DevSecOps is one of the prime examples of changes in how we process software development. As technology advances so do the methods used to increase quality performance and speed.

Keeping up with the best practices for software development is not easy. Each new change or update regarding the development process should be practiced immediately upon mastering. That isn’t to say that previous practices don’t bring stuff to the table.

Take development operations, also known as DevOps, for example. This stems from combining quality assurance and development. This created continuous quality assurance checking throughout the entire development process, which enhanced agility and efficiency. 

Just like how DevOps was created to optimise performances of developed programs from two separate entities, development and security operations were born. Come learn all about it and its enhancing properties.

What is DevSecOps?

As an evolution of DevOps it has everything its predecessor has but with an added bonus: security. DevSecOps, meaning development security operations, adheres to the core values of DevOps, such as automation, collaboration, and monitoring.

The goal of DevSecOps is to ensure that the program remains secure during its entire development lifecycle.  

Previously, IT security was treated as a separate entity that only moved during the finished product and just before deployment. This was only possible because the progress of development took a lengthy amount of time before. 

Now that it only takes weeks to create and prepare a program for deployment, security must take extra steps to ensure the service is not left vulnerable to any demands without delaying the efficiency set out by the DevOps method.

How Does DevSecOps Work?

DevSecOps in simpler terms is just DevOps with security. The goal of the method is to ensure quality assurance during development while maintaining layers of security throughout the entire process. 

A DevSecOps engineer is required to make the method effective. This type of engineer needs to have the ability to spot possible risks, create security measures, monitor any potential threats, be communicative, and be able to integrate security throughout every step of the development process.

There are a few developed tools crucial to implementing the security regulations that the engineer will implement. The most notable ones are as follows:

• Static Application Security Testing (SAST) 

Primarily used during the initial stages of code building.

• Software Composition Analysis (SCA)

A tool that scans for vulnerabilities within any open-source code or third-party element used during code building and after.

• Interactive Application Security Testing (IAST)

Analyses runtime behaviour to monitor which periods are vulnerable and gives insights to developers where code lines function.

• Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST)

Mimics hacker behaviour to discover which areas are vulnerable for breaching or malicious intent by testing through a client-side perspective of your program or application.

DevSecOps VS DevOps

The biggest difference between DevSecOps VS DevOps is the cybersecurity placements. Like its predecessor, DevOps focuses only on agility when creating programs while maintaining its quality. 

Its successor, Development Security, and Operations, is all about adding a layer of security to prevent any delays and covering vulnerable areas for protection. 

DevSecOps Benefits

There are many benefits to utilising this three-step method efficiently. Should you create a strong ground for development and security operations, you will acquire five of these benefits in the long run.

Enhanced Security

Security in DevOps is the standard that separates development and security operations from its predecessor. Since there are multiple checkpoints and monitoring done behind the scenes, the chances of successful breaches and other cybercriminal actions are low. However, that does not mean risk mitigation planning should be forgotten. 

Faster Delivery

The automated security testing that development and security operations provide lessens the time for development and testing significantly. By these three stages you will find your customers satisfied by your fast responses and the performance of your application.

Here’s a tip: utilise the CI/CD pipeline with DevSecOps to enhance your company’s delivery speed for your consumer’s satisfaction. Not only is the data secured, the optimisation of the workflow decreases delivery time making turnovers faster which benefits your client’s needs.

Lower Costs

Implementing the DevSecOps method in your developer project prevents the costly necessities required for any fixes that you need when security issues are found. This is because of the early detection feature that development and security operations incorporate throughout the entire development cycle. 

Improved Compliance

Compliance and regulations set a standard when implementing development and security operations. Since each step of the development lifecycle is quality assured and has enhanced security measures the issues with compliance and regulations hardly become an issue.

Increased Collaboration: Security is embedded across teams, promoting a unified approach

Soft skills in collaboration are important for any business to grow. A side-effect of continuous integration security results in effective collaboration across the development teams and learning to openly communicate with each other’s requirements and solving issues together.

Challenges in Adopting DevSecOps

The devsecops roadmap shows an organised method of optimising your development team’s progress. However, there are still challenges that you could come across when adopting it on your first try. Below are a few examples.

Lack of Security Skills

Since security is enhanced during a development and security operations project, it’s important to have development engineers specialising in security. Basic to intermediate knowledge is not enough to completely achieve the goals of development and security operations. Ensure you have a professional talent in security development before proceeding. 

Should you fail to acquire a suitable talent for your development lifecycle, you could come across unforeseen errors and vulnerabilities later in the life cycle, making the entire method ineffective.

Understand the requirements needed for a development and security operations engineer to find the right professional to hire for your project. 

Collaboration and Communication Issues

Another issue when it comes to development and security operations is communication and collaboration between team members. At the beginning of any project it’s easy to misunderstand one another and have clashing ideals regarding the next steps towards progress. 

Transition periods are tough. However, learning to communicate with one another can be done through training, team building, and open communication. Encourage the team to be upfront but respectful with one another to foster effective collaboration and organisation faster.

Getting Started with DevSecOps

There’s a reason why a DevSecOps certification is needed. There is a strict step-by-step method that requires a wide range of advanced knowledge to ensure that your DevSecOps works perfectly. To get started with it, here are a few tips to familiarise yourself:

Assess Current Security Practices

Evaluate your current security practices before making any changes. Some practices within your development procedures could remain useful, others may need adjustments, and some will be scrapped altogether.

Once you know the procedure to secure any code, program, or application your developers make, it’s easier to understand which areas require more enhanced security while overall monitoring for any vulnerabilities that could pop up.

Invest in Training for Development and Operations Teams

Train your development and operations teams in terms of security. Investing in your talents benefits everyone involved: you, your clients, and your employees.

Not only will your clients experience fast and secure deliveries to the service or product they pay you for, but your employees will also gain a significant amount of knowledge they can apply to your brand’s development life cycle.

Start with Small, Manageable Changes to Integrate Security

A big mistake is to make rapid changes at a fast pace. Before you go about revamping your entire security protocol, ease into these changes by taking it one step at a time. Assess how effective each change is and if it provides a more beneficial output compared to your previous methods.

This way, not only do you continuously monitor and enhance your security, but any changes can also be removed if they do not suit your progress well. If you make large changes to integrate security, there could be clashing errors that could delay your project’s progress significantly.

Conclusion

Integrating security in every thing you do regarding technology is an important part for any business in the digital age. Development processing is vulnerable and can be easily manipulated by malicious cybercriminals. 

Don’t let your company’s progress fall behind over a preventable mistake. Integrate DevSecOps to your process. Contact Flexisource IT for more information.