#waterfall and agile methodologies

[synergytop]

Project Development Methodologies – Agile Vs. Waterfall | SynergyTop

Dive into the world of Project Development Methodologies with our latest blog at SynergyTop! 🚀 Explore the dynamic comparison between Agile and Waterfall approaches, uncovering the pros and cons of each in the realm of project management methodologies. 💡 Gain insights into choosing the right methodology for your projects. 🔄 Stay ahead in the development game with SynergyTop’s expert analysis. Read more at SynergyTop and elevate your project management strategy!

[marrywillson]

Agile methodology is a flexible and iterative strategy that allows teams to quickly adjust to changing project needs and deliver high-quality solutions in less time. In software development, agile is frequently utilized.

[nicolae]

Human Capital changes during COVID-19 Pandemic. Why software development methodologies shifted from Waterfall to Agile.

Iacob, Andreea Teodora (2024), Human Capital changes during COVID-19 Pandemic. Why software development methodologies shifted from Waterfall to Agile, IT & C, 3:4, pag,   Abstract Human capital has encountered many challenges and changes during the COVID-19 Pandemic. This adaptability that we needed to embrace, to face the many challenges of the Pandemic context, has also increased the human…

[projectmanagertemplate]

Project Management Methodologies Compared: Which is Best Waterfall , Agile , Scrum, Kanban, Lean, Six Sigma or PRINCE2

Choosing the best project methodology depends on the nature of your project, team structure, and organizational culture. Waterfall offers a structured approach, while Agile and its subsets like Scrum and Kanban provide flexibility. Lean and Six Sigma focus on efficiency and quality, and PRINCE2 offers a comprehensive, scalable framework. Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each methodology will help you navigate your projects to success.

[technology-and-beyond]

Essential of SDLC: A Comprehensive Guide to Fundamentals, Phases, and Methodologies

Unlock the secrets of the Software Development Life Cycle with 'Decoding SDLC,' offering a comprehensive exploration of key fundamentals and methodologies.

[sabelacarsonsblog]

Discover the Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC): From Concept to Completion

Explore the journey of the Systems Development Life Cycle from its inception to achieving project success. Acquire insights into the various stages, methodologies, and optimal approaches through this all-inclusive handbook.

[justnshalom]

Understanding the Difference Between Agile and Waterfall Project Management

Introduction Agile and Waterfall are two popular project management methodologies used in software development and other industries. Both approaches have their own distinct characteristics and are employed in various contexts based on project requirements and team preferences. Waterfall Project Management Waterfall is a sequential and linear methodology in which project tasks are completed in a…

[emma-johns]

Agile Vs Waterfall Methodology: Which Is the Best for Your Project?

"Choosing the right project methodology is key to success. Delve into the battle of Agile vs. Waterfall methodologies and find out which one aligns best with your project's unique needs. Unlock the power of efficient development and make informed decisions to propel your project forward." https://jumpgrowth.com/agile-vs-waterfall-methodology/

[webdevelopment-ecommerce]

Agile Methodology vs. Waterfall vs. Scrum: A Comprehensive Comparison

Software development methodologies play a crucial role in shaping the approach and success of software projects. Among the most widely used methodologies are Agile, Waterfall, and Scrum. Each methodology has its own strengths and weaknesses, and understanding the differences between them is essential for project managers and development teams. In this article, we will provide a comprehensive comparison of Agile, Waterfall, and Scrum methodologies, exploring their key principles, characteristics, and suitability for different project types.

[sohailshaikh360]

Choosing the Pinnacle: A Guide to Selecting Optimal Mobile App Development Services

I. Introduction

In the fast-evolving digital era, mobile applications have become indispensable tools for businesses and individuals alike. However, the success of a mobile app heavily relies on the expertise and efficiency of the development services behind it. This article serves as a comprehensive guide to assist in the judicious selection of mobile app development services, ensuring the realization of a robust and successful application.

II. Understanding Your Project Requirements

Defining Project Scope

Crafting a successful mobile app starts with a meticulous definition of the project scope. This involves a detailed analysis of the desired functionalities and features, considering the unique needs of the target audience.

