Designing an Integrated Testing Strategy

Effective integration begins with understanding where each tool provides maximum value in your development lifecycle. Map your development process from initial coding through production deployment, identifying natural integration points for each technology. SAST typically integrates early—IDE plugins during coding, pre-commit hooks, and pull request analysis. IAST naturally fits with test execution—unit tests, integration tests, and QA testing. DAST applies to deployed applications—staging environments, pre-production validation, and production monitoring.

Create testing workflows that leverage each tool's strengths while respecting process constraints. A typical workflow might include: SAST scanning during code commit to catch obvious vulnerabilities, IAST analysis during automated testing to identify runtime issues, and DAST scanning of staging environments for final validation. This progression provides multiple security checkpoints without creating bottlenecks. Each stage catches different vulnerability types while building cumulative confidence.

Define clear handoffs and escalation paths between testing stages. When SAST identifies potential vulnerability, should it block commits or create warnings? How do IAST findings during testing influence release decisions? What DAST results mandate emergency fixes versus scheduled remediation? Clear policies prevent confusion and ensure consistent security responses across teams. Document these workflows visually to help teams understand the complete security testing pipeline.