Implementing Zero Trust Across the SaaS Development Lifecycle: From Design to Deployment Description: SaaS applications have introduced novel vulnerabilities that legacy security frameworks fail to mitigate effectively. A robust cyber defense against these kinds of attacks involves the Zero Trust framework, which is based on the principle of assuming no inherent trust and emphasizes the importance of “never trust, always verify.” The session will discuss the importance of carefully vetting SaaS vendors and understanding secure application development practices in the context of the SaaS product.

Speaker Bio:

Aparna Achanta, Principal Security Architect | IBM Federal Service

As a Principal Security Architect, Aparna oversaw mission-critical projects for US Federal Agencies. Aparna specializes in securing important healthcare applications and sensitive data for organizations. During her tenure, she successfully implemented the Zero Trust framework in federal agencies, which included establishing secure development practices, evaluating vendors, scanning and mitigating vulnerabilities, establishing observability, performing performance monitoring, and making sure that SaaS applications have strong security frameworks and controls in place.