Neil Smithline's main focus has been in optimizing the software life cycle from a product's initial concept through its retirement. This has included tools that affect development, programming techniques, software patterns, development processes, developer training, internal and external. For the past nine years he has directed these efforts almost exclusively to application security. He was the BEA Security Architect for over eight years. In this position Smithline co-designed the security framework for WebLogic Server that is now incorporated into most BEA products and becoming part of many Oracle products. During his tenure at BEA, he had the opportunity to interact with hundreds of customers; helping them develop their security architecture, processes, and strategies.