Holistic Technology Risk Management: Integrating Shift-Left, Shield-Right, and Observability Principles

?#technologyrisk #shiftleft #shieldright #observability #SDLC

This article will explore the concepts of 'Shift-Left', 'Shield-Right,' and 'Observability', emphasising their importance and examining their impact on technology risk management within large organisations.

In the context of technology risk management, the concepts of 'shift-left,' 'shield-right,' and 'observability' play critical roles in enhancing systems' security, reliability, and overall resilience throughout their lifecycle. Each concept addresses different aspects of risk and, when integrated, provides a robust approach for managing and mitigating risks associated with software development and operations.

Shift-Left in Technology Risk Management

Shift-left refers to integrating security and quality measures early in the software development lifecycle (SDLC). This approach helps identify and address risks at the initial stages, thereby preventing issues that might escalate into significant risks later on. (ISF), (SentinelOne), (Sysdig).

Key Aspects of Shift-Left:

1. Conducting early testing to identify and fix defects early. This includes unit tests, integration tests, and static code analysis.
2. Integrating security requirements and best practices per security by design from the initial design phase, including threat modelling and secure coding standards.
3. Implementing Continuous Integration (CI) pipelines to automate testing and code quality checks with every code commit.
4. Providing developers with the knowledge and tools to write secure and high-quality code.
5. Automated tools like static application security testing (SAST) and dynamic application security testing (DAST) should be utilised during the development process.

Benefits of Shift-Left:

• During the design phase, threat modelling and risk assessments will be conducted for early risk identification and potential security and operational risks will be mitigated.
• Addressing issues early reduces the cost and effort required to fix them compared to if they were discovered in production.
• Regularly incorporating regulatory and compliance checks ensures the system meets necessary legal and industry standards.
• Training developers in secure coding practices and risk awareness helps prevent common vulnerabilities and improves the overall quality of the codebase.

?Shield-Right in Technology Risk Management

Shield-right focuses on protecting and monitoring systems once they are in production. This approach ensures that even if vulnerabilities exist, they are managed effectively to minimise impact.

Key Aspects of Shield-Right:

1. Implementing security measures such as runtime application self-protection (RASP) and web application firewalls (WAF) to protect against attacks.
2. Continuously monitoring application and network activity to detect anomalies and potential security incidents.
3. Establishing procedures and teams for responding to security incidents quickly and effectively.
4. Regularly updating and patching software to fix vulnerabilities and improve security.
5. Enforcing strict access controls and regularly reviewing permissions to minimise the risk of unauthorised access.

Benefits of Shield-Right:

• Implementing defences such as runtime application self-protection (RASP) and web application firewalls (WAF) helps mitigate the risk of exploitation of vulnerabilities in live environments.
• Establishing robust incident response processes enables quick detection, containment, and remediation of security incidents, reducing the potential damage.
• Regular monitoring of system activities can detect anomalies and potential security breaches, allowing for timely interventions.
• Keeping systems up-to-date with the latest security patches reduces the risk of known vulnerabilities being exploited.

?Observability in Technology Risk Management

Observability refers to the ability to understand the internal state of a system based on the data it produces, such as logs, metrics, and traces. It is crucial for managing risks in complex, distributed systems by providing deep insights into system performance and behaviour.

?Key Aspects of Observability:

1. Logs are detailed, timestamped records of discrete events within the system. Logs provide context and are crucial for diagnosing issues and understanding system behaviour.
2. Metrics are quantitative data that measure system performance and health aspects, such as CPU usage, memory consumption, and request rates. Metrics are useful for monitoring trends and identifying anomalies.
3. Traces are end-to-end request records as they travel through various services in a system. Traces help understand the flow of requests and identify performance bottlenecks or failures.

?Benefits of Observability:

• Detailed logs, metrics, and traces provide visibility into system operations, making it easier to detect and diagnose issues before they escalate.
• By monitoring performance metrics, organisations can proactively anticipate and address potential issues, reducing the likelihood of system failures and outages.
• Observability tools can identify and detect unusual patterns and anomalies indicating security breaches or system malfunctions, allowing for early intervention.
• Access to comprehensive data enables informed decision-making regarding risk mitigation strategies and resource allocation.

