Security Isn't a Feature — It's the Foundation Everything Else Stands On
A single data breach costs an average of $4.45 million. For a SaaS startup, that's game over — not just financially, but reputationally. Users don't give second chances on security. One breach and your brand is permanently associated with "the company that leaked my data." At Desisle, we help SaaS companies build security into their product from Day 1 — not as a checkbox for enterprise sales, but as a core engineering practice. Vulnerability assessments, penetration testing, security architecture reviews, and compliance preparation — proactive security that prevents incidents instead of reacting to them.
The Pain Points That Brought You Here
You're handling user data but haven't done a security audit. Ever.
Credit card information, health records, personal identifiable information (PII) — flowing through your application and stored in databases that have never been tested for vulnerabilities. You assume the framework handles security. It doesn't — not completely.
Enterprise prospects keep asking about SOC 2
and you keep saying "we're working on it." Meanwhile, deals stall. Procurement teams won't sign off. Security questionnaires sit unanswered because you don't have the documentation. SOC 2 has been "on the roadmap" for 12 months. It costs you 6 figures in lost enterprise revenue every quarter.
Your last penetration test was... never.
Your code has been running in production for 2+ years without anyone systematically trying to break it. SQL injection, XSS, CSRF, broken authentication, insecure API endpoints — you don't know what vulnerabilities exist because nobody's looked.
A competitor got breached
and now your board/investors are asking hard questions you can't answer. "What's our security posture?" "Are we SOC 2 compliant?" "When was our last pen test?" "Who's responsible for security?" The honest answer to all of them is: "We don't know."
You're storing credentials and secrets insecurely.
API keys in environment files. Database passwords in Git history. Shared SSH keys across the team. Admin panel accessible at /admin with no rate limiting. These aren't hypothetical risks — they're ticking time bombs.
You need security for compliance, not just protection.
Your industry requires HIPAA (healthcare), PCI-DSS (payments), SOC 2 (enterprise SaaS), or GDPR (European users). Non-compliance means legal liability, not just security risk.
Our Security Services
Vulnerability Assessment
Systematic scanning and analysis of your application, APIs, and infrastructure for security weaknesses.
- Automated scanning: Using industry-standard tools (Nessus, Qualys, OWASP ZAP, Burp Suite) to identify known vulnerabilities
- Manual verification: Every automated finding manually verified to eliminate false positives
- Coverage: Web application, mobile app, APIs, third-party integrations, cloud infrastructure
- Severity classification: Critical → High → Medium → Low → Informational with CVSS scores
- Remediation guidance: Step-by-step fix instructions for your development team
Penetration Testing
Ethical hacking of your product — simulating real-world attacks to find exploitable vulnerabilities before actual attackers do.
- Web application pen test: OWASP Top 10 testing (injection, broken auth, XSS, SSRF, insecure deserialization, etc.)
- API pen test: Authentication bypass, rate limiting, data exposure, injection, business logic flaws
- Infrastructure pen test: Cloud misconfiguration, exposed services, privilege escalation, lateral movement
- Mobile app pen test: Data storage, network communication, authentication, binary analysis
- Social engineering (optional): Phishing simulations, pretexting, physical access testing
Security Architecture Review
Deep technical review of how your application handles security at an architectural level.
- Authentication and authorization mechanisms (OAuth, JWT, session management)
- Data handling (encryption at rest, encryption in transit, key management)
- API security (rate limiting, input validation, output encoding)
- Third-party integration security (SSO, payment gateways, data sharing)
- Logging and monitoring for security events
- Incident response readiness
Compliance Audit Preparation
Gap analysis and remediation roadmap for industry compliance frameworks.
- SOC 2 Type I/II: Controls mapping, evidence collection, policy documentation, auditor preparation
- GDPR: Data mapping, privacy policy review, consent mechanisms, data subject rights implementation, DPO guidance
- HIPAA: PHI handling assessment, BAA review, technical safeguards, administrative controls
- ISO 27001: Information security management system (ISMS) gap analysis
- PCI-DSS: Cardholder data environment scoping, controls assessment
Security Training
Building security awareness across your entire team — developers, designers, PMs, and leadership.
- Secure coding workshop (2 hours): OWASP Top 10 in practice, common SaaS vulnerabilities, code examples in your stack
- Phishing awareness training (1 hour): Identifying social engineering attacks, reporting procedures
- Incident response workshop (2 hours): What to do when a breach occurs — containment, communication, remediation
- DevSecOps integration workshop (2 hours): Adding security to your CI/CD pipeline, automated scanning, dependency checking
Our Process
Phase 1 — Scoping (Week 1)
Define testing scope, objectives, rules of engagement, and timeline. Identify critical assets, user roles, and testing boundaries.
Phase 2 — Assessment (Weeks 2-3)
Execute vulnerability assessment and/or penetration testing against defined scope. Automated + manual testing.
Phase 3 — Analysis & Reporting (Week 3)
Compile findings into actionable report with severity ratings, evidence, and step-by-step remediation guidance.
Phase 4 — Review & Remediation Support (Week 4)
Present findings to your team. Walk through each vulnerability. Answer technical questions. Support remediation prioritization. Provide guidance during fixes.
Phase 5 — Retest (Optional, Week 6-8)
After your team fixes the critical and high-severity findings, we retest to verify they're properly remediated.
