"Shift-Left" means moving security considerations earlier in the software development lifecycle (SDLC), closer to the planning and development phases rather than waiting until deployment or production. Why it's important:
Cost Reduction: Fixing security issues early is exponentially cheaper than fixing them in production
Faster Time-to-Market: Issues are caught and resolved before they block releases
Better Security Posture: Security is designed into the application architecture
Developer Empowerment: Developers become security-aware and can prevent issues proactively
Reduced Risk: Fewer vulnerabilities reach production environments Example Timeline:
Traditional: Plan → Code → Test → Deploy → Security Review → Fix Issues
