PowerShell + DevOps Global Summit 2026

At Jane Street, we have discovered that traditional system hardening approaches, while solid, often leave us stuck between security and agility. Sure, Group Policy and MDM solutions help, but they tend to become unwieldy and unmanageable over time.

This session explores how we have leveraged PowerShell to supercharge native Windows security features like AppLocker and Windows Firewall. Instead of wrestling with complex policy hierarchies, we define our security rules in human-readable formats like JSON and YAML. More importantly, we have the flexibility to grant targeted, time-limited exceptions when business needs demand it - all while maintaining our security posture.

I'll walk through real examples of how this approach has transformed our ability to respond quickly to changing requirements without sacrificing control. You'll see the actual PowerShell frameworks we use, learn about the design decisions that make this scalable, and discover how to strike that elusive balance between locking things down and keeping your organization moving forward.

Whether you're fighting policy sprawl or just tired of security being the team that always says "no," this talk will give you practical tools to make Windows security both stronger and more responsive.