When you better understand the complexities of your software, you take a foundational step toward enhancing security and managing risks in your software supply chain.
Software bills of materials (SBOMs) serve as indispensable resources to achieve this, as they enable development teams to identify and track the components within their software.
This level of insight remains invaluable for quickly assessing vulnerabilities, streamlining remediation efforts, and protecting organizations against software supply chains threats.
How SBOMs increase visibility and traceability in software supply chains
By cataloging every software dependency, SBOMs make it easier to identify the sources of vulnerabilities and their potential impact on other software components.
If a flaw is discovered in a widely used open source component, SBOMs can help identify every instance of the vulnerable component across an organization. This capability not only accelerates remediation efforts but also enables proactive risk management, reducing exposure to security breaches.
SBOMs offer transparency into software supply chains, giving development teams valuable insights into their software's architecture and its components.
Track and remediate vulnerabilities with SBOMs
SBOMs, especially in combination with software composition analysis (SCA), help locate vulnerabilities across software supply chains.
Development teams can leverage the information provided by SBOMs to:
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Identify affected software quickly by mapping vulnerabilities to impacted components.
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Prioritize fixes by assessing the risk level of each component and focusing remediation on the most critical issues.
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Verify fixes by continuously monitoring components to ensure they remain secure post-remediation.
The ability to trace vulnerabilities back to specific dependencies allows for faster, more efficient responses, strengthening overall security posture and minimizing potential disruption.
Scale SBOMs for cross-organizational software management
In industries with large software ecosystems, SBOMs can scale to manage intricate relationships across products, vendors, partners, and geographic boundaries.
By providing a standardized framework for visibility, SBOMs make it possible for organizations to secure their software at scale.
Whether managing partnerships with external vendors or overseeing complex product lines, SBOMs foster trust and security across the entire software supply chain.
Embrace the future of supply chain security
With the increasing interconnection and complexity of software supply chains, the significance of SBOMs in providing visibility and traceability is poised for growth.
By incorporating SBOMs, organizations can mitigate risks, strengthen trust with stakeholders, and ensure software integrity.
To learn more about how SBOMs can enhance your software supply chain’s visibility and traceability, download the full "Innovation Insight for SBOMs" research report from Gartner.
Gartner disclosures
Gartner, Innovation Insight for SBOMs, Manjunath Bhat, Dale Gardner, Mark Horvath, 18 July 2024.
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