Implementing AST for DevSecOps Success—From Theory to Practice (Part 2 of 3)

Why Application Security Testing is Non-Negotiable in the Age of Software (Part 2 of 3)

In Part 1 of this series, I explored why Application Security Testing (AST) is a fundamental necessity for organizations in today’s software-defined world. With over 22 years in application security and a decade of hands-on offensive testing behind me, I’ve learned that theory alone isn’t enough. Security must be implemented, operationalized, and embedded deeply into the development pipeline.

This second part focuses on how enterprises can practically implement AST as part of a scalable, DevSecOps-enabled security strategy. We’ll cover the essential technologies, people, processes, and tooling decisions needed to move from reactive security to continuous, integrated protection, without slowing innovation.

1. Embedding AST into DevSecOps Pipelines

Modern software delivery thrives on speed. With CI/CD pipelines orchestrating code from development to production in hours, or even minutes, security must match that pace. This is not about introducing security checkpoints after the fact; it’s about weaving security throughout the process.

Here’s how leading organizations embed AST into their DevSecOps workflows:

 ** Automation is Non-Negotiable

Security tests must be automatically triggered, there’s no room for manual intervention in today’s rapid pipelines. That includes:

• SAST (Static Analysis) during coding and code builds, to catch issues early in the SDLC.
• SCA (Software Composition Analysis) to manage open-source risks and license violations.
• DAST (Dynamic Analysis) post-deployment, to find runtime vulnerabilities.
• IAST (Interactive Testing) during QA/UAT, leveraging functional tests to provide deeper context-aware vulnerability detection.

 ** Fail Fast, Fail Smart

Security gates should be adaptive:

• Implement soft gates to alert developers and guide remediation early.
• Enforce hard gates to block releases only on critical/high-severity issues that violate policy or pose real risk. This way, security doesn’t become the “department of no”, it becomes a safety rail, not a roadblock.

  ** Contextual Scan Triggers

One-size-fits-all scanning strategies don’t scale. You must trigger scans based on:

• Code commit frequency
• Criticality of the application
• Release cadence (e.g., daily builds vs. quarterly releases)

 ** Example: End-to-End Secure Pipeline Flow

A mature DevSecOps pipeline integrates security like this:

• Pre-commit: Run CodeSweep and fast, lightweight SAST rules to catch glaring issues before code even hits the main branch.
• Build Phase: Execute full SAST and SCA scans. Fail the build if policy-breaking flaws are found.
• QA/UAT: Deploy with IAST agents to collect real-time insights during functional testing. This gives developers actionable, code-level feedback with runtime context.
• Staging: Launch DAST scans in near-production environments, simulating real-world attacker behavior.
• Production: Validate the SBOM (Software Bill of Materials) to ensure no unauthorized components are deployed. Apply runtime security tools for real-time visibility and anomaly detection.

Embedding AST into DevSecOps isn’t just a technical task, it’s a cultural shift. It requires collaboration between security, development, and operations. It demands tooling that’s developer-friendly yet security-rigorous. And above all, it insists on continuous feedback loops, because security isn’t an event. It’s a process.

2. Selecting the Right Tools for AST Success

While strategy sets the direction, tools determine the outcome. But let’s be clear: choosing the right AST tool is not simply a feature checklist exercise. It’s about choosing solutions that fit seamlessly into your development and operational workflows, tools that empower, not obstruct.

In today’s landscape, developers move fast, and security must move with them. This is why integration isn’t a luxury, it’s the cornerstone of successful security automation.

 ** Integration Is the Differentiator

The best AST tools don’t just scan code or apps, they embed into the developer’s natural workflow. If developers are forced to jump through hoops to get feedback or manually manage results in disconnected dashboards, security becomes friction.  And friction is the enemy of DevSecOps.

When evaluating AST tools, here’s what truly matters:

  A. Multi-Technology Coverage

Your applications aren’t monolithic, they’re composed of diverse services written in multiple languages, often spread across hybrid architectures. Your AST platform must support:

• Legacy systems in Java and .NET
• Modern microservices in JavaScript, Python, Kotlin, Go, and Swift
• RESTful and GraphQL APIs
• Mobile platforms, containers, and cloud-native infrastructure

This breadth of coverage ensures consistent protection across your entire digital estate.