Platform and Technology Considerations

Choosing the right platforms (iOS, Android, or cross-platform) is pivotal. Additionally, selecting appropriate technologies and frameworks that align with the technical requirements of the project is crucial for its success.

III. Assessing Development Expertise

Portfolio Examination

A thorough review of the development company's portfolio is essential. This involves assessing past projects and industry experience, gauging the diversity and complexity of their work to ascertain their expertise.

Client Testimonials and Reviews

Client testimonials and reviews provide valuable insights into the reputation of a development company. Understanding client satisfaction levels, project management efficiency, and adherence to timelines is imperative.

IV. Development Methodologies and Practices

Agile vs. Waterfall Approaches

Choosing between Agile and Waterfall methodologies involves understanding their impact on project flexibility and adaptability. Selecting the most suitable approach is critical for seamless development.

Quality Assurance and Testing Procedures

The development company's approach to quality assurance and testing is paramount. Rigorous testing for functionality, security, and user experience ensures a polished and reliable final product.

V. Cost and Timeline Considerations

Transparent Pricing Models

Understanding different pricing models, including fixed, hourly, and dedicated team arrangements, is crucial. Ensuring transparency in cost breakdowns and anticipating potential additional charges is part of prudent decision-making.

Project Timeline Projections

Establishing realistic project timelines is essential for effective planning. Discussing milestones, deliverables, and potential setbacks ensures a clear roadmap for project completion.

This guide equips decision-makers with the insights needed to navigate the multifaceted process of selecting mobile app development services, laying the foundation for a successful and impactful mobile application.

[imrovementcompany]

Strategic Project Management

Many discussions about project management overlook the significance of the crucial early choices that shape the project execution approach. Decisions such as employing Agile or Waterfall methodologies, or choosing between prefabrication and on-site assembly, may not alter the expected project output, but they can greatly affect the delivery process and the project’s likely success. There’s no…

[thecertexpert]

Leadership Strategies for Managing Complex Projects: Guiding Teams to Success

Managing complex projects requires a unique blend of leadership, strategic planning, and adaptability. These projects often involve multiple stakeholders, intricate timelines, and significant risks. Successful leaders must employ various strategies to navigate these challenges and deliver results.  

In this next part, we are going to discuss about the differences between traditional and AI powered project management  

AI vs Traditional Project Management: Key Benefits and Differences 

Traditional Landscape in Project Management 

Traditionally, project management has been centered around well-established methodologies such as Waterfall, Agile, and Lean. Project managers focus on tasks like planning, scheduling, and resource allocation, often relying on tools like Gantt charts, spreadsheets, and project management software.  

While these methods have been effective, they often require significant manual oversight, leading to inefficiencies, missed deadlines, and budget overruns. 

AI in Project Management 

AI is transforming the project management landscape by automating routine tasks, providing predictive insights, and enhancing decision-making. With tools powered by machine learning, predictive analytics, and natural language processing, AI helps project managers anticipate risks, optimize resources, and improve communication within teams. By doing so, AI reduces manual workload and enhances project accuracy and efficiency. 

Key Advantages of AI Integration 

The integration of AI in project management yields numerous benefits, including: 

Benefits of AI in Project Management 

Task Automation – AI automates scheduling, reporting, and assignments, saving time. 

Predictive Insights – AI anticipates risks, delays, and cost overruns based on data. 

Resource Optimization – AI improves resource allocation by analyzing workloads. 

Enhanced Communication – AI streamlines updates and reporting for better collaboration. 

Risk Management – AI spots risks early, enabling proactive solutions. 

Here are the key differences that AI makes in project management: 

Key Differences 

Manual vs. Automated – AI reduces manual effort by automating routine tasks. 

Reactive vs. Predictive – Traditional methods react to problems; AI predicts and prevents them. 

Basic Data Use vs. Advanced Insights – AI processes more data for deeper insights. 

Static vs. Dynamic Resource Management – AI continuously optimizes resources. 

