DevSecOps

What are the key principles of DevSecOps? 

It is founded on several key principles, including:

• Security: Cyber attacks are problematic for organizations worldwide, and software developers are frequently tasked with integrating authentication, authorization and encryption capabilities into their applications.

But software development and security are inherently different, and bridging the gap between the two remains a major issue for many organizations. DevSecOps promotes secure coding and risk-based security testing. It helps software developers incorporate security into their everyday processes, thereby eliminating the gap between software development and security.

• Continuous Learning: To prevent security vulnerabilities from affecting software production, software developers and security teams must identify the root causes of these issues. They also must learn from their mistakes to prevent future issues during the software delivery cycle.
• Collaboration: Security teams should be involved with the day-to-day activities of software developers. If security teams and software developers maintain ongoing communication, they can plan, implement and test software appropriately. Together, security teams and software developers can collaborate throughout the software delivery cycle, ensuring that an organization produces reliable, secure software that meets or exceeds end user requirements.
• Threat Intelligence: The cyber threat landscape is growing, and new cyber threats are discovered every day. Sharing threat intelligence gives software developers and security teams the ability to understand evolving cyber threats. These groups then can use threat intelligence to brainstorm solutions to address security dangers.
• Compliance: Corporate security policies are prevalent, and software developers are responsible for understanding compliance operations to help end users manage security baselines. With DevSecOps, software developers can integrate real-time security alerts and notifications into their applications, so end users are updated any time compliance policy configurations change from a known approved state.
• Speed: Organizations are often forced to choose between fast and secure software deliver. DevSecOps offers organizations the ability to deliver software quickly and securely. It allows software developers to build security into each stage of their development, testing and launch efforts. Plus, software developers can use automation tools and technologies to accelerate software delivery.

It may take many weeks or months for an organization to build a successful culture around DevSecOps. Fortunately, with the right people, processes and technologies, an organization can empower its software developers and security teams to take a ground-up approach to building a successful DevSecOps-centric culture.

Why Is DevSecOps Necessary?

Today's organizations require agile cloud computing platforms, flexible storage and data solutions and other state-of-the-art technologies.

DevOps was once sufficient for software developers. But DevOps failed to account for security and compliance relative to software development.

Also, today's hackers use advanced exploits to launch cyber attacks that can cripple an organization and put its employees and customers in danger. If software developers cannot identify cyber exploits, they risk releasing products that contain malware, viruses and other security flaws.

DevSecOps encompasses both DevOps and security. It promotes the integration of security into software development, and creates partnerships between software developers and security teams to drive meaningful business improvements.

With a DevSecOps approach, software developers and security teams work together to quickly identify and resolve security vulnerabilities before they can affect an organization's key stakeholders. This helps an organization consistently deliver fast, agile and secure software iterations.

It’s common for buzzwords to have anti-patterns, and DevSecOps is no exception. Let’s discuss some common misconceptions.

Myth 1: We Need “Super Developers” for DevSecOps!
Not really. If you think you need to recruit certain people with magical coding skills for DevSecOps, then you’re mistaken. Unless you can’t train your existing people effectively or your developers aren’t interested in making the DevSecOps shift, you don’t have to put on your hiring cap just yet. DevSecOps aims to break down silos. Your development team, which is comprised of people with different skill sets, will receive training on DevSecOps processes and methodologies that should hold well throughout your delivery pipeline. So you’ll be bringing together existing teams—not hiring a new separate team.

Myth 2: DevSecOps Can Replace Agile
It can’t. DevSecOps complements agile, but it’s not a substitute for it. They must co-exist in order for organizations to maximize their business benefits. Agile fosters collaboration and constant feedback. But unlike DevSecOps, it doesn’t cover software delivery through testing, QA, and production. DevSecOps completes the picture by providing methodologies and tools to facilitate agile adjustments.

Myth 3: You Can Buy DevSecOps
Not exactly. You can only buy tools to use for the process, such as release management and CI/CD tools. You can’t buy the entire DevSecOps process because it’s a philosophy or a methodology. What really makes a difference to your business—the collaboration between teams and the focus on team responsibility and ownership—are things you can’t go out and buy.