Introducing
Security-by-Design (SbD)
A practical approach to designing secure systems with clear principles, usable models, and repeatable methods.
ISAUnited’s Security-by-Design practice helps teams plan and review security the way engineers plan and review structures: with intent, traceability, and proof.
You will learn to turn goals into measurable acceptance criteria, use simple design models (views, boundaries, interfaces, failure domains), record trade-offs and why they’re sound, and set lightweight lifecycle guardrails so safe choices ship by default.
This practice aligns with our Mastering Security by Design book (the course text). It prepares you for the Security by Design Professional License (CSbDP) via an evidence-based capstone—no multiple-choice exams.
Security by Design (SbD)
A practical design practice for planning, reviewing, and improving security with intent, traceability, and proof.
What this practice is
SbD teaches teams to treat security as a design discipline. You will turn goals into measurable acceptance criteria, use simple design models (views, boundaries, interfaces, failure domains) to place controls where they belong, keep trade-offs and reasoning visible, and set lightweight lifecycle guardrails so safe choices ship by default.
Why it matters
Clear design up front lowers rework, reduces incident risk, and makes reviews faster and calmer. It also makes it easier to explain decisions to leaders and auditors because the evidence is built in.
Click the methodology wheel below to view the security architecture designers' SbD Lifecycle.
How does it fit your work
-
Plan & Design: define goals and acceptance criteria, sketch model views, note risks and assumptions.
-
Build & Verify: add guardrails to the pipeline, validate critical elements, and record residual risk.
-
Operate & Improve: monitor what you meant to protect, and fold lessons back into the next design.
What you’ll learn
-
Write acceptance criteria that flow from business and risk goals.
-
Use design models to prevent blind spots and guide control placement.
-
Keep a simple decision record that captures trade-offs and rationale.
-
Apply threat-and-design overlays so risks are addressed in the design, not after.
-
Add lifecycle guardrails (definition of done, policy/test-as-code, release gates).
-
Communicate one-page briefs that tie design choices to risk reduction.
Where to go next
-
Courses: Security-by-Design (self-paced Fundamentals & Advanced)
-
Textbooks: Mastering Security by Design (ebook included with the course bundle)
-
Certified Professional License (CPL): Security by Design Professional (earned via a capstone portfolio; no multiple-choice exams)