Human-Driven vs. AI-Assisted Decisions – AI supports decisions with data-driven recommendations. 

In essence, AI makes project management faster, more efficient, and more proactive compared to traditional methods. 

With a clear vision, the next step is to develop a robust project plan that outlines the scope, schedule, and resources required. 

The successful integration of AI in project management hinges on the following critical strategies in this section we will discuss that. 

10 Enhancing Strategies for Complex Projects 

1. Establish Clear Vision and Goals 

A clear vision provides direction and purpose for your team, ensuring that everyone understands the project's ultimate objectives. As a leader, it’s your responsibility to articulate this vision and set clear, measurable goals that align with the project’s purpose. 

How to Implement: 

Communicate the Vision: Regularly communicate the project’s overarching goals to your team, stakeholders, and partners. Ensure everyone understands the long-term vision and how their contributions fit the bigger picture. 

Set SMART Goals: Develop Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound (SMART) goals to provide a structured roadmap for the project. These goals will serve as benchmarks for success and guide the team’s efforts throughout the project lifecycle. 

Consider certifications like the Certified Project Director (CPD) or the PMP® Certification by PMI to enhance your skills in creating and managing project visions effectively. 

2. Develop a Robust Project Plan 

Complex projects require a detailed plan outlining the scope, schedule, resources, and risks involved. A well-crafted plan serves as a blueprint for execution, helping to keep the project on track and ensuring that everyone is aligned with the project’s objectives. 

How to Implement: 

Break Down the Project: Divide the project into smaller, manageable tasks or phases. Assign responsibilities and set deadlines for each task to ensure progress is made consistently. 

Leverage Project Management Tools: Utilize project management software like Microsoft Project, Asana, or Trello to create detailed timelines, track progress, and manage resources. These tools can help you monitor the project’s status in real-time and identify potential bottlenecks before they escalate. 

You might also consider the Certified Agile Project Manager™ to learn more about agile practices that aid in creating flexible and effective project plans. 

3. Build and Empower a Strong Team 

Your team is your most valuable asset in managing a complex project. Building a team with the right skills, experience, and attitudes is crucial. But it’s not enough to simply assemble the right people; you must also empower them to take ownership of their work and make decisions. 

How to Implement: 

Hire for Skills and Attitude: Focus on creating a balanced team that brings diverse skills and perspectives to the table. Look for individuals who are not only technically proficient but also adaptable, collaborative, and resilient under pressure. 

Foster Autonomy and Trust: Empower your team members by giving them autonomy to make decisions and solve problems within their areas of responsibility. Trust them to handle tasks without micromanagement, which can foster a sense of ownership and accountability. 

Building and empowering a strong team requires strategic hiring and cultivating an environment of trust. This approach ensures that your team members feel motivated and responsible for their contributions, leading to higher engagement and overall project success. 

Additionally, as AI becomes more integrated into project management, ensuring your team is equipped with relevant AI skills is critical. Pursuing AI certifications in project management can enhance your team’s ability to leverage AI-driven tools and data, improving efficiency and decision-making in complex projects.  

This combination of empowered teams and AI expertise will be key to staying ahead in the evolving project management landscape. 

Use the coupon code NEWCOURSE25 to get 25% OFF on AI CERT’s certifications. Visit this link to explore all the courses and enroll today. 

4. Maintain Open and Transparent Communication 

Effective communication is critical for managing complex projects. With numerous moving parts and stakeholders, it’s essential to keep everyone informed and aligned. Open, transparent communication helps prevent misunderstandings, reduces conflicts, and ensures that issues are addressed promptly. 

How to Implement: 

Set Up Regular Check-ins: Schedule regular meetings with your team to discuss progress, challenges, and any changes in the project. These check-ins provide an opportunity to address concerns early and keep everyone aligned. 

Use Multiple Communication Channels: Different team members may have different communication preferences. Use a variety of communication channels, including emails, video calls, instant messaging, and project management platforms, to ensure that everyone receives important information promptly. 

Consider earning the Certified Communication Professional™ to develop your skills in managing communication across various channels and stakeholders. 

