Leveraging AI for Continuous Code Quality Improvement 

Maintaining continuous code quality is critical—not only to ensure functionality, but also to safeguard against security vulnerabilities. However, the challenge of balancing speed, complexity, and security is a tough one. Enter AI-powered solutions like Veracode Fix, which are transforming how organizations detect, remediate, and prevent software flaws — all while improving developer productivity and code quality. 

In this blog, we’ll explore how AI can drive continuous code quality improvement through automation, with a deep dive into a compelling real-world case study from an insurance company using Veracode Fix. 

Why Continuous Code Quality Matters 

High code quality is the foundation for secure, maintainable, and scalable software. Traditional methods like manual code reviews are often time-consuming and prone to inconsistencies. As organizations strive to accelerate development cycles, these manual approaches become bottlenecks—leading to security debt and increased risk of vulnerabilities slipping into production. 

Continuous code quality improvement involves integrating quality checks and fixes directly into the development workflow to identify and address issues as early as possible. This is where AI comes in, enabling automation and actionable insights that help developers write better, safer code faster. 

What Is Veracode Fix? 

Veracode Fix is an AI-driven code remediation tool that works alongside Veracode’s Static Analysis capabilities. Unlike generic AI or prompt-engineered solutions, Veracode Fix delivers consistent, reliable, and highly accurate remediation recommendations tailored to an organization’s specific codebase and security policies. 

Key features include: 

• Integration with developer environments: Works directly within IDEs, command line interfaces, and CI/CD pipelines. 
• Bespoke remediation: Uses AI/ML models refined by Veracode’s application security experts to deliver fixes tailored to your code. 
• Data privacy assurance: Does not use your proprietary code in building its AI models, protecting your intellectual property. 
• Contextual guidance: Provides developers clear instructions on how to fix flaws, improving remediation rates. 

Case Study: Insurance Company Using Veracode Fix 

A 2024 commissioned Total Economic Impact™ study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Veracode includes interviews with leaders using the platform. One spotlight example is an insurance company with a large, complex application estate and strict regulatory compliance requirements (HIPAA, SEC). 

Their challenges included: 

• Managing security for 250 internal and 350 internet-facing applications. 
• Monitoring custom code, third-party libraries, and open-source components. 
• Reducing security debt while maintaining compliance. 
• Accelerating remediation without compromising quality. 

The solution? Veracode Fix. 

Significant Results from Veracode Fix Adoption 

The study measured the impact of Veracode Fix on the organization compared to manual efforts and legacy tools, uncovering substantial improvements: 

• Faster flaw detection: 
  Time to detect security vulnerabilities dropped by 92%, from about 150 minutes manually to just 12 minutes with Veracode Fix. 
• Speedier flaw remediation: 
  Mean time to remediate vulnerabilities improved by over 200% compared to their manual processes, reducing what took hours to under 30 seconds in many cases.
• Higher fix rate and quality: 
  Fix rates soared from about 5% with manual processes to approximately 80% using Veracode Fix, driving down flaw density by 50%. 
• Batch processing capabilities: 
  Developers gained confidence to batch process fixes, boosting throughput and efficiency. 
• Shortened release cycles: 
  By integrating fixes early, the company sped up production releases, avoiding delays caused by medium and high-risk flaws. 
• Improved developer satisfaction: 
  Over 60% of developers in a proof of value exercise accepted full or partial AI-driven remediation recommendations, a substantial increase over other tools. 

Why Veracode Fix  

The interviewee emphasized several unique advantages of Veracode Fix: 

• Consistent, curated fixes rather than variable outputs typical of prompt-engineered conversational AI. 
• AI models enriched by ongoing input from Veracode’s Application Security coordinators who help tune recommendations based on real-world flaw analysis. 
• Strong commitment to data privacy, ensuring that proprietary code never leaves the company’s control. 

Broader Impact: The Economic Value 

According to Forrester’s analysis, organizations using Veracode’s Application Risk Management Platform—including Veracode Fix—saw: 

• A 75% reduction in software-based attack risk by automating workflows to reduce security debt. 
• An 80% boost in developer productivity, freeing up 70,000 hours for innovation. 
• A 20% increase in revenue driven by accelerated, secure, and customer-focused software delivery. 
• A considerable 184% ROI and a net present value (NPV) of $4.6 million over three years. 

How to Start Leveraging AI for Continuous Code Quality 

If your team is looking to improve code quality with AI, consider these steps: 

1. Integrate AI-powered tools like Veracode Fix into your developer workflows (IDEs, CI/CD). 
2. Leverage static analysis to detect flaws early and automatically. 
3. Adopt bespoke AI-driven remediation guidance to empower developers with precise fix instructions. 
4. Track code quality metrics such as flaw density and remediation rates to measure improvement. 
5. Ensure alignment with compliance requirements while maintaining data privacy. 
6. Train developers to trust and effectively use AI-driven remediation recommendations. 

Conclusion 

The journey to continuous code quality improvement is no longer just a manual struggle—it’s being revolutionized by AI. Veracode Fix exemplifies how AI-driven remediation, tightly integrated into development environments, empowers organizations to find and fix security flaws faster, more accurately, and at scale. 

With real-world results showing dramatic reductions in flaw detection and remediation times, as well as higher developer satisfaction, Veracode Fix offers a powerful way to reduce security debt and continuously deliver higher-quality, more secure software. 

To learn more about how Veracode Fix and the Application Risk Management Platform can transform your software security and development lifecycle, check out Forrester’s full Total Economic Impact™ study commissioned by Veracode.