Author: Morey J. Haber, Chief Security Advisor, BeyondTrust

Every major evolution in software development has reduced the friction between an idea and a deployable solution. Waterfall optimized execution against a plan. Agile optimized adaptation to change. DevOps optimized continuous delivery. Today, generative artificial intelligence and Vibe Coding optimize creation for anyone, anywhere.

But as software creation approaches the speed of thought, organizations face a new challenge: how to secure what has been built.

Software development has always been a reflection of the technology available at a given moment in history. As computing power increased, networks connected the world. As artificial intelligence emerged as a capable collaborator, the software development lifecycle evolved alongside it.

What began as a textbook engineering discipline governed by documentation and sequential milestones has transformed into an increasingly dynamic process where ideas can become functioning applications in real time.