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DevSecOps

What Is DevSecOps?

DevSecOps (development security operations) is an organizational model that aims to establish a continuous integration and delivery cycle that combines application development with security and operations considerations. It leverages automation, most commonly infrastructure as code (IaC), to create a seamless software development lifecycle (SDLC).

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DevSecOps aims to apply security, including scanning, monitoring, and remediation, across the SDLC. This encompasses all phases—from planning, developing, building, testing, through to release, deployment, ongoing operations and updates. This helps reduce the costs of security and compliance, and allows organizations to deliver secure software more quickly.

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DevSecOps requires that everyone involved in planning, developing or delivering the software takes responsibility for security. All decisions made should take security into consideration from the start.

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DevOps vs DevSecOps

DevOps is a popular concept with various definitions that have emerged over the last decade. A common definition is that DevOps merges development and operations into one organization, with shared responsibility for product quality and operational effectiveness. This shared responsibility between development and operations allows organizations to iterate faster and deliver more value to customers.

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DevSecOps differs from DevOps in that it extends the DevOps philosophy to incorporate security objectives. DevSecOps should not be considered a separate concept from DevOps, but rather a natural continuation of it. Extending DevOps processes to address security is an evolutionary step, not a revolutionary one.

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The DevOps model introduced methods and tools that allowed higher development velocity, but created bottlenecks for security teams. While development processes became rapid and automated, security processes stayed the same, and could not keep up with the fast pace of development. Security was often relegated to post-production or was handled by external teams that held up production releases.

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DevSecOps introduces security activities early in the SDLC, rather than waiting until the product is released. Security issues can be identified and resolved during the application development process, with development teams performing security tasks independently.

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This approach helps prevent security vulnerabilities from reaching production, which reduces the cost of fixing flaws after release. A collaborative culture helps align security with DevOps efforts and enables scalability. With DevSecOps, automated security measures are built into every stage of the development pipeline.

What are the Key Elements for Implementing DevSecOps?

Every DevSecOps project is unique, but there are common elements most organizations will need to implement DevOps successfully. Here are 8 elements we believe are critical for most organizations.

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