  B. IDE + CI/CD Integration

The feedback loop must reach the developer, right where they work. That means:

• Plugins for JetBrains, Visual Studio, VS Code
• Native integration with GitLab CI, Jenkins, Azure DevOps, and others
• Context-aware alerts in pull requests, not buried in email reports

Security guidance should be part of the coding and code review experience, not something bolted on afterward.

  C. Contextual Remediation

Scan results are only half the story. Developers need:

• Actionable remediation guidance specific to their language and framework
• Data flow visibility to trace the vulnerability to its root cause
• API-level fix recommendations that match the architecture in use

Security without context results in friction and fatigue. But security with insight leads to faster, smarter remediation.

  D. Centralized Risk Visibility

Security leaders need visibility at scale. That means:

• Unified dashboards to track security posture across applications and environments
• Correlation engines to de-duplicate findings and reduce noise
• Risk heatmaps that guide triage based on severity, exploitability, and business impact

This is how organizations evolve from reactive scanning to proactive risk management.

 ** Tooling in Practice: HCL AppScan

Take HCL AppScan as a practical example of an AST platform designed for this reality.

Whether deployed via AppScan on Cloud (ASoC) or AppScan 360° (AS360) for self-managed environments, AppScan delivers:

• Unified SAST, DAST, IAST, and SCA support in a single ecosystem, removing silos between testing stages.
• IDE plugins and CI/CD connectors to insert security directly into the development and DevOps toolchains.
• Fix Group recommendations that prioritize remediation by grouping related issues and providing optimized fix paths.
• Risk-based triage workflows, allowing teams to focus on what matters most, not just what was found.

In the race toward secure digital transformation, tools are the engine, but integration is the fuel. Your AST tools should speak the language of your developers, fit into your build pipelines like native components, and empower your security teams with clear, actionable insights.

3. Building Security into the Developer Experience

Let’s dispel a long-standing myth: developers are not the obstacle to security, they are, in fact, our most valuable allies.

Security doesn’t happen to development; it happens with development. But for that to work, we have to meet developers where they are, inside their coding environments, working at their pace, and aligned with their priorities.

In this section, we shift the focus from tools and processes to culture and experience, specifically, how to empower developers to become security enablers without burdening their workflow.

 ** Security Must Be Accessible, Fast, and Relevant

If we want developers to embrace security, we need to remove the friction. That means:

• No more PDF reports delivered a week later
• No more vague vulnerability descriptions with generic recommendations
• No more context switches that pull them out of flow

What developers need is:

• Timely, contextual alerts that explain what went wrong, and why it matters.
• Fast, IDE-native feedback that feels like part of their coding toolkit, not an external audit.

Security guidance must be designed for clarity and speed, think Stack Overflow-style answers, not security textbook jargon.

 ** Tools Should Inform, Not Interrupt

The right tools should feel like assistants, not gatekeepers. Here’s how:

• Integrate IDE plugins (JetBrains, VS Code, Visual Studio, etc.) to surface SAST and SCA results as developers type. This gives them a chance to fix vulnerabilities before they even hit the repository.
• Surface issues with clear remediation paths: show the vulnerable line, explain the risk, and offer an example fix, all within the developer’s environment.
• Avoid false positives and alert fatigue. Nothing erodes trust in security tools faster than noise. Precision matters.

By embedding security feedback into the IDE experience, we turn testing into learning, and vulnerability reports into teachable moments.

 ** Actions That Bridge the Gap

Here's what forward-thinking organizations are doing to turn developers into security allies:

  A. IDE Integration Enable lightweight SAST and SCA scans right in the IDE. This gives developers instant feedback and empowers them to fix issues early, without leaving their flow.

