Black Duck Software, a market leader in application security solutions, has launched Polaris, its flagship AppSec SaaS platform, in a Saudi Arabia–hosted deployment—the first of its kind in the country. This initiative marks a pivotal moment in the region’s move toward sovereign cybersecurity capabilities, enabling local enterprises and government entities to comply with data sovereignty mandates while accessing enterprise-grade application security tools.
2. Polaris: A Unified, Cloud-Based AppSec Powerhouse
Polaris is a cloud-native, multi-engine application security platform that integrates Static Application Security Testing (SAST), Software Composition Analysis (SCA), and Dynamic Application Security.
Key Features:
- fAST Static & fAST SCA: Built on Black Duck’s award-winning engines (Coverity for SAST and Black Duck for SCA), enabling quick, incremental scans and deep open-source analysis
- fAST Dynamic: Automated DAST targeting modern web apps, APIs, and Single Page Applications
- SBOM Generation: Automatically builds software bills of materials for full visibility into dependencies
- DevSecOps Integration: Seamless integration with GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Jenkins, Jira, and more
- Policy & Analytics: Centralized dashboards and analytics for triage, reporting, and automated policy enforcement
3. Why Saudi Hosting Matters
Meeting Regulatory & Sovereignty Needs
Saudi Arabia’s regulatory landscape increasingly demands data localization and government oversight of infrastructure. By hosting Polaris locally, Black Duck ensures:
- Compliance with local data residency regulations
- Enhanced control for government and regulated sectors
- Lower latency and improved performance
This addresses Saudi’s strategic push toward digital independence and resilience.
4. Enabling DevSecOps at Enterprise Scale
Polaris supports local enterprises in embedding security deeply into their SDLC and DevOps processes:
- Cloud-native deployment: No need for hardware or complex on-prem setups
- Speed and scale: Easily scans hundreds of applications across teams with the same platform
- Automated triage: Human-assisted issue triage to reduce false positives and accelerate remediation
- Dev environment integration: Break-the-build policies, automated issue tracking via Jira, and native DevOps tool hooks
5. Driving AppSec Adoption in the Kingdom
The Saudi launch of Polaris positions Black Duck as a catalyst for advancing the country’s digital transformation goals under initiatives like Vision 2030. By providing enterprise-grade AppSec that’s fully hosted in the Kingdom, the company is enabling:
- Public sector modernization, with secure e‑services and national infrastructure
- Digital-first private enterprises—banks, telcos, utilities—ensuring secure, compliant software rollouts
- Empowering local startups to leverage Scaled AppSec without heavy upfront investment
6. What’s Next for Polaris in the Region
Black Duck plans to roll out:
- Local support teams and regional services tailored to Saudi enterprise needs
- Sovereign partnerships with local cloud providers for deeper integration
- Continuous compliance updates in line with evolving regulations (e.g., SDAIA, NCA)
- Expansion into other GCC markets, leveraging regional momentum
7. Conclusion: A Milestone in Regional Cybersecurity
By introducing Polaris in a Saudi-hosted environment, Black Duck is addressing a critical gap in the region’s cybersecurity infrastructure: a sovereign, robust, end-to-end AppSec platform that integrates seamlessly with DevSecOps practices.
This launch not only reinforces the Kingdom’s digital transformation objectives but also sets a new standard for regional cybersecurity compliance, scalability, and sovereignty.
About Black Duck Polaris
Polaris™ is a unified cloud-based application security platform—combining SAST, SCA, and DAST—to provide end-to-end AppSec across development pipelines.
About Black Duck Software
Formerly Synopsys Software Integrity Group, Black Duck is an independent, market-leading application security firm recognized as a Gartner Magic Quadrant Leader for AST for seven consecutive years.