Cost Considerations

Total cost of ownership varies significantly between approaches, encompassing licensing, infrastructure, and operational expenses. SCA tools range from free open-source options to enterprise platforms costing hundreds of thousands annually. The primary cost driver is the number of applications or developers covered. Infrastructure requirements are minimal as SCA analysis is typically lightweight. The main operational cost involves managing and prioritizing the volume of vulnerability findings.

SAST represents a significant investment in both licensing and operational costs. Enterprise SAST platforms are among the most expensive security tools, with costs scaling by lines of code or number of developers. Infrastructure requirements can be substantial for large codebases requiring powerful analysis servers. The hidden cost lies in the expertise required for rule tuning and false positive management. Many organizations underestimate the ongoing operational investment SAST requires.

DAST costs include both tools and testing infrastructure. While DAST licensing might be less expensive than SAST, the infrastructure requirements for test environments can be substantial. Organizations need production-like environments for accurate testing, potentially multiplying infrastructure costs. Operational costs include security personnel to configure scans, investigate findings, and coordinate remediation. Cloud-based DAST services reduce infrastructure costs but introduce ongoing subscription expenses.