?Integration of Shift-Left, Shield-Right, and Observability

Combining shift-left, shield-right, and observability creates a comprehensive security strategy covering the entire software lifecycle, addressing design and production risks.

?Benefits of an Integrated Approach:

1. Addressing risks comprehensively from the design phase to production ensures that potential issues are managed at every stage, reducing the likelihood of severe incidents.
2. Feedback loops from shield-right and observability activities inform shift-left practices, creating a cycle of continuous improvement in risk management.
3. Proactive risk management (shift-left) combined with reactive defences (shield-right) and continuous monitoring (observability) enhances system resilience and reliability.
4. Ensuring compliance with legal and industry standards throughout the lifecycle reduces the risk of regulatory penalties and reputational damage.

?Practical Application in Technology Risk Management

1. Development Phase:

a.???? Incorporate security requirements and risk assessments early (shift-left).

b.???? Automated testing and code analysis tools are used to identify vulnerabilities.

2. Production Phase:

a.???? Deploy runtime protections like WAF and RASP (shield-right).

b.???? Implement continuous monitoring solutions to track system behaviour (observability).

3.???? Incident Management:

a.???? Develop and test incident response plans regularly.

b.???? Use observability data to diagnose and respond to incidents quickly.

4.???? Feedback and Improvement:

a.???? Analyse incidents and performance data to identify areas for improvement.

b.???? Update development practices and security measures based on feedback.

?What future holds?

From a technology risk perspective, integrating shift-left, shield-right, and observability strategies offers a robust framework for identifying, mitigating, and managing risks across the software lifecycle. This comprehensive approach ensures that risks are addressed proactively during development and effectively managed in production, resulting in more secure, reliable, and compliant systems. By combining early risk identification, runtime protection, and deep system insights, organisations can enhance their resilience against cyber threats and operational challenges. At its core, technology Risk is the potential for technology failures or vulnerabilities to disrupt business operations, compromise data, or cause financial losses.

?But the question is, what would the evolution of technology risk management be with Shift-Left, Shield-Right, and Observability? As we look towards the future of technology risk management, it is clear that the principles of shift-left, shield-right, and observability will play increasingly critical roles in shaping the security landscape. The current state of cyber security, characterised by sophisticated threats and complex system architectures, demands a comprehensive approach that addresses risks at every stage of the software lifecycle.

?Shift-Left: current state

The shift-left approach is already gaining grip as organisations recognise the importance of integrating security and quality measures early in the SDLC. Despite its advantages, the adoption of shift-left practices is not yet universal. Many development teams still face significant challenges, including resource constraints and skill gaps, which hinder the full implementation of this proactive security strategy (Clean Code Tools) (New Relic).

?Shift-Left: the future landscape

As the benefits of early risk identification and cost savings become more apparent, it can be predicted that shift-left practices will become the industry standard. Advances in automation and AI-driven tools will further streamline the process, enabling even small development teams to adopt robust security measures from the outset. Continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines will evolve to include more sophisticated security and quality checks, making early testing and secure coding practices integral to every development workflow. Additionally, educational programmes and training initiatives will expand, ensuring that developers are well-equipped to handle security concerns from the earliest stages of development.

?Shield-Right: enhancing production security

The shield-right approach, which focuses on protecting and monitoring systems once in production, is essential for mitigating post-deployment risks. Current implementations include runtime application self-protection (RASP) and web application firewalls (WAF). However, many organisations still struggle with effective shield-right deployments due to the dynamic nature of modern threats.

?In the future, we should expect significant advancements in runtime security technologies, including more adaptive and intelligent RASP and WAF solutions. These tools will leverage machine learning to detect and respond to threats with greater accuracy and speed. Incident response capabilities will also improve, with automated response systems capable of isolating and mitigating threats without human intervention. Continuous monitoring solutions will become more sophisticated, providing comprehensive visibility into system activities and enabling rapid detection of anomalies (Clean Code Tools) (wiz.io).

?Observability: a foundation of risk management

Observability refers to the ability to understand the internal state of a system based on the data it produces, such as logs, metrics, and traces. This is crucial for managing complex, distributed systems risks by providing deep insights into system performance and behaviour.

