1. Secure Design & Threat Modeling
We begin by identifying threats and designing countermeasures at the architectural level, using frameworks like STRIDE. This is the most cost-effective stage to eliminate security flaws.
Understanding Application Security Costs: A CISO's Guide to Secure Software Development Pricing
Stop overspending on reactive fixes. Discover how proactive, AI-enabled DevSecOps delivers a secure, compliant, and high-ROI application portfolio from day one. We build security into your DNA, not as an afterthought.
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Shift Left, Not Broke: The Economics of Proactive Security
In today's threat landscape, treating application security as a final-stage checkbox is a recipe for budget overruns, project delays, and catastrophic breaches. The real cost of insecure software isn't just the price of a penetration test; it's the emergency patching, the reputational damage, the regulatory fines, and the lost customer trust. At CIS, we reframe the conversation from "how much does security cost?" to "what is the ROI of building secure applications from the ground up?" Our AI-enabled DevSecOps methodology integrates security into every phase of the development lifecycle, transforming it from a costly bottleneck into a strategic business enabler that accelerates delivery and protects your bottom line.
Why CIS is the Smarter Investment for Application Security
DevSecOps Native Culture
Security isn't a department; it's our development philosophy. Our teams are trained to think and code with a security-first mindset, embedding best practices from the initial architecture to the final deployment.
AI-Powered Threat Intelligence
We leverage AI-driven tools to perform continuous, intelligent security testing (SAST, DAST, IAST) throughout the SDLC. This allows us to identify and remediate vulnerabilities faster and more accurately than manual methods alone.
Transparent, Risk-Based Pricing
We don't sell one-size-fits-all security packages. Our pricing is directly tied to your application's complexity, data sensitivity, and compliance requirements, ensuring you only pay for the protection you actually need.
Verifiable Compliance Mastery
With deep expertise in GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS, SOC 2, and more, we build applications that meet stringent regulatory standards from the start, saving you the immense cost and effort of post-launch compliance retrofitting.
Security that Accelerates, Not Hinders
Our automated security pipelines and "security-as-code" practices mean that robust protection doesn't slow down your time-to-market. We help you innovate quickly and securely.
Full-Lifecycle Ownership
From secure architecture design and threat modeling to incident response planning and ongoing vulnerability management, we provide an end-to-end security partnership, not just a one-off code audit.
Measurable ROI on Security Spend
We help you quantify the value of proactive security by tracking metrics like reduced remediation costs, lower risk scores, and improved developer productivity, turning your security budget into a clear business investment.
Supply Chain Security (SCA)
We meticulously analyze and manage open-source and third-party components to protect you from vulnerabilities in your software supply chain, a critical and often overlooked attack vector.
Expert, Vetted Security Talent
Our team consists of certified security professionals (CISSP, CEH) who are not just testers but architects of secure systems. You get access to elite talent without the high cost of hiring them in-house.
Our Comprehensive Secure Software Development Services
We offer a full spectrum of application security services designed to protect your assets at every stage. Our approach is holistic, integrating advanced technology with expert oversight to build resilient, compliant, and trustworthy software.
Threat Modeling & Secure Architecture Design
Before a single line of code is written, we identify and mitigate potential security risks. By mapping out data flows, trust boundaries, and potential attack vectors, we design an inherently secure application architecture. This proactive approach is the most cost-effective way to eliminate entire classes of vulnerabilities.
- Identify Flaws Early: Pinpoint architectural weaknesses during the design phase, when they are cheapest and easiest to fix.
- Prioritize Security Efforts: Focus development and testing resources on the most critical components and highest-risk threats.
- Build a Security-Aware Culture: Involve developers in the threat modeling process to foster a deeper understanding of security principles.
AI-Enabled SAST, DAST, and IAST Implementation
We integrate a suite of automated testing tools directly into your CI/CD pipeline. Static Application Security Testing (SAST) analyzes source code for vulnerabilities, Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) tests the running application, and Interactive (IAST) provides real-time feedback. AI enhances these tools by reducing false positives and identifying complex vulnerability patterns.
- Continuous Security Feedback: Developers receive immediate alerts on security issues within their existing workflows, enabling rapid remediation.
- Comprehensive Coverage: Combine static, dynamic, and interactive analysis to find a wider range of vulnerabilities than any single method.
- Reduce Alert Fatigue: Our AI-powered analysis helps prioritize real, exploitable vulnerabilities, allowing your team to focus on what matters.
