DEV Community: Kathy Lam

Why Fintechs Should Shrink Their Attack Surface—Not Just Get Certified

Kathy Lam — Fri, 28 Mar 2025 22:30:27 +0000

TL;DR

Security certifications aren’t enough to stop breaches.
The most effective way to secure customer data is to reduce your attack surface.
Self-hosting tools can significantly reduce your risk of a breach.

When I got an email from my bank saying “nothing to worry about,” my gut told me otherwise.

The message referenced a data breach at Evolve Bank & Trust—one of the infrastructure providers behind fintech platforms like Mercury, Affirm, and Wise. The attackers reportedly accessed 33 terabytes of data —a staggering amount, possibly encompassing most of Evolve’s Azure Cloud storage.

What’s unsettling is that Evolve wasn’t negligent by traditional standards. They held all the right security certifications: SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA, HITRUST CSF, PCI DSS. And yet, their defenses were breached.

We don’t yet know exactly how—but this much is clear:

Compliance alone doesn’t keep customer data safe.

What Does Keep Data Safe? A Smaller Attack Surface.

Security professionals often talk about “attack surface”—the number of ways a system can be accessed or exploited. The more entry points, the greater the risk.

In fintech, where trust and regulation are paramount, minimizing your attack surface is non-negotiable.

In 2022, the financial sector suffered 566 data breaches , exposing over 254 million records.

SaaS tools that run in the public cloud often expand your attack surface—regardless of their certifications. This is especially dangerous in highly regulated industries like banking, healthcare, and insurance.

Why Self-Hosting Is the Best Way to Reduce Risk

The safest data is the data that’s never exposed to the internet. When you self-host, you keep tools and infrastructure inside your private network or behind your firewall, significantly reducing risk.

Self-hosting doesn’t have to slow you down. Most modern platforms, including GrowthBook, offer full-featured self-hostable versions of their services. You get the innovation you need without opening new doors for attackers.

GrowthBook provides:

Self-hosted feature flagging with complete control over deployment
Secure A/B testing powered by your own data warehouse
Open-source transparency with auditable code and customizable infrastructure

The Bottom Line

If you work in fintech, healthtech, or any industry handling sensitive data, it’s time to move beyond compliance checkboxes.

Self-hosting your experimentation stack is one of the most effective ways to keep your customers safe while still shipping fast.

Learn more about GrowthBook’s self-hosted solutions for secure A/B testing and feature flagging.

Learn more about how GrowthBook supports self-hosting for enterprise-grade security.

The Best A/B Testing Platforms of 2025: Features, Comparisons, and Expert Recommendations

Kathy Lam — Sat, 04 Jan 2025 01:12:42 +0000

Imagine making every product decision with data, powered by the best A/B testing platforms of 2025. These tools have become essential for businesses hungry to innovate faster and build with confidence. This new generation of tools prioritizes performance, flexibility, and organization-wide applicability, ushering in a paradigm known as experimentation-driven development. No longer confined to marketing departments, A/B testing now serves as a cornerstone for entire product teams. In this guide, we’ll explore key platforms, focusing on their strengths, limitations, and suitability for different needs. By the end, you’ll have a clearer understanding of which platform is right for your organization.

Modern Platforms: Innovating for Today’s Needs

GrowthBook: Experimentation-Driven Development at its best

This platform excels in flexibility, scalability, and developer-friendly features, seamlessly integrating feature flagging and A/B testing to deliver unmatched usability and precision. Picture your team quickly toggling features while running precise experiments—all within a platform that feels like it was designed just for developers. What makes it stand out:

Warehouse-Native Integration : GrowthBook integrates directly with your existing data warehouse, ensuring low-latency experiment evaluations and reliable metrics.
Open Source and Self-Hosting Options : Ideal for industries with stringent compliance and data sovereignty requirements, GrowthBook’s open-source nature empowers teams to self-host if needed.
Developer-First Approach : Robust SDKs, CI/CD compatibility, and transparent SQL insights allow engineering and data teams to fine-tune experiments with precision.
Seamless Integration : GrowthBook easily fits into existing workflows, leveraging tools you already use to maximize ROI.

With its focus on unlocking experimentation-driven product development, GrowthBook stands out as the top choice for teams aiming to scale innovation and maintain performance.

Statsig: All-in-One Simplicity with Limits

Statsig provides A/B testing, feature flagging, and session recording in a unified platform. While it’s sufficient for teams seeking a simple, all-in-one solution, its statistical methods, while including features like CUPED, may not be as robust as those offered by platforms specifically designed for data scientists. For example, it lacks flexibility in supporting different experiment types, such as those with very large or small user bases. The platform’s rising costs, especially when scaling beyond the initial 5 million events included in the Pro plan, make it less appealing. Additionally, its limitations in integrating with data warehouses may not meet the needs of organizations with sophisticated data practices

Eppo: Statistical Precision for Data-Driven Teams

Eppo shines in its statistical depth, offering precise and actionable experiment results. Its warehouse-native architecture aligns with organizations that prioritize high-quality experimentation. However, Eppo’s feature flagging functionality, while supporting core features like feature gates and rollouts, may not be as comprehensive as some competitors. For example, it may lack advanced features like user segmentation or real-time monitoring found in more mature platforms. For data-driven organizations primarily focused on experimentation, Eppo provides an excellent foundation. However, teams seeking a broader feature flagging toolset with more advanced capabilities may need to consider alternatives.

