On Tuesday 8th April 2025, the Java Oxford community gathered at CoreFiling’s Oxford HQ for an insightful evening dedicated to the future of application security. Organised by Humand Talent – a specialist recruitment business focused on software engineering talent solutions – and proudly sponsored by Contrast Security, this event brought together tech professionals from across Oxfordshire and beyond.
With over 30 attendees, the evening buzzed with discussion, networking, and fresh perspectives. Two expert speakers, John Wood and Aurélien SVEVI, delivered compelling presentations, challenging traditional security approaches and introducing cutting-edge methodologies designed to meet the needs of today’s fast-paced digital environment.
The Security Gap No One Talks About
Opening the session, John Wood, a seasoned application security leader, delivered a talk titled “The Security Gap That No One Talks About.” He addressed a crucial yet often overlooked issue in software security: the blind spot in protecting applications once they’ve been deployed into production.
John explained how most organisations rely heavily on static testing and pre-deployment scanning. However, attackers are increasingly exploiting vulnerabilities in live production environments, where traditional tools fall short. His proposed solution? Application Detection and Response (ADR) – a revolutionary, proactive strategy that embeds detection directly into the application itself.
With ADR, organisations gain the power to monitor, detect, and respond to threats in real-time. This in-app positioning enables immediate threat response, reducing both the risk and impact of breaches. John’s insights highlighted the urgent need for modern businesses to evolve beyond legacy approaches and embrace more dynamic, real-time security solutions.
ADR in Action: Enhancing Incident Response
After a short break and some quality networking, Aurélien SVEVI took to the stage to expand on the potential of ADR in his session, “Contextualise to React: ADR at the Service of Incident Response.”
Aurélien explored how ADR goes far beyond detection by providing the contextual awareness needed for effective incident response. He explained that without the right context, security teams often struggle with false positives, missed alerts, and slow reaction times.
With ADR’s intelligent monitoring of user behaviour, API usage, and application flow, teams gain deep insight into anomalies, enabling them to act swiftly and precisely. ADR allows for a smarter, data-informed response, making it easier to safeguard sensitive data and reduce recovery times. It was a timely reminder of how security must evolve alongside application complexity.
Big Thanks to Our Hosts and Sponsors
We’re incredibly grateful to CoreFiling for hosting us in their Oxford space and to Contrast Security for sponsoring this event. Their continued support fuels our shared mission to foster learning and innovation within the software engineering community.
About Humand Talent
At Humand Talent, we’re not your average recruiter. We’re a values-led recruitment business that connects ambitious companies with exceptional software engineers, product experts, and designers. Based in Oxfordshire and supporting clients across the UK, we provide flexible, strategic talent solutions – from permanent hires to freelance talent and scaling teams.
👉 Learn more about our work and upcoming events at humand.co.uk
Looking Ahead: Get Involved!
The next Java Oxford event is just around the corner! 📅 If you’d like to speak, sponsor, or simply attend, we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch at hello@humand.co.uk or follow Humand Talent on Eventbrite to stay up to date.
Let’s keep building this incredible tech community together.
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