Startup Security Essentials

This collection of articles covers the essential security practices every startup should implement from day one with my preferred set of tools and systems. Following these guides will help you establish a solid security foundation.

Why Security Matters From Day One

Implementing security fundamentals early in your startup journey is crucial because:

It’s easier and cheaper - Retrofitting security is significantly more expensive and disruptive
It prevents technical debt - Security debt is the most expensive type of technical debt
It builds trust - Customers and investors increasingly evaluate security posture
It creates good habits - Security-conscious culture is established from the beginning

Implementation Strategy

While the complete security roadmap may seem overwhelming, focus on implementing these controls in roughly this order:

Local Security Basics: Start Here

Why Local Security Matters The foundation of your startup’s security posture begins with solid local security practices. Implementing these fundamentals early creates security-conscious habits that scale with your company and prevents costly retrofitting later on. Password Managers: Your First Line of Defense Every startup should standardize on a password manager from day one: 1Password or Bitwarden - Both offer robust team functionality and encryption Enforce strong, unique passwords for every service (minimum 16 characters) Share credentials securely through the password manager, never via chat or email Configure automatic logout after short periods of inactivity if possible Hardware Security Keys Physical security keys like YubiKeys provide superior protection against phishing and account takeovers: ...

Startup Security Essentials#

Why Security Matters From Day One#

Implementation Strategy#

Startup Security Essentials

Why Security Matters From Day One

Implementation Strategy