Why DevOps needs to be DevSecOps
DevOps methodologies formed out of the need for faster development of applications, services, and new features demanded by users. While early iterations of DevOps processes indeed produced much-needed agility, it was often done so at the expense of application security. In this blog, we look at reasons why non-security-focused DevOps practices failed to meet expectations and how modern DevSecOps processes and tools are helping to right the DevOps ship.
Speed vs. quality
Too often, DevOps teams focus their attention on the rapid delivery of new products and features to customers and users without much thought put into quality. Of course, a major contributor to software quality deals with whether the product is free from security flaws. While businesses can potentially benefit in the short term from the fast rollout of new value-added features to users, trust in an application can quickly come crashing down once word gets out that quality – especially as it relates to application/data security controls – has suffered as a result of this accelerated software development lifecycle process.
Security as an afterthought
DevOps teams that choose not to bake security checks into their DevOps pipeline often attempt to leave all security testing to the end of their typical software lifecycle. While this effort is well intended, it can result in significant delays to software rollouts. The reason for these delays is that vulnerabilities discovered at the end of a development lifecycle can be more problematic to root out compared to if they were discovered and fixed much earlier in the process.
Using a DevSecOps framework helps to inject security checks into every point of the development lifecycle process. Doing so can significantly reduce the amount of time it takes to identify and remediate the root cause of a software vulnerability. Additionally, adding various security checks into the development pipeline makes it far more likely that security vulnerabilities will be identified in the first place. Thus, not only does DevSecOps help to reduce the time it takes to run various code security checks, but it also does so with far greater accuracy.
Not taking advantage of the right DevSecOps tools
Finally, it’s not uncommon for DevOps teams to use outdated tools or manual processes when identifying vulnerabilities and pinpointing the root cause and resolution steps. The use of incorrect or ineffective tools/processes can lead to further software rollout delays, misidentified vulnerabilities — and in all likelihood – discouraged developer and IT security teams.
This absence of the right tools and training is a major contributor to why so many believe that increased software security checks result in far slower software rollouts. If handled properly using the right tools, however, DevSecOps tools and processes can not only create more reliable and safer software, but it can also be had with relatively little time added to the overall development timeframe.
Take control of your DevOps security practices
Making a sound investment in the security of your software development process will result in technical and non-technical benefits to any organization. For those that have failed to add the necessary security checks and tools into a DevOps framework, note that it’s never too late to take a step back and spend some time and money to integrate the necessary DevOps security checks into existing workflows. You’ll likely be surprised that once implemented, DevSecOps practices and tools help to deliver better and safer code at a velocity that meets or exceeds the speed of business.
The post Why DevOps needs to be DevSecOps appeared first on GuardRails.
*** This is a Security Bloggers Network syndicated blog from GuardRails authored by GuardRails. Read the original post at: https://blog.guardrails.io/why-devops-needs-to-be-devsecops/