5. Adapt and Stay Flexible 

Complex projects are often unpredictable, requiring leaders to be flexible and adaptable. Unexpected challenges, changes in scope, or external factors can all impact the project’s progress. Effective leaders can adjust their strategies and pivot when necessary to keep the project on track. 

How to Implement: 

Embrace Change: Be open to change and view it as an opportunity for improvement. When unforeseen issues arise, assess the situation objectively, consult with your team, and develop a plan for moving forward. 

Implement Agile Practices: Agile methodologies can be particularly useful for managing complex projects. Agile encourages iterative progress, continuous feedback, and adaptability, allowing teams to respond quickly to changes and adjust their approach as needed. 

The Certified Agile Professional™ certification can provide you with insights into effectively applying agile methodologies to your project management strategies. 

6. Prioritize Risk Management 

Risk is inherent in any complex project. Identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks early on is essential for minimizing their impact on the project. Leaders must be proactive in managing risks and developing contingency plans to address potential issues before they arise. 

How to Implement: 

Conduct a Risk Assessment: At the beginning of the project, identify potential risks and evaluate their likelihood and potential impact. Use this information to develop strategies for mitigating risks and responding to them if they occur. 

Create a Contingency Plan: Develop a contingency plan that outlines how the team will respond to various risks. Ensure that everyone is aware of this plan and understands their roles in executing it if necessary. 

To strengthen your risk management skills, consider obtaining the Certified Risk Management Professional credential. 

7. Encourage a Culture of Continuous Improvement

Successful leaders understand that there is always room for improvement. By fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement, you can encourage your team to innovate, learn from their mistakes, and find better ways to achieve project goals. 

How to Implement: 

Encourage Reflection and Feedback: After completing major phases of the project, hold retrospective meetings to reflect on what went well and what could be improved. Encourage open feedback and use these insights to make adjustments for future phases. 

Promote Learning and Development: Invest in your team’s professional development by providing opportunities for learning and growth. Encourage them to attend workshops, pursue certifications, or participate in training programs that can enhance their skills and knowledge. 

Certifications like the Certified Continuous Improvement Manager can help you develop a culture of continuous improvement within your organization. 

8. Lead by Example 

Leadership in complex projects isn’t just about managing tasks; it’s about inspiring and motivating your team. By demonstrating the qualities you want to see in your team—such as resilience, adaptability, and a strong work ethic you can set the tone for the entire project and inspire your team to follow your lead. 

How to Implement: 

Model the Behaviors You Want to See: Show your team what it means to be committed, flexible, and solution-oriented. When challenges arise, demonstrate a positive attitude and a willingness to find solutions, rather than dwelling on problems. 

Be Approachable and Supportive: Make yourself available to your team and create an environment where they feel comfortable coming to you with concerns, ideas, and feedback. Your support can make a significant difference in their motivation and engagement throughout the project. 

Consider pursuing certifications like Certified Leadership Excellence to refine your leadership skills and effectively lead by example. 

9. Celebrate Milestones and Successes 

Complex projects often span long periods, and it’s easy for team members to become fatigued or lose sight of the end goal. Celebrating milestones and successes along the way can boost morale, keep the team motivated, and reinforce the importance of their contributions. 

How to Implement: 

Recognize Achievements: Publicly acknowledge and celebrate when the team hits key milestones or achieves significant accomplishments. Whether it’s through a team meeting, an email, or a small celebration, recognizing their efforts helps build a sense of accomplishment and camaraderie. 

Provide Positive Reinforcement: Continuously offer positive feedback and reinforcement to your team members. This helps maintain momentum and encourages them to stay engaged and committed to the project’s success. 

Certifications such as the Certified Recognition Leader can equip you with the skills needed to foster a culture of recognition and positivity within your team. 

10. Keep an Eye on the Big Picture

Amidst the complexity of managing day-to-day tasks, it’s crucial to keep sight of the big picture. As a leader, your ability to balance the details with the overarching goals of the project ensures that you’re moving in the right direction. 

