stuck between a rock and a hard place. Your business needs to cut costs and innovate to remain competitive, but you also need to maintain ever-evolving security and regulatory compliance across an increasingly distributed and complex technological landscape. You need a security program that includes continuous monitoring so you always know what’s happening, and a clear response plan to calmly and efficiently handle surprises when they do happen.

Continuous security that uses automated remediation gets stuff fixed, quickly. Having security integrated early and automated in every step of the process also means that you have audit trails of changes that have been balanced between business goals and risk management. Adopt new technologies in a more mindful manner, and have security experts help you integrate them into your existing business structure as easily and effectively as possible.