What is DevSecOps?
To define DevSecOps, we must first define what DevOps is in the first place. DevOps is a set of techniques and technologies that combine software/app development (Dev) with information technology (IT) operations, as many of us are aware (Ops). DevOps improves an organization’s capacity to release apps and services more quickly and offers numerous benefits to any firm looking to stay competitive in today’s fast-paced environment.
With more firms embracing the model, DevOps has quickly become the norm in application development. DevOps has become more accessible and appealing to implement as a result of advancements in IT, such as cloud computing, shared resources, and dynamic provisioning.
DevSecOps is a philosophy that extends the DevOps approach by incorporating security measures into all phases of DevOps. The DevSecOps technique fosters a culture of ‘Security as Code,’ with continual, flexible collaboration between the app’s release engineers and the organization’s established security teams.
Why DevSecOps?
We know that many recent developments in IT make it easier to implement the DevOps philosophy into app design, but these advancements also have a drawback. Many compliance monitoring and security systems, unfortunately, haven’t kept up with the new advances.
As a result, insufficient security protections stymie many rapid application strategies. Companies might, of course, just ignore security measures for the sake of expediency, but it’s a risky bet that could backfire disastrously. Do you want to take the chance of your latest app launch being jeopardised, especially if the success of the launch is critical to your company’s survival? Then there’s the possibility that a slew of security concerns emerge after the product is released, resulting in an army of irate, disgruntled customers, many of whom will abandon your product and organisation.
IT security is a huge problem in today’s digital world, and the risks aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. Cyber-attacks and fraud are becoming more common. With this harsh reality in mind, it’s impossible to see any company today ignoring the security part of the DevOps process.
Below are the advantages of DevSecOps
Despite the many advantages of DevSecOps, it is still not frequently used. At least for the time being. Let’s take a closer look at the advantages of DevSecOps adoption:
- Security flaws are discovered during development, rather than after the programme is released, when the public is harmed and the company’s reputation suffers.
- A higher return on investment (ROI) in the existing security infrastructure of the company
- Because the procedure is automated, there are fewer errors and incidences of administrative failure, both of which could lead to cyber-attacks and downtime.
- Automation eliminates the need for cybersecurity architects to design security consoles, allowing security teams to focus on more critical challenges and increasing agility and speed.
- Improved team communication and collaboration.
- Greater adaptability in dealing with unexpected changes during the development process.
- More potential for automated builds and quality assurance testing.
People, Process, and Technology
The people, process, and technology are the major pillars in DevSecOps’ success.
People
You won’t be able to develop a mature, effective DevSecOps environment if your staff aren’t interested, no matter how good you are at the other things. It may not be easy to convince the top management to make this change. However, there are certain facts that major data breaches are common as a result of ineffective protection could support your argument in convincing. You’ll need security professionals and “security champions” to get your DevSecOps right.
Process
Many components make up a process. Workflow standardisation and documentation are the most crucial. Typically, different teams within a corporation carry out different procedure However, DevSecOps argues for defining and executing processes that are widely agreed upon in order to increase the level of security in development.
Technology
Technology enables employees to carry out DevSecOps processes efficiently. Automation and configuration management, Security as Code, automated compliance scans, host hardening, and other technologies are commonly utilised in DevSecOps methods.
How to implement DevSecOps?
Implementing DevSecOps is a lengthy process, as you might anticipate. Below are thet steps of creating DevSecOps.
Development and Planning
It all begins with preparation. The plan must be strategic and succinct in order to be implemented successfully. Simple feature descriptions will not suffice. Acceptance criterias, user stories, user designs and threat models must all be generated by the professional
The next stage is development, and development teams should begin by evaluating the maturity of their ongoing processes. To provide guidance, it’s a good idea to gather information from a variety of sources. Putting in place a code review system particularly at this stage may also come in handy because it encourages consistency which is very important for devsecops
Building and Testing
Then there’s the production, which is handled by advanced automation tools. In such tools, the source code is merged with machine code via a build script. A variety of useful features are included in build automation software. They have a vast plugin library and a choice of user interfaces to select from. Some can also detect and replace any unsafe libraries with new ones automatically.
The next phase is testing, where the pipeline is introduced with testing principles.
Operation and Deployment
Deployment is done with various tools that automate the current process and speed up application delivery.
Another critical phase is operation, and operations staff are responsible for routine maintenance. Zero-day exploits are a nightmare. As a result, operation teams should keep an eye on them.
Scaling and Monitoring
Using strong, continuous monitoring tools is also a vital component of the process. They make sure your security systems are working properly.
Scaling has a vital part as well. Because to the development of virtualization, businesses no longer have to waste resources on maintaining massive data centres.
These are some of the fundamental processes in implementing DevSecOps. Your road plan may include certain particular additional steps, depending on the size and complexity of the project.