Security has always played a key role in DevOps, but it has now become so integrated in the DevOps process that many have started to refer to the whole development cycle as DevSecOps. Here, we look at why so much importance is now placed on the security part of the life cycle.
What is DevOps
A combination of the words ‘development’ and ‘operations’, DevOps refers to the method of software development which utilises a set of IT tools and automated practices which help businesses to achieve increased speed and improved outcomes in the delivery of apps and services.
Shortening the development life cycle for new software systems can improve a company’s internal processes and customer service, often giving them a competitive edge over other businesses in their industry.
Why has Sec been added?
The ‘Sec’ in DevSecOps stands for security. Ideally, any good development life cycle would have always included a security phase, but this was generally something which would have been carried out by a specific team towards the end of the development process.
However, this way of working has become outdated as development cycles have evolved. Where a project used to take months or even years, they are now generally required to be completed within days or weeks.
With that in mind, it is becoming necessary to integrate security throughout the development life cycle and share responsibility for ‘Sec’ from the start to avoid risks and unforeseen issues further down the line that can cause delays to the process, which, in turn, would be counterproductive to the purpose of DevOps speeding things up.
Many sector specialists now see the integration of security as so vital that changing the terminology from DevOps to DevSecOps serves as a reminder to coders of the need to develop new software with security in mind at all times.
What does good DevSecOps look like?
There are several factors which help make a successful DevSecOps strategy.
Training – providing security training for developers ensures that the whole development team understands the need and has the knowledge to implement security throughout the process, as this may not have been required of them in the past.
Partnering – inviting security teams to work with DevOps in the early stages of a project can help with planning for integrated security initiatives and automation. Information can be shared at the outset about known threats, such as potential malware.
Risk Analysis – defining the risk tolerance of a new piece of software and conducting a risk/benefit analysis can be a key part of any DevSecOps strategy. This should include identifying supply chain risks, including open source software components which may be needed in the initial stages of the development life cycle. While security risk budgets may be tight in the current economic climate, risk analysis can be an essential part of the processes and, therefore a worthwhile use of funds.
Automation – running manual security checks can be extremely time-consuming, so planning which tasks can be automated and implementing the automation of repeated security tasks can save time while keeping the project both secure and on track for timely delivery.
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