# Security fundamentals early-stage teams ignore at their peril.

Basic hygiene — access control, patching, secrets handling — prevents breaches that erase trust faster than product wins build it.

Startups rightly prioritize shipping. Attackers prioritize exposed credentials and unmaintained dependencies. The intersection is unpleasant but preventable.

## Non-negotiables

- Role-based access with MFA on critical systems.
- Secrets out of source control and rotated on compromise scenarios.
- Vendor inventory — know where customer data lives.

## Balancing rigor with runway

We scope controls to regulatory reality — proportionate investment, not theatrical compliance theater.