DevOps is a term that has become very popular over the last couple of years. Big tech companies MAANG (Meta, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, Google) are all investing big bucks in implementing a successful DevSecOps culture and mindset. But what does DevSecOps mean? How should you approach implementing it into your organization? This blog explains you all these concepts. So, let’s get started.

What Is DevOps?

DevOps is a combination of software development practices and information security measures. The goal is to create a continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipeline that allows developers to deploy code frequently and securely.

There are three main components of DevOps: automation, collaboration, and governance. Automation refers to tools that automate repetitive tasks such as deployments or testing. Collaboration involves sharing knowledge across teams and organizations. Governance focuses on creating processes and policies that ensure compliance and security.

Check out the commonly asked DevOps Interview questions. Validate your DevOps knowledge level with the help of this blog

What Is DevSecOps?

DevSecOps is a new way of thinking about software development that focuses on security throughout the entire lifecycle of the project. Generally DevOps teams get to the security aspect at the end of the development process. DevSecOps aims at ensuring that cybersecurity issues are addressed throughout the entire software lifecycle, from initial conception to final delivery.

The concept of DevSecOps can be applied to any organization, regardless of size or industry. By ensuring a coordinated, integrated and automated approach to software development, DevSecOps reduces time-to-market and security risks.

In this article, we will discuss how DevSecOps works in practice, why it is important, and what you need to know about implementing a successful DevSecOps program.

Why DevSecOps?

A common misconception among people who don’t work with DevSecOps is that it is just another buzzword created by cybersecurity experts. However, there are real advantages to adopting a DevSecOps strategy.

For starters, DevOps increases developer productivity. By automating all stages of the development cycle, including deployment, testing, and monitoring, DevOps frees up developers to focus on writing high-quality code. Because developers and security teams are involved at every stage of the software development life cycle, both can provide valuable insights into potential security issues before releasing new features. This allows developers to fix the issue before it becomes a problem.

In addition, DevOps improves communication between different groups within an organization. Security professionals often have more experience than developers, so they tend to communicate better with other departments. As a result, they can help developers understand security risks early in the SDLC.

Finally, DevOps creates a culture of transparency. Development teams must share their work openly with other members of their team and stakeholders. DevSecOps provides visibility into applications across the entire lifecycle. Instead of having to piece together information from various sources, DevSecOps gives users a single view of the whole picture.

When Should You Start Your DevSecOps Journey?

You should start your DevSecOps journey when you adopt Continuous Delivery (CD). CD is a set of best practices that streamline the deployment process and automate many manual tasks. It also makes it easier to roll back deployments when necessary.

You should start adopting DevSecOps when you begin using containers. Containers are lightweight virtual machines that isolate apps from each other. They are used instead of full-blown VMs to reduce overhead and increase speed.

You should start implementing DevSecOps when you want to move beyond basic monitoring. There are advanced solutions available that give you detailed insight into how your applications behave over time. In addition, some solutions provide threat detection and prevention capabilities.

How Can You Implement DevSecOps In Your organization?

Here are five strategies you can start implementing right now:

1. Automate security in CI/CD pipelines: Security tools like Sonar, Veracode can help the teams scan the code before it’s deployed and identify potential vulnerabilities. Security checks should not be limited to your application source code only. It should include containers, dependencies, and open source libraries for known vulnerabilities.

As soon as the code is checked in these tools can scan your code for any potential vulnerability. This can help to ensure that the code is safe to run and reduces the risk of data breaches. Additionally, by using monitoring tools, you can keep tabs on the performance and health of your infrastructure and software applications. This will help to identify potential issues early on and address them before they become serious problems.

2. Make security information and education as priority: Developers should be made aware of the importance of security and the steps they need to take to protect themselves during software development.

All organizations should invest to educate developers on cybersecurity issues, including how to identify potential threats and how to protect themselves from them. This can also happen when developers collaborate with other teams, such as QA, operations, and security teams to ensure that the software is delivered securely and in a timely manner.

3. Build standard operating procedures and governance policies: A well-defined process helps enforce best practices and reduces the chance for errors. Governance policies help ensure that all software development activities comply with applicable regulations and standards. They also help maintain a high level of security and compliance across your organization.

Creating standard CI/CD templates with security components embedded can help developers take preemptive action.  By establishing standardized workflows, you can ensure that all members of your team are following the same set of steps when developing or deploying a new feature. This will help to minimize the chances of errors and inconsistencies.

The security outcomes should be automated as well providing quick, visible results and actions to technical and non-technical stakeholders alike. Policies and processes help to streamline the delivery process and ensure compliance with applicable regulations. By following standardized procedures, your organization can minimize risk and improve efficiency.

4. Collaborate across teams: Building a DevOps culture that encourages collaboration across teams is key to success. It’s hard to find examples of companies that have successfully built their own DevOps culture. Many organizations struggle with the challenge of building an environment where people collaborate effectively. In fact, many organizations still rely on a command-and-control style of management when it comes to software development.

Application security is everyone’s responsibility across the organization. When teams are able to share knowledge and work together, they can overcome challenges more quickly and efficiently. Collaboration tools can help you share knowledge across teams and organizations. This is essential for ensuring that everyone is aware of the latest threats and vulnerabilities.

Conclusion

DevSecOps is an evolution of DevOps. While DevOps focuses on improving developer productivity, DevSecOps adds an additional layer to address security concerns along with continuous deployment. DevSecOps is continuously being used in conjunction with Agile methodologies like Scrum or Kanban. Agile and DevSecOps improve your security posture and helps you deliver code faster. 

Further Reading

Agile, DevOps, CI/CD – How are they related explained in the blog.

Check out the top 5 skills needed to succeed as a DevOps engineer.