Pricing
| Service | Scope | Starting At |
|---|---|---|
| Vulnerability Assessment | Web app + API | $2,000-$5,000 |
| Penetration Testing (Web) | Web application + API | $5,000-$12,000 |
| Penetration Testing (Full) | Web + API + infrastructure + mobile | $10,000-$20,000 |
| Security Architecture Review | Code-level review | $4,000-$8,000 |
| SOC 2 Preparation | Gap analysis + remediation roadmap | $5,000-$12,000 |
| GDPR/HIPAA Compliance Prep | Gap analysis + documentation | $4,000-$10,000 |
| Quarterly Security Retainer | Ongoing monitoring + quarterly pen tests | $3,000-$6,000/quarter |
| Security Training | Team workshop (2 hours) | $1,500-$3,000 |
Results
-
SaaS Platform Critical vulnerabilities remediated3 critical issues found: SQL injection, broken auth, SSRF All fixed within 2 weeks No security incidents for 18 months after remediation
-
FinTech App SOC 2 Type I preparationAudit-ready in 4 months Passed on the first attempt Unlocked a $2M+ ARR enterprise pipeline
-
HealthTech SaaS HIPAA gap remediation18 compliance gaps identified All remediated in 3 months Secured contracts with 3 hospital systems
-
E-commerce Platform Vulnerability assessment and fixesExposed admin endpoints, insecure uploads, and stored XSS fixed Passed PCI-DSS compliance review
-
AI Startup Architecture review before launchAPI key exposure, missing rate limiting, and logging gaps resolved Issues fixed before any exploit occurred "You probably saved us from a breach"
SaaS Platform: Penetration test found 3 critical vulnerabilities (SQL injection, broken auth, SSRF) → all fixed within 2 weeks → zero security incidents in the following 18 months
FinTech App: SOC 2 Type I preparation → audit-ready in 4 months → passed audit on first attempt → unlocked enterprise sales pipeline worth $2M+ ARR
HealthTech SaaS: HIPAA compliance assessment → 18 gaps identified → all remediated in 3 months → secured contracts with 3 hospital systems
E-commerce Platform: Vulnerability assessment found exposed admin endpoints, insecure file uploads, and stored XSS → all fixed → passed PCI-DSS compliance review
AI Startup: Security architecture review revealed API key exposure in client-side code, missing rate limiting, and insufficient logging → fixed before any exploit occurred → "You probably saved us from a breach"
Why Choose Desisle for Security
| In-House Security | Big 4 Consulting | Bug Bounty Program | Desisle | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | $150K-$250K/year per security engineer | $300-$600/hour | Variable (per bounty) | Fixed-price, scoped engagements |
| SaaS Knowledge | If you hire the right person | Enterprise-focused | Varies per hunter | SaaS-specific testing methodology |
| Speed | After 3-6 month hiring process | Weeks for proposals | Uncontrolled timeline | 2-4 weeks for full pen test |
| Compliance | DIY | They'll get you there (expensively) | Not their scope | Gap analysis → remediation → audit-ready |
| Remediation | They fix it (hopefully) | "Here's the report" (you fix it) | Just the vulnerability report | Report + remediation guidance + retest |
| Ongoing | If they don't leave | New SOW every time | Continuous but unstructured | Quarterly retainer with proactive monitoring |
Our Security Philosophy
1. Security is a process, not a project. A one-time pen test is better than nothing, but security requires continuous attention. New features introduce new attack surfaces. Dependencies get CVEs. Threat landscapes evolve. We recommend quarterly assessments at minimum for any product handling user data.
2. Prevention costs 1/100th of remediation. Finding a vulnerability in a pen test costs $50-$200 in testing time. Finding it after a breach costs $50,000-$500,000 in incident response, legal fees, customer notification, and reputation damage. Security investment is insurance you'll always be glad you bought.
3. Compliance is a byproduct of good security, not the goal. We don't build security theater that passes audits. We build actual security that protects users. When security is real, compliance follows naturally.
Who This Is For
SaaS companies handling user data
that haven't been security-tested
Products preparing for enterprise sales
where SOC 2 / ISO 27001 is a requirement
Healthcare, finance, and government SaaS
requiring HIPAA, PCI-DSS, or FedRAMP compliance
Companies that have been breached
and need to understand what happened and prevent recurrence
Startups post-Series A
where investors and board members are asking about security posture
Development teams
that want to build security practices into their workflow (DevSecOps)
FAQs
At minimum annually, or after major feature releases. Quarterly for products handling sensitive data (health, finance, PII). Continuous monitoring via quarterly retainer is ideal.
We test against staging or pre-production environments by default. If production testing is required, we coordinate with your team, use non-destructive techniques, and schedule during low-traffic windows.
Typically 3-6 months from gap analysis to audit-readiness, depending on your current security posture. Companies with some security practices in place can be ready in 3 months.
We prepare you for the audit — gap analysis, remediation, documentation, and evidence collection. The formal audit is conducted by an accredited CPA firm (we can recommend one).
Yes. We provide detailed remediation guidance and can work directly with your development team to fix issues. Retesting after remediation is available to verify fixes.
OWASP Testing Guide for web applications, PTES (Penetration Testing Execution Standard) for infrastructure, and NIST CSF for compliance. All testing follows responsible disclosure principles.
Yes. We sign NDAs before any engagement. Testing data is encrypted and deleted after the engagement. We follow strict data handling procedures aligned with ISO 27001 standards.
Ready to Know Your Security Posture?
Don't wait for a breach to take security seriously. Find vulnerabilities before attackers do.