Security leaders are under pressure to keep up with rising threats, stricter regulations, and fragmented security tooling. With application security risks at an all-time high, teams need a streamlined way to secure their software, without slowing down development. That’s where ASPM and ASOC come in.

According to IBM, the average global data breach cost hit $4.88 million in 2024—an all-time high. As applications remain a primary attack vector, the financial and reputational damage caused by successful attacks means organizations can no longer afford to dismiss security gaps as a cost of doing business. That’s why C-suite security leaders in every industry are turning to ASPM and ASOC to harden their defenses.

Applications are a commonly targeted attack vector as cyber criminals look for any weaknesses in forms, APIs, dependencies, and app functionality to find a way to gain unauthorized access to sensitive systems.

Securing applications is crucial, but what’s the best way to find and remediate vulnerabilities? 

Application Security Posture Management (ASPM) and Application Security Orchestration and Correlation (ASOC) are two leading security categories that focus on securing applications using different approaches. 

Both ASPM and ASOC improve application security—but they take very different approaches. ASPM provides a proactive, continuous security posture, embedding risk detection throughout the SDLC. ASOC, on the other hand, orchestrates and integrates security tools, helping teams manage and respond to alerts efficiently.

Learn the key differences between ASPM and ASOC and how they can be used together to provide enhanced application security.

What is ASPM?

Application Security Posture Management (ASPM) is a security methodology designed to provide continuous, real-time insights into an organization’s application security landscape. 

ASPM security helps businesses proactively manage risks and strengthen their security posture by analyzing vulnerabilities throughout the software development lifecycle (SDLC). This approach ensures that security is embedded from the earliest stages of software creation.

Key Features of ASPM

ASPM solutions enable a new level of insight and security to applications. A few of the common features that make these platforms so valuable are:

• Provides full security visibility across the SDLC, ensuring vulnerabilities are caught before deployment.
• Risk-based prioritization that uses contextual analysis to rank vulnerabilities based on potential impact.
• Automation and integration that works right alongside CI/CD pipelines to enforce security policies in real time.
• Continuously evaluates commits and deployments to detect risks before they impact production.

What is ASOC?

Application Security Orchestration and Correlation (ASOC) is a security framework that’s designed to enhance the efficiency of application security processes by integrating and correlating data from multiple security tools.

Unlike ASPM, which provides a more holistic approach to app security, ASOC security focuses on consolidating alerts, automating workflows, and improving collaboration between relevant teams.

Key Features of ASOC

What does an ideal ASOC platform bring to the organization? Common and valuable features include:

• Security tool integration capabilities to connect various security solutions into a cohesive ecosystem.
• Automated workflows that enhance efficiency by automating key security processes.
• Centralized visibility, equipping teams with a single-pane view of application security and vulnerabilities.
• Improved incident response coordination by enabling seamless collaboration between security and development teams.

ASPM vs ASOC: Key Differences 

ASPM and ASOC share the goal of enhancing application security but differ in approach, scope, and workflows. We’ve put together the following table to underscore the differences between them so you can make the right choice for your organization:

Advantages and Disadvantages of ASPM vs ASOC

While ASPM and ASOC share the common goal of improving application security, they provide varying benefits and have their drawbacks. Let’s break down the pros and cons of these two approaches before you reach out to application security vendors.

Advantages of ASPM

What benefits will your organization gain after implementing ASPM management tools? A few of the notable advantages ASPM brings to the table include:

• Holistic security: ASPM provides a comprehensive view of an organization’s application security landscape and detects issues before they are shipped to production environments.
• Proactive risk management: Due to identifying vulnerabilities early, ASPM helps prevent security incidents before they can be exploited.
• Enhanced prioritization: ASPM uses risk-based methodologies so teams can focus on the most critical threats first.
• Continuous compliance monitoring: ASPM offers ongoing assessment of your security posture to identify and address vulnerabilities as quickly as possible.

Disadvantages of ASPM

ASPM isn’t intended to be a standalone security system, and a few drawbacks to be aware of as you start weighing your options, such as:

• Implementation complexity: Fully deploying ASPM requires integration with various development and security tools, which can be resource-intensive.
• Higher initial costs: The initial cost of ASPM tools and employee training can be high for some enterprises with complex needs and a large workforce.
• Ongoing maintenance: While common, ASPM platforms require continuous updates from vendors and an active subscription, which creates an ongoing expense.

