What Security by Design Really Means (and Why Most Firms Miss It)

Security by design isn’t a checklist, it’s a mindset. For SaaS companies handling sensitive investor data, building resilience starts long before code is written. Paul Foley, CTO at qashqade, shares why security must begin at the design stage and what most firms get wrong.

Why Security by Design Matters More Than Ever

Modern threats aren’t just about technical exploits, they’re about business risk. That’s why true cyber resilience starts at the architecture level. I liken it to the Garden of Eden: Telling people not to eat the apple wasn’t enough. You’d need access control, monitoring, and escalation paths, before things went wrong.

Security by design is about proactively identifying potential misuse before the system is built. Think:

• Gated access to sensitive data
• Rights and privileges built into workflows
• Early alerting systems to detect deviations

Notice we’re still not talking about how the tree works. The focus is entirely on risk and mitigation, long before the system is even live.

Turning Risk into Design Principles

My team at qashqade uses frameworks like PASTA (Process for Attack Simulation and Threat Analysis) to assess threats from the perspective of business impact. The process involves:

• Mapping user and attacker behaviors
• Assessing risk scenarios before deployment
• Building controls that won’t compromise usability

This allows security decisions to align with business outcomes, not just technical theory.

Security Is Cultural

A strong design only works if the whole team owns it. Security becomes part of every sprint, every design review, and every conversation about user experience.

If you're not thinking about threats at the design stage, you're not building resilience. You're just hoping nothing goes wrong.

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