Build vs. Buy: Should You Develop In-House Supply Chain Security Solutions?

As software development’s velocity accelerates, enterprises and technology leaders face an urgent question: how best to safeguard their software supply chains? With high-profile supply chain attacks making headlines and new regulatory requirements (such as executive orders, mandates for SBOMs, and SLSA-level attestations) pushing organizations towards compliance, CTOs and engineering managers must decide: should they build their own supply chain security solution or purchase an existing platform?

This post dives into the technical, operational, and business considerations behind “build vs. buy” for software supply chain security. We’ll evaluate key factors including cost, time-to-market, compliance, customization, and ongoing risk management, illustrated with real-world insights and references to leading industry standards. Whether you’re defending enterprise applications or SaaS products, these guidelines will help ROI calculations and set your security team up for success.

Understanding Software Supply Chain Security

Software supply chain security encompasses practices and tooling that protect every phase and linkage in the development, deployment, and maintenance of software. This includes securing CI/CD pipelines, managing third-party dependencies, maintaining SBOMs (Software Bill of Materials), monitoring for vulnerabilities, and enforcing compliance controls. Threats range from compromised open source packages to attack chains exploiting weak build systems and insecure artifact repositories.

Why Invest Now?

• According to Sonatype’s 2024 Software Supply Chain report, 1 in 8 open source projects contains a known vulnerability.
• The US Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has flagged supply chain attacks as a top risk for 2025 and beyond.
• The Executive Order on Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity demands SBOMs, verifiable build provenance (SLSA), and Software Supply Chain Maturity assessments for many organizations.

Evaluating “Build” (In-House Development)

Advantages:

• Customization: Tailor controls, workflow integrations, and reporting to your organization’s unique requirements, including niche compliance frameworks (e.g., custom regulatory needs, specific build environments).
• Integration Depth: Directly embed security gates, provenance checks, and dependency scanning within your CI/CD workflow and developer tools.
• Intellectual Property: Developing proprietary technology may differentiate your product or yield competitive advantages.

Challenges:

• Engineering Complexity: Building sustainable tools for SBOM generation, vulnerability scanning, SLSA level attestation, and dependency tracking requires significant expertise, especially to meet standards like NIST SSDF, SLSA, or CIS Controls.
• Ongoing Maintenance: Supply chain security tools need constant updates to track new vulnerabilities, evolving compliance requirements, and integration points (e.g., new CI/CD platforms or artifact repositories).
• Resource Constraints: Security engineers and DevOps specialists are in high demand; building internally can divert staff from core product development and may require new hires.
• Time-to-Value: Solution development may take months to years, while threats and regulations evolve rapidly.

Key Build Example:

A fintech startup opted for in-house development, building a custom SBOM tool leveraging OpenSSF’s SPDX libraries. Advantages included fine-grained control over proprietary dependency structures and compliance reporting. However, the team struggled to maintain vulnerability DB updates, integrate with cloud CI/CD platforms, and pass external audits—delaying time-to-market for regulated products.

Evaluating “Buy” (Commercial Solutions)

Advantages:

• Speed and Reliability: Leading solutions like Quaerens Perspicax, Snyk, Sonatype Nexus Lifecycle, or Trivy offer immediate onboarding, continuous vulnerability detection, automated SBOM generation, and SLSA attestation.
• Regular Updates: Vendors specialize in tracking new vulnerabilities, regulatory changes (e.g., SSDF, SLSA, NIST), and maintaining compatibility with CI/CD platforms like Jenkins, GitHub Actions, GitLab, and cloud services.
• Broad Coverage: Enterprise tools often support static analysis, dynamic scanning, secret detection, compliance mapping (PCI DSS, HIPAA, SOC2), and robust reporting.
• Support and Documentation: Dedicated teams provide onboarding, troubleshooting, training, and respond to critical issues.

Challenges:

• Cost: Enterprise licenses for supply chain security suites may be significant, especially for large teams or distributed environments.
• Customization Limits: Some platforms may not support highly specialized build environments or reporting requirements out of the box.
• Vendor Lock-In: Reliance on external vendors for updates, bug fixes, and feature requests.

Key Buy Example:

A multinational SaaS provider adopted Quaerens Probatus Suite, integrating its SBOM management, dependency scanning, and attestation APIs directly into their CI/CD pipeline. Within three weeks, supply chain security coverage reached 93% across critical applications, supporting both NIST SSDF and SLSA compliance. The provider cited accelerated audits, faster incident response, and lower operational burden compared to their prior DIY solution.

Comparative Analysis: Decision Matrix

Industry Standards: What Does “Good” Look Like?

• SLSA (Supply-chain Levels for Software Artifacts): Provenance, build integrity, artifact tracking (slsa.dev)
• NIST Secure Software Development Framework (SSDF): Browser security compliance and core supply chain security best practices (NIST SP 800-218)
• SBOM Standards (SPDX, CycloneDX): Universal formats for dependency transparency
• CIS Controls: Essential supply chain and CI/CD security recommendations (cisecurity.org)

Practical Takeaways for Decision Makers

1. Assess Risk Posture and Compliance Drivers: Audit your software supply chain’s vulnerability exposure, regulatory mandates (SBOM, SLSA, NIST), and incident response needs.
2. Calculate TCO (Total Cost of Ownership): Include engineering hours, maintenance, delayed deliverables, compliance audit cycles, and future scalability requirements.
3. Pilot Commercial Tools Where Possible: Evaluate interoperability, reporting, and vulnerability coverage using real-world pipeline data before committing.
4. Consider Hybrid Approaches: Many organizations combine open source libraries for customization with commercial platforms for industry coverage and updates.
5. Plan for Continuous Improvement: Whether building or buying, ensure regular re-assessment as threat landscapes and compliance standards evolve.

Conclusion

Both building and buying supply chain security solutions involve trade-offs. For organizations with unique requirements and substantial engineering resources, in-house development offers customization at the cost of speed, maintenance, and potential security gaps. Commercial platforms accelerate compliance, vulnerability management, and audit readiness, supporting key standards like SBOM, SLSA, and SSDF. Given the pace of regulatory change and attacker ingenuity, most teams benefit from leveraging vendor expertise—either as a complete solution or a foundation for deeper integration.

Ultimately, effective software supply chain security isn’t just about tooling—it’s a continuous partnership between engineering, DevOps, security, and compliance leaders. As you shape your protection strategy, use risk assessment, pilot programs, and ongoing review to drive resilience while staying ahead of attacker techniques and regulatory requirements.

For a deeper dive into SBOM and supply chain automation, or for an assessment tailored to your organization, explore Quaerens.dev’s resources and product documentation, or contact our team for guidance.