  B. Security Cheat Sheets and Just-in-Time Learning Provide security coding cheat sheets tailored to common issues in your codebase, like XSS prevention in JavaScript or secure SQL handling in Java. Align these resources with actual findings so learning is contextual and practical.

  C. Security Champions Program Appoint security champions within each development squad, developers with an interest in security who serve as the bridge between security teams and their peers. Champions foster security culture from within, drive adoption, and surface issues early.

These actions transform security from an external pressure to an internal value.

 ** A Cultural Shift: From Patching to Prevention

When developers understand not just what a vulnerability is, but why it matters and how to fix it, they gain something far more valuable than compliance, they gain confidence.

And here’s the tipping point:

When developers know the why, they stop just patching the symptom. They begin writing code that prevents the vulnerability altogether.

That’s the true power of a developer-first security strategy.

Security doesn’t scale through mandates. It scales through enablement. Developers are not just code authors; they are the architects of software trust. Give them tools that work with them. Offer guidance that makes sense. Build a culture that treats security as a shared responsibility.

4. Scaling Governance and Policy Enforcement

Implementing AST at the individual project level is an important first step but sustaining it at scale across an enterprise is where the real transformation happens. And that’s where governance comes into play.

Let’s be clear: governance is not bureaucracy. It’s about creating a shared language of risk, defining expectations across teams, and ensuring that security is consistently enforced, not just enthusiastically adopted in isolated pockets.

As organizations grow, so does the complexity of their software estates. Dozens of teams, hundreds of repositories, multiple CI pipelines, and a mix of in-house and third-party components, all pushing code at velocity. Without governance, security becomes reactive. With governance, security becomes proactive and predictable.

 ** Define Policies That Fit the Business — Not Just the Code

Scaling AST isn’t about applying a one-size-fits-all security standard. It’s about applying the right level of control for the right level of risk. That starts by defining:

• Severity thresholds: Set clear policies around what blocks a build or release. For example, critical or high-severity vulnerabilities in production-bound code should halt the pipeline. Low-severity or informational issues may simply raise alerts for triage.
• Application risk tiers: Not all applications carry the same weight. A customer-facing financial app is not the same as an internal reporting tool. Classify applications by their business impact and data sensitivity, then tailor policies accordingly.
• Fix SLAs: Define Service-Level Agreements that map severity to remediation timelines: Critical: fix within 3 days High: fix within 7 days Medium: fix within 14 days Low: fix within a reasonable timeframe, or track for future refactoring

This creates clarity, accountability, and urgency, without overwhelming development teams with unrealistic expectations.

 ** Enforce Consistency Through Automation

Policies mean little if they’re not enforced. But that enforcement shouldn’t rely on human policing, it should be built into the very fabric of your pipelines and tooling.

Here’s how leading security programs operationalize governance:

• Centralized Dashboards: Aggregate data from SAST, DAST, SCA, and IAST tools into a single pane of glass. Platforms like HCL AppScan provide this cross-project visibility, helping security leaders track progress and spot risk trends.
• Automated Policy Engines: Enforce thresholds directly within CI/CD systems. Tools like Azure DevOps, GitLab, or Jenkins can block builds automatically based on your defined policies. No manual reviews. No missed issues.
• Risk Reporting for Leadership: Generate executive-ready reports that summarize risk posture, SLA adherence, and trend data. This elevates security from technical detail to strategic insight, enabling informed decisions at the board or CISO level.

 ** Governance Doesn’t Mean Slowing Teams Down

It’s important to strike the right tone: governance is not about locking down creativity or adding unnecessary friction. It’s about clarity, consistency, and coordination. When developers know the rules, security becomes part of the rhythm, not a surprise checkpoint.

Done right, governance enables teams to:

• Move faster with confidence
• Prioritize remediation based on business impact
• Stay aligned across security, development, and operations

The result? A security program that scales, adapts, and sustains itself, even as your teams, codebases, and customer expectations continue to grow.

AST isn’t just a set of tools, it’s a living, breathing program. And like any program, it needs structure to scale. Governance gives us that structure. It transforms fragmented efforts into a cohesive strategy. It aligns developer autonomy with organizational risk tolerance. And it ensures that, as innovation accelerates, security keeps pace, not just in spirit, but in execution.