Manual & Automated Penetration Testing (Web, Mobile, API)
Our expert ethical hackers simulate real-world attacks to uncover vulnerabilities that automated tools might miss. We conduct comprehensive penetration tests on your web applications, mobile apps, and APIs, providing a detailed report with prioritized, actionable remediation guidance. This is a critical step for validating your security posture and meeting compliance requirements.
- Discover Business Logic Flaws: Identify complex vulnerabilities tied to your application's unique functionality that scanners cannot detect.
- Validate Security Controls: Verify that your firewalls, authentication mechanisms, and other defenses work as intended under attack.
- Achieve Compliance Mandates: Satisfy requirements for standards like PCI DSS and SOC 2 that mandate regular penetration testing.
Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) & IaC Security
Misconfigurations are the leading cause of cloud security breaches. We implement CSPM tools to continuously monitor your AWS, Azure, or GCP environments for policy violations and security risks. Furthermore, we scan your Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) templates (Terraform, CloudFormation) to ensure your cloud environments are secure by design.
- Prevent Cloud Misconfigurations: Automatically detect and remediate issues like public S3 buckets, unrestricted security groups, and weak IAM policies.
- Embed Security in DevOps: Shift cloud security left by identifying risks in your infrastructure code before it's ever deployed.
- Maintain Continuous Compliance: Ensure your cloud infrastructure adheres to industry benchmarks (like CIS) and regulatory standards 24/7.
Compliance-as-Code & Automated Governance
We translate complex regulatory requirements (HIPAA, GDPR, etc.) into automated security policies and tests within your CI/CD pipeline. This "Compliance-as-Code" approach provides continuous, auditable proof that your application meets its obligations, dramatically reducing the time and cost of manual audits.
- Automate Audit Evidence: Generate compliance reports automatically from your development pipeline, simplifying audit preparation.
- Enforce Policies Consistently: Ensure that every code change and deployment adheres to your defined security and compliance rules.
- Reduce Compliance Drift: Prevent configurations from deviating from a compliant state over time through continuous monitoring and enforcement.
Real-World ROI: Our Secure Development in Action
Securing a High-Transaction FinTech Payment Gateway
Industry: Financial Technology (FinTech)
Client Overview: A rapidly growing startup providing a mobile-first payment processing platform for SMEs. They were preparing for a Series B funding round and needed to demonstrate enterprise-grade security and PCI DSS Level 1 compliance to attract investors and larger clients.
"CIS didn't just find vulnerabilities; they rebuilt our security foundation. Their DevSecOps
approach was instrumental in us achieving PCI DSS compliance 50% faster than projected,
which was a game-changer for our funding round."
- Alex Royce, CTO, FinSecure Payments
Key Challenges:
- Achieving and maintaining PCI DSS compliance on a tight timeline.
- Securing sensitive financial data across microservices architecture.
- Lack of in-house security expertise was slowing down feature development.
- Frequent deployments with no integrated security testing.
Positive Outcomes:
95%
Reduction in critical vulnerabilities found in production.
50%
Faster time-to-market for new features due to automated security gates.
100%
PCI DSS Level 1 compliance achieved in the first audit.
Building a HIPAA-Compliant Telemedicine Platform
Industry: Healthcare Technology
Client Overview: An established healthcare provider looking to launch a new telemedicine service. Their primary concern was ensuring the platform was fully HIPAA compliant to protect patient data (ePHI) and avoid severe regulatory penalties. They needed a partner who understood the nuances of healthcare security.
"The healthcare space is unforgiving when it comes to data privacy. CIS's expertise in HIPAA
and secure cloud architecture gave us the confidence to launch. Their 'compliance-as-code'
framework has made our ongoing audits incredibly efficient."
- Dr. Emily Snow, Chief Medical Information Officer, HealthConnect Virtual Care
Key Challenges:
- Ensuring end-to-end encryption for all ePHI in transit and at rest.
- Implementing robust access controls and audit logging.
- Conducting a thorough risk analysis as required by the HIPAA Security Rule.
- Integrating securely with third-party Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems.
Positive Outcomes:
40%
Lowered estimated cost of annual HIPAA audits due to automation.
0
Security incidents involving ePHI since launch.
3x
Increased patient trust and adoption rates compared to initial
projections.
Protecting a Major E-commerce Platform from Magecart Attacks
Industry: Retail & E-commerce
Client Overview: A large online retailer with millions of customers, facing increasing threats from client-side attacks like Magecart, which skim credit card data from checkout pages. Their existing security was focused on the server-side, leaving their customers vulnerable.
