AppSec Terrain Check
Three different Application Security realities
What your policy says
How things should be
When you already run a formal AppSec program, the Terrain Check reviews your existing policies, processes, and role definitions to understand what role is officially responsibile for which action accross your software development process.
This perspective captures the official version of how secure software development is supposed to work. It makes documented responsibilities, expectations, and decision paths visible.
If no formal AppSec program exists, we review any relevant documentation available or skip this perspective entirely.
What your team says
How things actually are
The most important data for every Terrain Check comes from stakeholder interviews.
By talking to developers, project leaders, management, and, where they exist, AppSec leads and security champions, we build a picture of how responsibility is actually distributed inside your organization.
These conversations reveal where responsibility is unclear, where it is concentrated on a few individuals, where multiple roles assume someone else will act, and where product security depends on personal initiative rather than a resilient and scalable system.
What the reference says
How things could be
The third perspective comes from the AppSec Ownership Model as a reference for how responsibility can be distributed across all roles to create a decentralized system that actively faciliates secure software development without depending on individuals. Your system should be able to survive personnel changes.
It helps to organize AppSec responsibility in a way that gives each role explicit expectations they can realistically fulfill in daily work.
The goal is to build the conditions necessary to enable each role to actually own their part within the process.
Why should I get a Terrain Check?
Because it keeps you from wasting your energy on the wrong problems.
Let me take you on a short trip into the Sahara to show you what I mean.
That evening I was tired, sweaty, and just wanted to get to my camp spot. Then suddenly, my car stopped. I knew it. But I didn't want to believe it. Annoyed, I hit the gas, and sand flew straight through the open window into my face. Awesome.
So I got out, aired down the tires, and started digging sand away to make room for the recovery boards. But my car just sat there like a stranded whale and refused to move an inch. "What the f...? Why is it not moving?!" I paused for a moment. Then I saw it: There was no weight on the wheels. My car was sitting on too much sand. "Yeah, more digging..."
But at least: I was finally solving the right problem.
Dealing with structural AppSec problems like unrealistic expectations, implicit responsibilities, and destructive cultural patterns is exhausting. But it is necessary.
The Terrain Check helps you identify the underlying problems that are undermining your AppSec efforts.
Why should I get a Terrain Check?
Because it keeps you from wasting your energy on the wrong problems.
Let me take you on a short trip into the Sahara to show you what I mean.
That evening I was tired, sweaty, and just wanted to get to my camp spot. Then suddenly, my car stopped. I knew it. But I didn't want to believe it. Annoyed, I hit the gas, and sand flew straight through the open window into my face. Awesome.
So I got out, aired down the tires, and started digging sand away to make room for the recovery boards. But my car just sat there like a stranded whale and refused to move an inch. "What the f...? Why is it not moving?!" I paused for a moment. Then I saw it: There was no weight on the wheels. My car was sitting on too much sand. "Yeah, more digging..."
But at least: I was finally solving the right problem.
Dealing with structural AppSec problems like unrealistic expectations, implicit responsibilities, and destructive cultural patterns is exhausting. But it is necessary.
The Terrain Check helps you identify the underlying problems that are undermining your AppSec efforts.
Who is the Terrain Check for?
The Terrain Check is for ogranizations that really want to understand why their AppSec measures are not improving their software security as much as intended.
It is for organizations that are tired of checkbox security.
I don't want to lie to you. The Terrain Check alone is not going to make your software secure. You know, you will still need to dig sand. But the Terrain Check provides you with the insights to know, where you need to dig.
That means, you must be willing to work with the results.
Otherwise the Terrain Check will be just another waste of energy for you.
But what if you don't run an AppSec program yet?
Don't worry, the Terrain Check will help you find your AppSec Lead and lay the foundation to build an AppSec system that improves software security.
Who is the Terrain Check for?
The Terrain Check is for ogranizations that really want to understand why their AppSec measures are not improving their software security as much as intended.
It is for organizations that are tired of checkbox security.
I don't want to lie to you. The Terrain Check alone is not going to make your software secure. You know, you will still need to dig sand. But the Terrain Check provides you with the insights to know, where you need to dig.
That means, you must be willing to work with the results.
Otherwise the Terrain Check will be just another waste of energy for you.
But what if you don't run an AppSec program yet?
Don't worry, the Terrain Check will help you find your AppSec Lead and lay the foundation to build an AppSec system that improves software security.
Which Terrain Check matches my current situation?
Launch Edition
29,000 USD
If you don't have a formal AppSec program yet and maybe not even an AppSec Lead, the Launch Edition is for you. It helps you to find your AppSec Lead and to lay the foundation for a resilient AppSec system right from the start.
What you get
AppSec Owner's Manual (short)
AppSec Leadership Briefing
+ AppSec Lead Hiring Guide
Comming soon
Standard Edition
29,000 USD
If you already run an AppSec program with a dedicated AppSec Lead, explore the Standard Edition. It provides you with your own AppSec Owner's Manual to understand where your system is currently fragile and how to build resilience into it.
What you get
AppSec Owner's Manual
AppSec Leadership Briefing
Currently there are 2 founding client spots available at 19,500 USD to shape the AppSec Owner's Manual.
Special Focus Edition
Starting at 35,000 USD
The Special Focus Edition extends the Standard Edition. It is for you, when you are planning a major change or investment for your AppSec program in the near future and want to make sure your efforts will not be wasted.
What you get
AppSec Owner's Manual
AppSec Leadership Briefing
+ Special Focus Review
Comming soon
Still wondering if the Terrain Check works for you?
Interested in becoming a founding client?
So, you're serious about improving software security? Awesome. Let's have a campfire talk about your AppSec challenges. Ok, no campfire. Just AppSec.