How to Implement: 

Review Progress Regularly: Take time to step back and assess the project’s overall progress. Ensure that it’s still aligned with the overall vision and goals. If necessary, make adjustments to keep the project on track. 

Stay Connected with Stakeholders: Maintain regular communication with stakeholders to ensure their expectations are being met. By keeping them informed and involved, you can avoid surprises and ensure that the project stays aligned with their needs and priorities. 

Certifications like the Certified Strategic Project Leader can help you strengthen your ability to focus on both the details and the big picture of complex projects. 

Conclusion 

Managing complex projects is a multifaceted challenge that requires strong leadership, strategic planning, and adaptability.  

By implementing these leadership strategies establishing a clear vision, developing a robust plan, building a strong team, maintaining open communication, staying flexible, prioritizing risk management, encouraging continuous improvement, leading by example, celebrating successes, and keeping an eye on the big picture, you can guide your team to success and navigate the complexities of any project with confidence. 

These strategies will not only help you manage the current project but also strengthen your leadership skills for future endeavors. By continuously refining your approach, learning from your experiences, and staying adaptable, you’ll be well-equipped to lead your team through even the most complex and challenging projects. 

For professionals looking to take their leadership skills to the next level, certifications such as AI CERTs AI+ Project Manager™ can provide valuable insights and credentials to enhance your leadership journey. contact us to schedule a brief meeting 

[qocsuing]

Hidden Hinges and the Silent Ones

Hidden Hinges and the Silent Ones The concept of Hidden Hinges refers to radical changes that are usually not apparent yet they result from changes in thinking, infrastructure or cultural norms. They are hidden mechanisms for moving from incremental improvements to paradigm shifts. The hidden hinges have been the foundations of such epoch-making events as the development of internet and artificial intelligence.Get more news about Hidden Hinge,you can vist our website!

Infrastructure Hinge: The Setting Up

One of the most fundamental Hidden Hinges is infrastructure that supports innovation. In this case, high-speed Internet connections are one such hinge that has helped birth the digital revolution. It has enabled seamless communication and also spurred cloud computing, big data analytics, remote work scenarios and e-commerce growth. This infrastructural transformation has led to a global economic metamorphosis, changing entire industries and ways of life.

Methodological Hinge: Changing How Things Are Done

Another crucial aspect of Hidden Hinges lies in evolution of methodologies and research paradigms. For example, adopting agile software engineering methodologies has completely altered how products are designed, built and iterated upon. This move away from traditional waterfall models to more flexible iterative approaches has increased pace of innovation by enabling companies to quickly respond to market demands before anyone else does.

Cultural Hinge: A Culture That Encourages Innovation

Cultural transformations too count as invisible hinges. Creating an environment where risk-taking is encouraged as well as experimentation with failure being accepted may seem standard but it is critical for fostering innovation. Such cultures have been developed at Google or Tesla which require employees who can think critically beyond what is traditionally known or done among their peers. Breakthrough products have resulted from this culture while a lot more smartest people have also come into these firms leading to further innovations.

Hidden hinges are behind all technological progress but only receive little recognition if any at all compared headline-grabbing headlines or awards received by inventors in other fields.

[georgemaries]

Business analysis course online

A Business analysis course online provides flexible training in essential skills like data analysis, process mapping, and stakeholder communication. Participants learn methodologies such as Agile and Waterfall, preparing them for certification and career advancement. This convenient format allows learners to study at their own pace while gaining valuable industry insights.

[technology-and-beyond]

Essential of SDLC: A Comprehensive Guide to Fundamentals, Phases, and Methodologies

Unlock the secrets of Software Development Life Cycle with 'Decoding SDLC,' offering a comprehensive exploration of key fundamentals and methodologies in 160 characters.

[jcmarchi]

Nabil Hannan, Field CISO at NetSPI – Interview Series

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/nabil-hannan-field-ciso-at-netspi-interview-series/

Nabil Hannan, Field CISO at NetSPI – Interview Series

Nabil Hannan is the Field CISO (Chief Information Security Officer) at NetSPI. He leads the company’s advisory consulting practice, focusing on helping clients solve their cyber security assessment and threat andvulnerability management needs. His background is in building and improving effective software security initiatives, with deep expertise in the financial services sector.