"We were blind to client-side threats. CIS implemented a comprehensive solution that not
only blocked skimming attacks but also gave us visibility into all third-party scripts
running on our site. It's a level of protection we didn't know we were missing."
- Mason Brock, Head of E-commerce, StyleSpree
Key Challenges:
- Protecting against attacks originating from compromised third-party scripts (e.g., analytics, live chat).
- Gaining visibility and control over the client-side attack surface.
- Implementing security without impacting page load times and user experience.
- Preventing credit card data exfiltration in real-time.
Positive Outcomes:
100%
Prevention of detected client-side skimming attempts.
75%
Reduction in unauthorized third-party script activity.
Impact on website performance, maintaining a seamless user
experience.
Our AI-Enabled Secure Development Lifecycle (SDLC)
2. Secure Coding & AI Assistants
Developers use AI-powered code assistants and follow secure coding standards (e.g., OWASP Top 10) to write resilient code from the start. We conduct peer code reviews with a security focus.
3. Automated Pipeline Security (CI/CD)
Every code commit automatically triggers a suite of security scans: SAST for source code, SCA for dependencies, and IaC scanning for infrastructure, providing immediate feedback.
4. Dynamic & Interactive Testing
In staging environments, we run DAST and IAST scans on the live application to find runtime vulnerabilities and confirm that security controls are working correctly before deployment.
5. Penetration Testing & Validation
Our ethical hackers conduct rigorous manual penetration tests to uncover complex business logic flaws and simulate real-world attack scenarios, providing a final validation of the application's security posture.
6. Secure Deployment & Continuous Monitoring
We deploy using secure configurations and immediately begin continuous monitoring of the production environment for new threats, anomalies, and compliance drift using CSPM and threat intelligence feeds.
Our Application Security Technology Stack & Tools
We leverage a best-in-class, AI-enhanced toolchain to provide comprehensive security coverage across the entire software development lifecycle.
What Our Clients Say About Our Security-First Approach
CIS transformed our development process. Integrating security into our CI/CD pipeline felt daunting, but their team made it seamless. We now deploy faster and with greater confidence than ever before.
Aaron Welch
VP of Engineering, ScaleUp SaaS Inc.
The threat modeling workshop was an eye-opener. We identified critical architectural flaws that would have cost us hundreds of thousands to fix post-launch. Their proactive approach is invaluable.
Amelia Norton
Product Lead, MedTech Innovators
As a CISO, I need a partner who speaks my language. CIS provides clear, actionable reports and helps us translate technical risk into business impact. They are a true extension of our security team.
Bennett Fry
Chief Information Security Officer, Global Logistics
Corp
Achieving SOC 2 compliance was a major hurdle for us. CIS's expertise and their automated evidence collection made the audit process smooth and successful. We couldn't have done it without them.
Caroline Manning
Director of Operations, DataInsights Co.
Their penetration test was the most thorough we've ever had. They didn't just run a scanner; they understood our business logic and found vulnerabilities we never would have considered.
Dante Cole
Head of IT, OmniChannel Retail
The AI-powered DAST tool they integrated into our pipeline has been a game-changer. It's significantly reduced false positives, allowing our developers to focus on fixing real issues, not chasing ghosts.
Eliana Pratt
DevOps Manager, CloudNative Solutions
Specialized Security for Your Industry
FinTech & Banking
Healthcare & Life Sciences
E-commerce & Retail
SaaS & Technology
Legal & Insurance
Manufacturing & IoT
Meet Our Application Security Leadership
Vikas J.
Divisional Manager, Certified Expert Ethical Hacker, Enterprise Cloud & SecOps Solutions. Leads our offensive security and penetration testing teams.
Joseph A.
Expert Cybersecurity & Software Engineering. Specializes in secure software architecture and integrating security into the SDLC.
Girish S.
Delivery Manager, Microsoft Certified Solutions Architect. Expert in Azure security, compliance, and secure cloud deployments.
Akeel Q.
Manager, Certified Cloud Solutions Expert. Focuses on AWS security, CSPM, and automating security governance in the cloud.
Flexible Engagement Models for Your Security Needs
Project-Based DevSecOps
Ideal for new application development. We integrate with your team from day one to build a secure application from the ground up, delivering a fully tested and hardened product.
- End-to-end security for a specific project.
- Fixed scope and transparent pricing.
- Includes threat modeling, pipeline integration, and final pen test.
