Businesses weigh up transition from best-of-breed to platform security

The future of cybersecurity is laced with questions of efficacy and strategy, as businesses wrestle with the decision of sticking with a best-of-breed approach or making the transition to platform security. In fact, a recent report by Security Intelligence suggests that the traditional use of multiple security solutions can add unnecessary complexity to an organisation and negatively affect its ability to detect (by -8%), prevent, contain, and respond to cybersecurity incidents (by -7%).

As companies increasingly acknowledge the drawbacks of a fragmented approach to cybersecurity, the idea of platform security has risen in prominence. It promises a host of benefits, including simplified management, comprehensive protection, cost efficiency, and increased control over security. However, such a transformation in technology doesn't come without its caveats. Companies are advised to exercise due diligence, ensuring they are informed about the intricacies of the technology and its value.

Phillip Ivancic, Strategy Head of Solutions, APAC, at Synopsys Software Integrity Group, seeks to shed light on key questions surrounding this shift. These include the ongoing relevance of a best-of-breed approach, the reasons for its declining effectiveness, an assessment of the benefits and drawbacks of platform security, and the role of platform security in safeguarding data, ensuring business resilience, and reducing downtime.

There's also the question of whether security measures can provide an edge in the competitive market. Ivancic believes that platform security can indeed differentiate businesses, helping to gain a competitive edge.

In a parallel update, Synopsys has announced the launch of Polaris Assist, an AI-powered application security assistant integrated into their Polaris Software Integrity Platform. Leveraging powerful Large Language Model (LLM) technology combined with decades of Synopsys application security knowledge and intelligence, Polaris Assist is designed to provide security and development teams with easy-to-understand summaries of detected vulnerabilities, along with AI-generated code fixes and other insights. This enables teams to build secure software more efficiently and at a faster pace.

Polaris Assist includes two new powerful AI-enabled capabilities. Polaris AI Issue Summaries are designed to make interpreting and acting on static analysis results easier for developers. They provide concise summaries of detected programming weaknesses and vulnerabilities, their potential risks, and guidance on remediation. Polaris AI Fix Suggestions recommend easy-to-apply AI-generated code fixes, which can significantly reduce the time spent on remediating security vulnerabilities.

"Polaris Assist boosts security and developer productivity, allowing them to more easily understand and remediate security vulnerabilities in their code," said Jason Schmitt, general manager of the Synopsys Software Integrity Group. He believes that AI-powered vulnerability summaries and code fix suggestions address real pain points experienced by many organisations. Furthermore, he emphasises Synopsys' commitment to investing and expanding their AI capabilities on the Polaris platform and beyond over the coming months.

Polaris Assist is already available on the Polaris platform and it will be showcased on May 6-9 at the RSA Conference in San Francisco.