5. Measuring Success with AST Metrics

There’s a simple truth in both security and business:

You can’t improve what you don’t measure.

Security initiatives, no matter how well-intentioned or technically sound, cannot thrive without visibility. That’s why metrics are not just operational tools, they are strategic instruments. They turn abstract goals like “shift left” and “secure coding” into measurable outcomes. They provide the proof points for investment, the feedback loop for iteration, and the foundation for trust between security, development, and the business.

In this final part of the series, we’ll explore how organizations can quantify the impact of their Application Security Testing (AST) efforts, align stakeholders with common goals, and build a data-driven roadmap for continuous improvement.

 ** Track What Truly Matters

Not all metrics are created equal. Some inform action. Others just fill reports. To measure success in a meaningful way, focus on metrics that reflect both security effectiveness and developer experience. Here are the essentials:

  A. Vulnerability Discovery Rate

• Break it down by severity (critical, high, medium, low) and type (e.g., XSS, SQLi, insecure deserialization).
• Track these over time to understand how risk exposure is evolving — are you catching more issues early, or seeing recurring flaws in certain teams or tech stacks?

This helps prioritize where training, architecture changes, or tool tuning is most needed.

  B. Mean Time to Remediate (MTTR) & Fix Success Rate

• MTTR tells you how quickly your teams are fixing what matters.
• Fix success rate shows how often developers resolve issues correctly on the first attempt, without reintroducing similar flaws.

Together, these metrics reflect how well your DevSecOps pipeline is operating and how mature your remediation practices really are.

  C. Scan Coverage

• What percentage of your applications are tested regularly?
• Are all critical and customer-facing apps covered in monthly scans?
• How many are still “in the dark”, deployed without any security testing?

Scan coverage is your security visibility metric, and it’s a strong indicator of program maturity.

  D. Developer Adoption & Feedback

• Track IDE plugin usage to understand how deeply security tools are embedded in the developer experience.
• Monitor false positive rates and developer feedback loops to improve accuracy and trust.

If developers are engaging with the tools, providing feedback, and fixing issues proactively, it’s a strong sign that your AST program has cultural traction, not just technical presence.

  ** Why These Metrics Matter

These aren’t just numbers for dashboards. They’re a language, a shared way for security, engineering, and business leaders to talk about risk, progress, and priorities. When security is presented in business terms, “mean time to remediate,” “coverage percentage,” “vulnerability trends”, it becomes tangible, trackable, and fundable.

This is how you shift the perception of security:

• From being a “compliance checkbox” to being a risk-reduction engine
• From a blocker to a business enabler
• From fear-driven audits to data-driven decisions

Application Security Testing isn’t a point-in-time project, it’s a continuous capability. It requires strategy, tools, culture, governance, and most importantly, measurement. Because when you measure, you learn. When you learn, you improve. And when you improve, you secure not just your applications, but your business itself.

Shifting security left, and right, requires more than checklists. It demands a cultural shift supported by automation, integration, and intelligence. By embedding AST into DevSecOps pipelines, empowering developers, and governing with clarity, organizations can secure the velocity they need to compete.

In Part 3, I’ll explore future-proofing AST strategies with AI, SBOM, threat modeling integration, and how to unify AST into a complete Application Security Posture Management (ASPM) program.

HCLSoftware Adam Cave Timothy Chan Jew Kok (JK) Lim Seemant Chawla Veree Tantianunanont Vu Luu (Luu Danh Anh Vu) Ekant Chadda Randeep Chhabra Mark Kovacik Matthew Burns Kevin Chia Yasuhito Mori, CISSP, CEH Irene Chan Anthony LAI Anthony Lim Jia(Esther) Song Rahul Pandey Ky Young Kim

#AppSec #DevSecOps #ApplicationSecurity #ContinuousTesting #ShiftLeft #AppScan #SAST #DAST #IAST #SoftwareSecurityLeadership