?We believe that, in the future, observability will evolve into a cornerstone of technology risk management. Integrating advanced analytics and AI will transform observability tools, enabling them to provide predictive insights and proactive alerts. These tools seamlessly integrate logs, metrics, and traces, offering a unified view of the entire system. Adopting observability platforms will become widespread, allowing organisations to diagnose issues, optimise performance, and enhance security quickly. This will significantly reduce downtime and improve overall system reliability (Clean Code Tools) (New Relic).

?Integrated approach to technology risk management

Combining shift-left, shield-right, and observability creates a comprehensive security strategy that covers the entire software lifecycle, addressing risks from design to production and beyond.

?Benefits of an Integrated Approach:

1. ?Addressing risks from the design phase to production ensures that potential issues are managed at every stage, reducing the likelihood of severe incidents and providing comprehensive risk coverage.
2. Feedback loops from shield-right and observability activities inform shift-left practices, creating a cycle of continuous improvement in risk management.
3. Proactive risk management (shift-left) combined with reactive defences (shield-right) and continuous monitoring (observability) enhances system resilience and reliability.
4. Ensuring compliance with legal and industry standards throughout the lifecycle reduces the risk of regulatory penalties and reputational damage (Clean Code Tools) (New Relic) (wiz.io).

?While many organisations are progressing significantly in adopting shift-left, shield-right, and observability practices, the journey towards fully integrated and mature implementations is ongoing. Current efforts are laying the groundwork, and the future will likely see these practices become standard across the industry, driven by advancements in technology and a deeper understanding of their benefits in managing technology risk.

The seamless integration of shift-left, shield-right, and observability principles will significantly influence the future of technology risk management. While crucial for enhancing security and resilience in software development and operations, these approaches represent only a portion of a comprehensive risk management strategy. Shift-left practices ensure that security and quality measures are embedded early in the software development lifecycle, reducing the risk of vulnerabilities and defects. Shield-right measures focus on protecting and monitoring systems in production to detect and respond to threats effectively. Observability provides deep insights into system behaviour and performance, aiding in proactive maintenance and rapid issue diagnosis. However, for a holistic technology risk management strategy, these principles must be integrated with broader practices, including governance, compliance, data protection, incident response, and operational resilience. This comprehensive approach ensures that risks are managed across the entire technology landscape, aligning early development practices with regulatory requirements, safeguarding data, preparing for incidents, and maintaining continuous service availability. Organisations that embrace this holistic approach will be better equipped to handle the complexities and challenges of modern cybersecurity, ensuring the delivery of secure, reliable, and compliant systems. The evolution of these practices will ultimately lead to a more resilient digital ecosystem capable of withstanding the threats and uncertainties of the future.

References

1. https://www.securityforum.org/attend/shift-left-shield-right-the-role-of-cwpp-in-a-cnapp-world/
2. https://www.sentinelone.com/blog/shift-left-shield-right-early-availability-of-wiz-integration-with-sentinelone/
3. https://sysdig.com/blog/cnapp-runtime-insights-shift-left-shield-right/
4. https://www.sonarsource.com/learn/shift-left-security-advancing-early-stage-security-integration/
5. https://newrelic.com/blog/best-practices/shift-left-strategy-the-key-to-faster-releases-and-fewer-defects
6. https://www.wiz.io/academy/shift-left-security
7. https://d1.awsstatic.com/events/Summits/reinvent2023/COP222-S_Shift-left-shield-right-Code-to-cloud-strategy-for-securing-apps-sponsored-by-Palo-Alto-Networks.pdf
8. https://www.brighttalk.com/webcast/9923/587729?utm_source=InformationSecurityForumISF&utm_medium=brighttalk&utm_campaign=587729
9. https://www.dhirubhai.net/posts/roymnunez_shift-left-shield-right-mastering-cybersecurity-activity-7168288548897447936-QWWv/
10. https://medium.com/it-security-in-plain-english/shift-left-shield-right-mastering-cybersecurity-strategies-in-the-sdlc-43ea52c63bbf

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