Legacy Platforms: Struggling to Keep Up

LaunchDarkly: Feature Management First, Experimentation Second

LaunchDarkly excels in feature flagging but treats A/B testing as an afterthought. This lack of integration can lead to a clunky user experience, making it less suitable for teams aiming for seamless experimentation workflows.

Optimizely: High Costs, Fragmented Experience

Once a market leader, Optimizely now faces challenges with its high pricing and fragmented user experience. While its A/B testing capabilities remain robust, the platform’s cost makes it viable only for large enterprises.

Adobe Test and Target: Limited Flexibility in a Closed Ecosystem

Adobe Test and Target is tightly integrated into Adobe’s ecosystem, making it a logical choice for existing Adobe customers. However, its high costs and lack of flexibility make it less appealing for agile teams seeking modern experimentation workflows.

Other Platforms: Niche Capabilities

PostHog: Lightweight Analytics with Basic Experimentation

PostHog focuses on product analytics, offering basic experimentation features. While its open-core model appeals to startups, the platform’s limited self-hosting capabilities and lightweight experimentation tools make it less suitable for teams with advanced needs.

Choosing the Right Platform

When choosing an A/B testing platform, think about what matters most to your organization. Are you looking for scalability, compliance, or seamless integration with your current tools? Matching these priorities with the right platform can make all the difference.

For advanced experimentation workflows : GrowthBook delivers unmatched flexibility, scalability, and developer-first features.
For data teams : Eppo offers statistical rigor and warehouse-native integration but falls short with limited feature flagging capabilities, making it less ideal for teams needing a comprehensive solution.
For all-in-one solutions : Statsig provides simplicity but may not scale with advanced needs.
For feature flagging-first teams : LaunchDarkly suffices but lacks depth in experimentation.
For legacy ecosystem users : Optimizely and Adobe Test and Target remain options, albeit costly and limited in flexibility.
For lightweight needs : PostHog provides budget-friendly analytics-driven tools for smaller teams.

Conclusion

Innovation thrives on experimentation—it’s how teams transform ideas into measurable success. Choosing the right A/B testing platform can accelerate your ability to iterate, scale, and innovate. GrowthBook’s modular design makes it perfect for organizations aiming to scale. Imagine starting with basic experiments and effortlessly expanding into enterprise-grade workflows—it’s a platform built to evolve with your team’s needs. Whether you’re prioritizing compliance, advanced experimentation, or seamless developer integration, GrowthBook’s strengths make it the clear leader in 2025’s landscape of A/B testing platforms.

Ready to scale your experiments?

Get started with GrowthBook for free today.

Move Fast Without Breaking Things: How GrowthBook and Rollbar Empower Product and Ops Teams

Kathy Lam — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 21:26:20 +0000

As technology evolves at breakneck speed, staying ahead means constantly innovating. Product teams are always experimenting with new features to improve user experiences, while operations teams focus on keeping systems reliable and performant. But what happens when experimentation introduces risks—like unexpected errors or performance issues?

That’s where the integration of GrowthBook’s feature flagging and Rollbar’s error monitoring comes in. Together, they empower product and ops teams to collaborate effectively, innovate confidently, and safeguard user experiences.

Innovate Confidently With Real-Time Error Monitoring

GrowthBook’s feature flags make it easy to roll out features or experiments to specific user segments. Rollbar’s real-time error monitoring ensures you’re alerted immediately if something goes wrong, allowing your team to make fast, informed decisions.

Example: Imagine you’re rolling out a new recommendation algorithm to 10% of users. Rollbar detects an issue affecting a specific browser. With GrowthBook, you can disable the feature for those users instantly, without impacting the rest of the rollout. It’s experimentation without unnecessary risk.

Experiment Without Disruptions

Ops teams often face a tough trade-off between moving fast and keeping systems stable. By integrating Rollbar with GrowthBook, you create a safety net for experiments. With feature flags, your team can quickly address issues without waiting on a developer to ship a fix.

Clear Insights for Continuous Improvement

Both product and ops teams rely on data to refine their strategies. The GrowthBook and Rollbar integration gives you visibility into how new features and experiments impact your application’s performance. With these insights, you can iterate faster and more effectively, making adjustments with precision.

Key Benefit: Use real-time data to confidently refine your experiments and features.

Building Confidence in Experimentation

Innovation doesn’t happen without experimentation, but for experimentation to thrive, it needs buy-in across the organization. GrowthBook and Rollbar make this easier by combining robust monitoring with the flexibility of feature flags. Teams can move quickly while still prioritizing reliability, making experimentation a safe, scalable part of your growth strategy.

Faster, Safer Innovation Starts Here

Product and ops teams need tools that let them move quickly without sacrificing quality. The GrowthBook + Rollbar integration is built for exactly that. It’s the ultimate way to deliver user experiences that delight while keeping your systems stable.

Want to see it in action? Learn more about the integration and discover how GrowthBook and Rollbar can help your team innovate smarter and safer.