What is DevSecOps and what is it used for?

In the field of agile software development, product security is playing an increasingly important role. In times of Continuous Delivery and Continuous Integration, however, the development process becomes a challenge that should not be underestimated. For this reason, more and more companies are expanding the DevOps approach, in which development (Development) and subsequent operation (Operations) are closely intertwined from the outset, to include the security component: hence the acronym DevSecOps. DevSecOps provides a solution to problems that are part of everyday life in many software companies. It takes into account the demands on development speed and security in equal measure.

What is DevSecOps?

With DevSecOps, agility and the ability to react quickly, as offered by the DevOps approach, can be used optimally. This is because the security aspect is already taken into account during the actual development. This makes the system very different from the conventional approach, in which the security teams usually only provide the appropriate security after the product has been completed.

The DevSecOps method is intended to ensure high security standards even with the fast and agile development methods of Continuous Delivery and Continuous Integration. In this context, the often very high security requirements must already be included in the programming for ongoing operations. Good communication between the areas of security, development and IT operations is of fundamental importance here. Therefore, the interdisciplinary approach in this context is crucial for the success of the entire development.

Why is DevSecOps important?

The security aspect has been given increasing importance in software development for some years now. Especially in view of the fast-paced development, which is accompanied by ever shorter intervals between different versions, compliance with security standards is increasingly becoming a challenge. For many companies, it even becomes an insurmountable challenge if the security aspect is only considered after the actual development. Often, companies have to decide between high security with a corresponding expenditure of time and low security with short release cycles. Many vendors opt for the latter. However, DevSecOps offers an excellent solution to reconcile high security and short release cycles.

Customers and companies benefit equally

The earlier solutions for implementing important security features and security protocols cannot be compared with the new and faster variant of agile software development. Only by actively integrating the security aspects into the development phase of the software and equating them in the development process can the desired security be guaranteed even with short development and product cycles. However, not all companies follow this approach by a long shot. This can easily be seen from the fact that, due to the shortened version cycles, the security of some products has decreased significantly and the various security gaps are often only closed in a makeshift manner with "day one patches".

So if you want to rely on a high level of security, you either have to put up with the previous long development time or rely on DevSecOps as a solution to achieve the desired result.

DevSecOps concrete: An example

Let's explain the relationships using a practical example from the everyday life of a private user. The app in our example is a budget book that can be managed directly via the smartphone. In the app, income and expenses can be recorded, categorized, and displayed and evaluated in different colors. Since only little sensitive data is currently used, there is not much to consider in the area of security.

Now the app is being expanded to include a function that can be used to scan and automatically record receipts. Since a lot of data has to be collected and analyzed on servers, security plays an important role in communication and processing. If the security aspect is only taken into account after the fact, it will take half a year before the function can be published securely.

Now another function is to be added: Expenditures are to be integrated directly into the system via online banking. This involves processing highly sensitive data, so integrating such a solution with the highest security standards could possibly take more than a year. By this time, the competition would have long since gained ground and the company's own product would most likely no longer be interesting on the market.

However, if the security aspect is taken into account directly during programming and development by means of DevSecOps, the time to release can be shortened enormously without compromising on security. In many cases, security is even improved as a result, since it can be integrated directly into the programming rather than being placed on top of existing programming as a security kit. The company thus benefits from shorter version cycles and the users from the constant updating of the software.

Advantages of DevSecOps in development

The advantages of DevSecOps are clear. If a company decides to use the modern DevOps system to develop its own products due to increasing demand and high requirements, it often achieves unimaginably high speeds in the production and release of different versions of its own software. However, security falls by the wayside in this process. If this is only integrated into the finished product at the end, as is usually the case, not only can there be problems in the area of functionality, but delivery can also be noticeably delayed.

If the security aspect is now already taken into account in the ongoing development process, this looks quite different: The process hardly slows down at all, since the security area also benefits from the various monitoring solutions and automation. In addition, the various teams from development and operations learn to take the security-relevant factors into account as early as the development stage, so that significantly fewer security gaps occur from the very beginning. This means that secure yet stable software variants are produced in less time and can be delivered directly to customers. This means that both customers and companies benefit from the new possibilities.

Disadvantages and difficulties with DevSecOps

Just as with DevOps, the success of the system and its efficiency also depend on how well the individual employees and teams support the new development. Because without the associated open corporate culture and without the exchange between teams and departments, the DevSecOps concept cannot function successfully either. For this reason, it is important not only to openly communicate the benefits of the new system, but also to coordinate the changes well with the departments and employees.

If individual employees resist the system, for example the integration of security experts into the actual development process, considerable difficulties can arise.

Conclusion: Skillful DevSecOps integration offers many advantages

The integration of important security features is of enormous importance in the area of software development and in direct IT operations. If necessary security precautions are only taken into account after the actual development, this not only leads to very long delays, but errors can also creep in that are no longer subjected to a comprehensive revision process. If, on the other hand, the security aspect is integrated directly into the development of software, software updates and versions through DevSecOps, the duration of security measures is noticeably reduced. In addition, the quality improves noticeably due to the automated controls. Companies therefore benefit particularly if not only DevOps is applied in the company, but with DevSecOps the area of data and software security is also integrated directly into the development process.

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