NetSPI is a proactive security solution designed to discover, prioritize, and remediate the most critical security vulnerabilities. It helps organizations protect what matters most to their business by enabling a proactive approach to cybersecurity with greater clarity, speed, and scale than ever before.

Can you share a bit about your journey in cybersecurity and what led you to join NetSPI?

I’ve been programming since I was seven years old. Technology has always excited me because I wanted to know how things worked, which consequently led me to take a lot of things apart and learn how to put them back together at a young age.

While studying computer science in college, I began my career at Blackberry, where I worked as a product manager for the Blackberry Messenger Platform and became interested in hardware design. From there, I was recruited to join a small company in the application security domain – I was so passionate about it that I was willing to move to a new country to get the job.

When I consider my journey in cybersecurity, it started from the bottom up. I began as an associate consultant doing penetration testing, code review, threat modeling, hardware testing, and whatever else my bosses threw my way. Eventually, I worked my way up to building a penetration testing service for Cigital, which later got acquired by Synopsys. All of this led me to NetSPI to help support its growth trajectory in the proactive security space.

How has your experience in the financial services sector shaped your approach to cybersecurity?

While working at Synopsys, I helped build the strategy for selling security services and products to the financial services industry. So, while I wasn’t directly working in financial services, I was responsible for building strategies for that sector, which required diving deep into that vertical to understand its drivers and pain points.

Growing up in the technology space, I spent quite a bit of time working with large financial services organizations across the globe. Having that background, I focused my time and skills on developing a strategy for targeting and building services tailored to the financial services industry as a whole.

The biggest thing I’ve learned from exposure to the financial services sector is that hackers go where the money is. Hackers are not in this just for fun; it’s their source of income. They go where there’s the most financial impact – whether it be actually stealing money in some form or causing financial harm to an organization. That mindset has helped shape my understanding of cybersecurity and led me to be successful in my current role as a Field CISO.

With cyber threats evolving rapidly, what do you see as the biggest cybersecurity challenges organizations face today?

The biggest challenge today is the speed at which every organization needs to operate to combat evolving threats and keep pace with emerging technology, like AI. Historically, there was a waterfall methodology for building software, which wasn’t necessarily a fast process compared to how quickly software is deployed today. Now, we have a much more agile methodology, where organizations are trying to build software and release it to production as fast as possible and do more bite-sized implementations.

The last 10 years have shown rapid change and acceleration in the security ecosystem. This is causing many issues for large organizations, like shadow IT, making it harder to gain insight into their attack surface and assets. You can’t protect what you can’t see.

Cloud adoption adds to this fire – the more people adapt, adopt, and migrate to the cloud, the more elastic the software systems and assets become. The ability to scale software and hardware up and down in an elastic way makes change even more difficult to manage. As systems are built with elastic potential, you cause challenges where assets change ownership more frequently and create opportunities for bad actors to find ways into an organization.

How do you think the cybersecurity landscape will change over the next five years?

The need for greater visibility into both external and internal assets will continue to be important over the next five years and change how customers work with vendors. It’s already an area we’re heavily focused on at NetSPI. In June, we acquired a cyber asset attack surface management (CAASM) and cybersecurity posture management solution called Hubble Technology. Adding CAASM to our established external attack surface management (EASM) capabilities enables our customers to continuously identify new assets and risks, remediate security control blind spots, and gain a holistic view of their security posture by providing an accurate inventory of cyber assets, both external and internal – something that was missing in the industry up until this point.

Merging our EASM and CAASM capabilities into The NetSPI Platform allows us to provide customers with the tools they need to address ongoing visibility challenges. This also enhances the ability to accurately prioritize risks associated with assets and vulnerabilities. Additionally, it helps security leaders assess the exposure of their most important assets in relation to these risks.

How does NetSPI’s approach to vulnerability management differ from other companies in the industry?

