In my more than 25 years in cybersecurity, I’ve witnessed an evolving narrative about how best to secure software. From reactive measures to proactive strategies, one truth consistently emerges: Security is most effective when integrated deeply into development workflows. With the advent of platform engineering, we are presented with yet another pivotal moment to embed security into our infrastructure from the outset, forming a natural alliance between cybersecurity and platform engineering.
Historically, the responsibility for creating secure code and applications has disproportionately fallen on the shoulders of application developers. This expectation was never entirely fair or practical. Developers, primarily tasked with innovating and delivering business value, have often found themselves overburdened by additional security responsibilities. Expecting them to also possess deep expertise in security nuances isn’t realistic, nor does it set them up for sustained success.
The advent of DevSecOps attempted to bridge this gap, advocating for security to “shift left,” integrating security practices earlier into the development lifecycle. The results have been undeniably positive: We’ve seen more secure applications, reduced vulnerabilities and better awareness among developers. But as successful as shift-left strategies have been, there is a growing realization in the industry—we might have taken shift-left as far as it can effectively go. Today, we’re discovering the need for a “shift anywhere” approach—one where security considerations permeate the entire development and operational pipeline rather than being confined to just the left side.
This is precisely where platform engineering enters the picture and becomes such a critical component. Platform engineering, which focuses on creating internal developer platforms (IDPs), aims to streamline and standardize processes, enabling developers to deliver code faster and with greater reliability. By its nature, platform engineering provides an ideal foundation to embed security practices seamlessly into the infrastructure and toolchains developers interact with daily.
My ongoing conversations with DevOps, cybersecurity and platform engineering practitioners strongly suggest that the most impactful security tools are those explicitly designed with developers in mind. Tools created for security professionals, although necessary, often require specialized knowledge to use effectively, creating friction and resistance within developer workflows. Conversely, developer-friendly tools that integrate directly into familiar processes—CI/CD pipelines, automated testing environments, and monitoring systems—dramatically enhance adoption rates and, consequently, the security posture of the entire organization.
This natural alliance between cybersecurity and platform engineering transforms security from an afterthought—a bolt-on activity—to an intrinsic feature of the platform itself. Imagine developers having security seamlessly built into their workflow, rather than encountering security checks and balances as hurdles. Platforms can enforce secure coding practices automatically, run vulnerability scans transparently, and ensure compliance through automated policy enforcement, effectively reducing cognitive load on developers.
For security teams, partnering with platform engineers means influencing platform design choices early, embedding best-in-class security tooling, and implementing rigorous compliance guardrails. Platform engineering teams benefit from enhanced credibility and trust across the enterprise, as the inherent security of the platforms they develop becomes a tangible, value-added feature.
Moreover, platform engineers become essential allies for security teams in standardizing and automating security practices across the enterprise. The collaborative synergy between these two disciplines simplifies governance and dramatically enhances the organization’s overall resilience and responsiveness to threats.
From the perspective of business stakeholders, this partnership accelerates innovation while mitigating risks associated with vulnerabilities and breaches. Secure platforms enable organizations to adopt new technologies and methodologies, such as AI-driven DevOps, microservices architectures and hybrid cloud deployments, without sacrificing compliance or security.
Ultimately, the natural alliance between cybersecurity and platform engineering represents a strategic win-win-win: Developers enjoy frictionless integration of security, security professionals extend their reach and efficacy without becoming bottlenecks, and the business benefits from rapid, secure innovation.
In conclusion, embracing this natural partnership between cybersecurity and platform engineering isn’t merely advisable—it’s essential for organizations aiming for robust, secure and scalable digital innovation. As our industry continues to mature, recognizing and fostering this alliance will position forward-thinking companies at the leading edge of secure, efficient and resilient software delivery.