Advantages of ASOC

ASOC platforms bring plenty of benefits to enterprises with ever-expanding ecosystems that must remain secure, such as:

• Efficiency gains: Thanks to the ability to automate security workflows, ASOC platforms can reduce the time and effort required to manage vulnerabilities.
• Enhanced collaboration: ASOC platforms can improve coordination and collaboration between security, development, and compliance teams.
• Optimized tool utilization: For companies that need it, ASOC can maximize the value of existing security investments by integrating multiple solutions.
• Faster response times: By creating a single source of truth, ASOC tools can speed up incident detection and response through automation and collaboration.

Disadvantages of ASOC

However, while ASOC has plenty of benefits to bring to organizations, it has some drawbacks that you should keep in mind as you proceed: 

• Limited visibility: ASOC has focused primarily on integrating various security tools rather than providing a full security posture. You’ll still need other platforms.
• Reactive approach: Typically, ASOC supports a reactive strategy as it can address vulnerabilities that are detected once implemented rather than preventing them in the first place.
• Possibly complex integration requirements: Integrating different security tools correctly can be challenging. Since ASOC depends on integrations, some tech stacks may be challenging to integrate, ultimately reducing the platform’s effectiveness.

When to Choose ASPM vs ASOC

ASPM and ASOC work together, but it’s important to remember that they serve different purposes for the organization. 

Don’t worry — we’ll break down key scenarios for each platform to help you make the right decision.

When to Choose ASPM

Should you choose ASPM to help bolster your security? There are a few common scenarios where adopting the right ASPM platform can be a valuable asset to your organization, such as:

• Your organization requires a proactive, continuous assessment of application security.
• You want to embed security into the development process and prevent vulnerabilities before deployment.
• You need a unified platform for managing application security risks across the SDLC.

When to Choose ASOC

When is ASOC the right choice for your next step in enhanced security? A few scenarios include:

• Your organization already has a suite of security tools and wants to improve their integration and efficiency.
• You need a solution that reduces alert fatigue and prioritizes vulnerabilities effectively.
• Your focus is on optimizing security workflows rather than providing a full breakdown of security posture assessments.

You Don’t Need to Choose

Ultimately, you don’t have to choose between ASPM and ASOC—both play a role in a modern security strategy. ASPM embeds security early in development, while ASOC ensures alerts from multiple security tools are properly managed. Many enterprises use both types of platforms alongside other tools, incorporating infrastructure and supply chain vulnerabilities. This will equip your teams with exactly what they need for effective application security testing orchestration.

Benefits of Integrating ASPM and ASOC

While ASPM and ASOC are distinct categories with different benefits, both platforms can complement each other to form a more comprehensive security strategy. 

Organizations can appreciate several benefits by combining ASPM’s proactive approach with ASOC’s orchestration capabilities.

Enhanced Security Coverage

ASPM provides deep visibility into security risks throughout the software development lifecycle, while ASOC streamlines vulnerability remediation by integrating and automating security responses.

Combined, they create a more complete approach to security that ensures vulnerabilities are identified and efficiently mitigated.

Improved Threat Response

ASPM identifies vulnerabilities early in the development process, which can prevent insecure code from reaching production. ASOC complements this utility by ensuring that detected vulnerabilities and threats are quickly remediated.

By integrating both solutions, security teams can adopt a more proactive approach while enhancing real-time incident response capabilities.

Optimized Security Workflows

ASOC automates and integrates security tools, helping reduce the manual effort to improve security. When combined with ASPM, you’ll add continuous monitoring that minimizes gaps between security detection and remediation.

Implementing and integrating both platforms will ensure that security policies and risk assessments seamlessly integrate into operational workflows.

Scalability

As organizations scale their applications and security needs, the combined approach of ASPM and ASOC adapts to growing security challenges and increasingly complex application environments. 

Integrating ASPM and ASOC helps ensure consistent security coverage, whether you need to secure cloud-native applications, legacy systems, or hybrid infrastructure.

ASPM Platform

ASPM and ASOC platforms offer unique benefits and effective approaches to bolster your security. 

ASPM provides a proactive, development-focused approach to shifting left to prevent vulnerabilities from reaching production. On the other hand, ASOC enhances efficiency and collaboration by integrating correlating security tools.

Which platform is right for your business? The answer depends on your immediate needs and long-term goals. Adopting both platforms is well worth the investment for many enterprises.
Ready to improve your application security and prevent vulnerabilities before they make it to production? Book a demo today to learn more about how Apiiro can transform your DevSecOps.