Rolling with Change as API has its Moment, with Joshua Scott, Head of IT and Security for Postman

Oct 26, 2021

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It’s easy to feel unmoored in a fast-changing world with such choppy waves. With so much change, there’s a natural tendency to want to drop the anchor in the nearest calm waters and remain there, hoping this approach will be the most secure. But the water’s never really placid. There are extremely strong currents beneath the surface. Even the most gigantic anchor won’t be able to keep the ship from moving. It’ll just slow it down a little, and, maybe, even pull the vessel apart no matter the quality of how it was built. Joshua Scott, the Head of IT and Security for Postman, believes that accepting and planning for changes in technology is the best security strategy.

Main Takeaways

Evolution of the API Market: The API market was often overlooked in the past but that’s no longer the case. Postman has about fifteen million developers on its site who are working on various API projects. Where API was treated as something less than before, it is now appreciated like any other application. The mentality concerning API security has also evolved. Previously, API security was more of an afterthought. Given the amount of increasingly interconnected tools, the import of API security is now more greatly understood.
Both Centralization and Decentralization: When maintaining security, there needs to be clear leadership; therefore, a level of centralization. A clear, centralized hierarchy establishes accountability for leadership. An aspect of security decentralization is building a culture of shared responsibility among all stakeholders. Additionally, decentralizing security by empowering those closest to the action increases the speed of decision-making.
Compartmentalization is a Good thing: In one’s personal life, compartmentalization is a good thing in some respects but tends to have diminishing returns when overused. In the security arena, the capacity to compartmentalize mitigates risk from spreading from one spot to all aspects of the business. If a business is a ship, it’s never great to have a breach in the hull but it’s better if the gaping hole is limited to one compartment.

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