Dedicated Security POD (Team)
Augment your existing development teams with a dedicated pod of our security experts. They provide ongoing security guidance, code reviews, testing, and incident response.
- Seamless integration with your Agile sprints.
- Access to a diverse set of security skills.
- Scalable to meet your changing needs.
Security-as-a-Service (Managed)
A subscription-based model for continuous security. We manage your security tools, perform regular vulnerability scanning, and provide ongoing monitoring and reporting for your application portfolio.
- Cost-effective access to enterprise-grade tools.
- Continuous vulnerability management.
- Perfect for maintaining compliance and security posture over time.
Estimate Your Application Security Investment
Configure Your Project
Estimated Monthly Cost
This is a preliminary estimate for a standard project. For a detailed, fixed-price quote, please contact us.
$3,000 - $5,000
per month
Get a Precise Quote
CIS DevSecOps vs. Traditional Security Testing
| Feature | Traditional Security Testing | CIS AI-Enabled DevSecOps |
|---|---|---|
| When Security is Involved | End of the development cycle | Throughout the entire lifecycle (Shift-Left) |
| Cost to Remediate Bugs | High (found late in the process) | Low (found early, often before code is merged) |
| Impact on Delivery Speed | Major bottleneck, causes delays | Automated and integrated, accelerates delivery |
| Developer Feedback Loop | Weeks or months (long reports) | Minutes (real-time alerts in IDE/pipeline) |
| Compliance Approach | Manual, periodic audits | Automated, continuous compliance-as-code |
| Security Ownership | Siloed security team | Shared responsibility across Dev, Sec, and Ops |
| Vulnerability Discovery | ✘ | ✔ |
| AI-Powered Analysis | ✘ | ✔ |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the biggest factor that influences application
security cost?
The single biggest factor is complexity. This includes the size of the codebase, the number of integrations, the technologies used, and the sensitivity of the data being handled. A simple informational website has a much lower security cost than a complex, multi-cloud FinTech platform with stringent compliance requirements like PCI DSS.
Is a one-time penetration test enough to secure my
application?
While a penetration test is a valuable snapshot in time, it's not a complete security strategy. Modern applications change constantly. A "clean" report today doesn't protect you from a vulnerability introduced in tomorrow's code push. A continuous approach with automated scanning integrated into your development pipeline is far more effective and cost-efficient in the long run.
How does "Shifting Left" actually save money?
Industry data consistently shows that a vulnerability found during the design phase can cost over 100 times less to fix than the same vulnerability found in production. "Shifting left" means finding and fixing these issues early in the SDLC. It saves money by drastically reducing expensive developer time on rework, avoiding emergency patches, and preventing costly project delays.
My developers are already busy. Will DevSecOps slow them
down?
Initially, there's a learning curve, but a properly implemented DevSecOps program *accelerates* development. By providing developers with fast, automated feedback directly in their tools, they can fix security issues in minutes, not weeks. This avoids the massive context-switching and rework that happens when a security report lands on their desk months after they wrote the code.
What's the difference between SAST, DAST, and IAST?
Think of it this way: SAST (Static) is like a blueprint checker, analyzing your source code before the application is built. DAST (Dynamic) is like a black-box tester, probing the running application from the outside for vulnerabilities. IAST (Interactive) is like having an agent inside the running application, providing more context and accuracy. A comprehensive strategy uses all three.
How do you handle security for third-party and open-source
code?
This is critical. We use Software Composition Analysis (SCA) tools that automatically scan your project's dependencies. These tools identify known vulnerabilities in open-source libraries and can even enforce policies to prevent developers from using outdated or insecure components. This protects you from supply chain attacks.
Can you help us meet compliance standards like HIPAA or
GDPR?
Absolutely. This is a core part of our service. We don't just build features; we build compliant systems. We translate regulatory requirements into technical controls and automated tests, providing you with the evidence needed to pass audits and maintain continuous compliance.
What is the ROI of investing in application security?
The ROI comes from cost avoidance and business enablement. It includes avoiding the massive costs of a data breach (fines, legal fees, remediation), reducing developer rework, accelerating time-to-market by removing security bottlenecks, and enabling you to win enterprise customers who demand high levels of security assurance.
Our Commitment to Excellence: Awards & Recognition
Ready to Build Security In, Not Bolt It On?
Let's move beyond reactive security fixes and build a resilient, high-performance application portfolio. Schedule a free, no-obligation consultation with our security architects to discuss your project and get a transparent cost analysis.
Schedule Your Free Security Consultation