Recently, we unveiled a new unified proactive security platform, which marries our Penetration Testing as a Service (PTaaS), External Attack Surface Management (EASM), Cyber Asset Attack Surface Management (CAASM), and Breach and Attack Simulation (BAS) technologies together in a single solution. With The NetSPI Platform, customers can take a proactive approach to cybersecurity with more clarity, speed, and scale than ever before. This new proactive approach mirrors trends we’re seeing in the industry, and the shift away from disparate point solutions, and toward the rapid adoption of more holistic, end-to-end platform services.

How is AI being used to enhance cybersecurity measures at NetSPI?

Like any cybersecurity leader will tell you, AI has the potential to catalyze business success, but it also has the potential to feed adversarial attacks. At NetSPI, we’re trying to help our customers stay ahead of the curve by implementing AI/ML penetration testing models, which ensures security is considered from ideation to implementation by identifying, analyzing, and mitigating the risks associated with adversarial attacks on ML systems, with an emphasis on LLMs. In cybersecurity, AI capabilities have enhanced and adopted our ability to monitor and remediate threats in real time.

What are the potential risks associated with AI in cybersecurity, and how can they be mitigated?

Based on conversations I’m having with other cybersecurity leaders, the biggest AI risk is organizations’ lack of basic data and cybersecurity hygiene. As we know, AI solutions are only as effective as the data the models are trained on. If organizations don’t have a firm grasp on data inventory and classification, then there’s a risk that their models will suffer and be prone to security gaps.

When people see the word “intelligence” in AI, they mistake it for being “inherently intelligent” or even having some type of sentience. But that is not the case. Security practitioners still need to program AI models to make them understand what assets are personal, private, public, and so on. Without those mechanisms, AI can descend into chaos. That, in my opinion, is the biggest concern among CISOs right now.

Can you elaborate on how NetSPI’s Penetration Testing as a Service (PTaaS) helps organizations maintain robust security?

Penetration testing is critical to an organization’s overall cybersecurity posture because it gives teams greater context into vulnerabilities specific to their business.

Penetration testing is also a great litmus test to see how effective other security controls, like code review, threat modeling, Static Application Security Testing (SAST), Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST), Interactive Application Security Testing (IAST), and others that you may have implemented previously, are.

Regular penetration testing fosters real-time collaboration with security experts which can bring another perspective that adds more depth to data. At the end of a successful pentest, organizations will have better insight into which parts of their IT environment are more susceptible to breaches. When a pentest detects vulnerabilities, they will often highlight gaps in controls earlier in the lifecycle or controls that are missing altogether. They’ll also understand how to achieve compliance, where to focus remediation efforts, and how IT and security teams can work together to stay on top of potential business implications.

By working with vendors that specialize in PTaaS to supplement a robust security posture, organizations can be more prepared to proactively prevent security incidents.

How do you integrate both technology and human expertise to provide comprehensive security solutions?

NetSPI believes you need both technology and humans to provide a sound strategy to stay ahead of known and unknown threats. Humans must be in the loop to validate, prioritize, and contextualize the outputs that tools generate. We’re not in the business of giving people false positives or generating noise, leading them to spend more time figuring out what really matters. In other words, you can have great technology, but you need someone to actually use it and interrupt it to be successful.

There are a lot of mundane tasks that AI can do faster and more accurately than humans. If technology can be built in a trustworthy manner, then that will allow us to automate certain tasks and free up time for security teams to turn their attention to more creative thinking and critical problem-solving that AI simply can’t replace.

What strategic advice do you typically offer clients to strengthen their cybersecurity posture?

A common trap people fall into is investing in things they understand. For example, a company may bring in a leader with a cloud security background. Naturally, they then focus on building out a cloud security team, instead of, say, compliance, network security, application security, and so on, where the organization might actually need the support.

It’s better to have a more well-rounded program that focuses on everything holistically. Then, you start building defense in depth and have controls that mitigate other failures you might have in different parts of the organization. Building a well-rounded program is better than investing more time, effort, and tooling into one particular sector.

Thank you for the great interview, readers who wish to learn more should visit NetSPI.