What Is DevSecOps?

DevSecOps is a methodology that integrates security into the software development process.

Patrick Debois and Andrew Clay Shafer coined the term “DevSecOps,” but the concept has been around for several years. DevOps has been gaining popularity recently as organizations strive to speed up software development.

Developers and operations teams build, test, and deploy applications rapidly and frequently in a DevOps environment.

Security has often hindered speed and agility in the software development process. However, with the rise of DevOps, there is a growing recognition that security must be integrated into the development process if organizations deliver secure software at high velocity.

DevSecOps aims to automate security testing and integrate it into the software development process to identify and remediate security issues early in the development cycle. This shift-left approach to security enables organizations to deliver secure software faster.

DevSecOps: Defined, Explained, and Explored

DevSecOps combines the speed and agility of DevOps with the security-focused mindset of the traditional Information Security (InfoSec) team.

In a traditional organization, the InfoSec team is responsible for keeping the company’s data safe from external threats. They do this by implementing security controls and monitoring for compliance. The problem is that these security controls can often slow down the software development process.

For example, a developer who wants to deploy a new feature might have to go through a lengthy approval process with the InfoSec team before pushing their code to production. This can create a bottleneck that slows down the entire development process. DevSecOps aims to address this problem by shifting security left in the software development lifecycle.

Instead of waiting for code to be deployed before it’s reviewed for security issues, DevSecOps calls for continual security testing and monitoring throughout the entire development process. This way, security concerns can be addressed before they cause issues later.

How Does DevSecOps Work?

The key to making DevSecOps work is a collaboration between the development, operations, and security teams. In a traditional organization, these teams often operate in silos, leading to conflict and delays.

DevSecOps fosters a culture of collaboration and communication between these teams, which is essential for delivering secure software quickly. DevSecOps teams often use various tools and automation techniques to make this happen.

For example, they might use continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines to automate the software delivery process. They might also use security scanning tools to automatically find and fix security vulnerabilities in code and configuration management tools to ensure that all servers are properly configured and compliant with security policies.

Why Is DevSecOps Important?

There are several reasons why DevSecOps is such an important part of the software development process.

• First, it helps organizations deliver software faster without sacrificing security. This is because security is built into the process from the beginning rather than being an afterthought.
• Second, DevSecOps helps organizations avoid the “security vs. speed” trade-off that often happens when traditional security controls are applied to Agile development processes.
• Third, DevSecOps helps organizations improve their overall security posture by baking security best practices into the software development process.
• Finally, DevSecOps can help organizations save money by reducing the need for manual security testing and remediation.

What Are the Benefits of DevSecOps?

There are many benefits of adopting a DevSecOps approach to software development. Here are just a few of them:

• Faster delivery times – DevOps can significantly speed up the software development life cycle by automating tasks and increasing collaboration between developers and operations teams. This means that new features and updates can be released more quickly, giving businesses a competitive edge.
• Cost savings – Automating repetitive tasks saves time and money. In addition, by reducing errors and rework, DevOps can help organizations improve their bottom line.
• Improved security posture – DevOps can help organizations improve their security postures by automating patch management and vulnerability testing tasks. By doing so, businesses can reduce the risk of data breaches and cyber-attacks.
• Repeatable and adaptive process – DevOps is a repeatable and adaptive process that can be easily adapted to the changing needs of an organization. This makes it ideal for businesses that are constantly evolving and need to be able to respond quickly to market changes.
• Increasing the value of DevOps – As businesses adopt DevOps practices, they often find that they can increase the value of their development team. This is because DevOps enables organizations to deliver software faster, with fewer errors, and at a lower cost.
• Accelerated security vulnerability patching – DevOps can help organizations quickly fix security vulnerabilities by automating the process of patching software. This is critical in today’s business environment, where cyber attacks are becoming more common.
• Increasing the likelihood of overall business success – Studies have shown that businesses adopting DevOps practices are more likely to be successful than those not. This is because DevOps helps businesses achieve faster time to market, improve their bottom line, and respond quickly to market changes.
• Automation compatible with modern development – DevOps is built on a foundation of automation, which is essential for modern software development. Businesses can improve their efficiency and release software faster by automating code testing and deployments. (Atatus, 2021)

Grow Your Skills with EC-Council’s Certified DevSecOps Engineer (E|CDE)

If you’re not already on board with DevSecOps, now is the time to start adapting your business to this new way of thinking about software development and security. EC-Council Certified DevSecOps Engineer (E|CDE) is a hands-on, instructor-led comprehensive DevSecOps certification program that helps professionals to build essential knowledge and abilities in designing, developing, and maintaining a secure application and infrastructure.

References

Atatus. (2021, August 10). DevSecOps: Definition, Benefits, Challenges, and More. DevOps and Software Engineering Glossary Terms https://www.atatus.com/glossary/devsecops/

Forcepoint. (2018, August 9). What is DevSecOps? ). https://www.forcepoint.com/cyber-edu/devsecops

About the Author

Ryan Clancy is a writer and blogger. With 5+ years of mechanical engineering experience, he’s passionate about all things engineering and tech. He also loves bringing engineering (especially mechanical) down to a level that everyone can understand. Ryan lives in New York City and writes about everything engineering and tech.