Boosting Business Security with DevSecOps

Many companies are overcoming the obstacles imposed by traditional approaches to working by adopting a DevOps culture, which facilitates cooperation between development, security and operations teams.

Adopting a DevSecOps approach and integrating security with business objectives has become necessary for companies looking for long-term development in today’s digital economy. Here’s what it is, its benefits, and why you should seriously consider adopting it in your business.

What is DevSecOps?

DevSecOps focuses on fostering collaboration between development, security, and operations teams, unifying their workflows, and this interconnection and good communication between all parties involved facilitates the application of security best practices at every stage of the IT lifecycle.

With a DevOps-based approach and additional emphasis on security at every stage of the project, we will foster collaboration across teams to meet the needs of new projects as they arise.

Updates and initiatives can sometimes take a long time to implement within a project, but with the DevSecOps methodology, iterative security controls, tools, and automated processes are applied by all team members, ensuring that security issues are resolved at a particular stage before they become project-wide problems.

What are the advantages of DevSecOps?

Like other methodologies, DevSecOps is based on agile project management. Some of the main advantages it offers are:

• It helps protect the company and its customers.
• Increases productivity, resulting in faster time to market and competitive advantages.
• Proactive security measures, facilitating early identification and resolution of problems.
• Automated monitoring and testing through static and dynamic assessments before integrating testing into the development cycle.
• Increased security facilitates improved brand image as well as increased customer and partner confidence.
• Reduced legal liability related to breaches.
• It fosters collaboration between the development team and the rest of the company.
• Increased visibility of each component, as well as increased reliability.
• Human error is eliminated by reducing the chances of vulnerabilities caused by hackers.

DevSecOps vs. DevOps

If we look at the differences between the two, DevOps is a methodology in which developers and operations teams work together to create an agile and optimized deployment framework. DevSecOps, on the other hand, extends the DevOps culture of shared responsibility by adding the need to develop a security foundation.

As such, we see similar approaches from the two in many aspects, such as automation and continuous processes to establish collaborative development cycles. However, DevOps prioritizes speed of delivery, and DevSecOps tries to provide security at the earliest point in the process.

Challenges facing DevSecOps implementation

Implementing this methodology requires cultural and organizational change, and overcoming this resistance to change can be a major challenge. This will depend on communicating its benefits and comprehensively training the team effectively.

Another major challenge is the shortage of trained DevSecOps professionals, so often, the best option is to have an external partner to help you implement these practices and train your team to achieve the desired goals.

Finally, as the environment is rapidly evolving and standardization of practices and tools is an ongoing process, we must stay informed about emerging standards and collaborate to promote the development of best practices. Implementing widely accepted frameworks and standardized tools will facilitate smoother integration and ensure consistency in your DevSecOps initiatives.

DevSecOps Best Practices

Security breaches and data risks have become a significant concern for organizations everywhere. Thinking of security as an afterthought has exposed the ease with which sensitive information can be accessed and the reputational and customer trust implications.

DevSecOps is becoming the best ally for businesses because it offers a disruptive paradigm that combines the power of development, security, and operations to build an effective and secure software development lifecycle.

Some of the best practices are:

1. Train all team members on DevSecOps policies: developers, security professionals, and other engineers are the first who will need to be trained on DevSecOps policies and best practices. But from there, it is important to get the rest of the stakeholders to understand what it is and why it is so important to apply it to the business.
2. Incorporate DevSecOps tools into your workflows: the right software and applications can automate everything from policy management to security monitoring and troubleshooting. That’s why it’s so important to find the ones that best fit your budget and business goals.
3. Document your processes and goals: DevSecOps projects are most effective when replicable, which is why it is so important to document business processes, project goals, and strategies that have worked well.
4. Constantly assess and monitor security: The best way to prioritize security is to monitor all stages of the IT lifecycle for all projects. Doing this in an automated way is a valuable way to ensure that no critical security steps are missed.
5. Make agile security adjustments: Your initial strategy will not be perfect, so don’t be afraid to adjust your security plans as time passes and project plans, staff, or business objectives change.
6. Ask for feedback from the team: DevSecOps strategies achieve better integration and continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD) when the internal team and external stakeholders review them. Having a review team that periodically provides feedback on how products and processes are performing is helpful.

Why is DevSecOps so important?

Traditionally, software development was done in separate and segregated teams, with little cooperation and contact between the development and security teams. This isolated approach led to numerous problems, such as lengthy procedures and postponed security measures. As a result, security flaws and hazards were often identified late in the development process, leading to costly modifications and potential security breaches.

Ineffective communication between the development and security teams also hindered the effective integration of security into the development process. Security teams had little access to the development process, making it impossible to manage security issues effectively and quickly.

With the emergence of DevSecOps, the inefficiencies of the traditional approach are eliminated, as it emphasizes the integration of security techniques and concerns into all stages of the development process. It facilitates cooperation and communication between teams, thus helping to achieve common goals and preserving security.

However, creating a DevSecOps culture is an ongoing process. It requires developing a security mindset, as well as investing in education and training, embracing automation and continuous improvement, or tracking success using security metrics.

In this way, companies can adapt to a changing landscape where threats are becoming more sophisticated and be able to respond effectively to security issues, ensuring the growth and protection of their assets.

At Plain Concepts, we have a dedicated team that has mastered the latest tools and best practices in security.

The DevSecOps mindset is no longer an option in today’s digital world. It is a strategic necessity. Adopting this methodology and aligning security with your business objectives will allow you to achieve a solid foundation for success, gain user confidence, and be protected against unforeseen events. If you want to achieve this, request a personalized session with our experts now!