What is DevSecOps? The fundamentals of DevSecOps

DevSecOps was a natural evolution of DevOps thinking. Lengthy development cycles in the past weren’t impacted by traditionally siloed security teams. But DevOps demands rapid and frequent cycles that are easily thwarted by cumbersome security efforts. It’s become very clear that security needs to be fully integrated too for DevOps to thrive.

DevOps and DevSecOps have lots in common:

But while DevOps focuses more specifically on deploying updates quickly and efficiently with minimal user disruption, which means preventing threats is not prioritised over deployment frequency, DevSecOps addresses security at the outset. That way, engineers ensure a more secure product before it gets to the user.

DevSecOps adds some new practices to the mix too, such as incident management so there’s a standard protocol for handling security incidents, common weaknesses enumeration to improve code quality, automated security testing to scrutinise new builds regularly, and threat modelling to test security during the development pipeline.

While IT tools have advanced significantly in the last ten years, those that help with compliance monitoring haven’t kept up with the pace of change. That means that security engineers can’t test code at the same rate developers can build it. And keeping up with developers isn’t the only concern – cybercrime is on the rise too.

The financial and reputational impact of a cyberattack can be devastating, and with the rise in open source software, vulnerabilities are even more widespread. Last year 24 percent of developers confirmed or suspected a security breach tied to open source. Security ensures software is SAFe® and fit for its purpose. Without adequate measures, organisations are at risk of serious breaches. These can lead to the abuse of intellectual property, loss of revenue and unforeseen costs relating to the breach, not to mention reputational damage.

Implementing DevSecOps–a security-focused, continuous delivery SDLC–has a direct impact, helping manage these challenges and prevent catastrophes. Not only does it make security a priority from the outset, but it also ensures developers have the motivation and training they need to code more securely in the first place. It enhances your organisation's credibility and builds trust with your customers too.

There’s lots to love about DevSecOps. Here are just some of the big wins you stand to gain from switching up your approach to security.

More secure software means more customers. By identifying vulnerabilities much earlier in the pipeline and keeping on top of threats with continuous monitoring, you’ll improve security overall. A secure product is much easier to sell.

With security bottlenecks significantly reduced or eliminated, product delivery speed increases, and with clear security strategies and templates in place, post-incident recovery is much faster too.

DevSecOps helps ensure your software meets industry regulations, such as GDPR. It gives managers greater visibility of which measures are in place, providing a strong framework for compliance.

Your organisation can respond to change and needs much more efficiently with a more agile approach. And with security systems managed with a continuous approach, it’s much easier to keep on top of cybercrime innovations too.

DevSecOps builds a more open and transparent culture, where security is everyone’s responsibility. In turn, this leads to better cross-team communication and collaboration.

With a part-automated, less time-consuming security strategy in place, your people will be freed up to focus on higher-value work. This will ensure you stay steps ahead of cybercriminals and your competition.

Interested in implementing DevSecOps but aren’t sure where to start? Speak to our expert team to find out how we can help.