DevOps is a very common term used a lot in the application development industry. The abbreviation of DevOps is development (Dev) and operations (Ops). You might be wondering what DevOps is and how it is related to DevSecOps. Well, DevOps is a set of practices and tools that combine the development team and IT operations team. While DevSecOps is an advanced version of DevOps the only difference is that it adds security team into the equation.
Generally, development and operations are involved in the software development cycle, and security is considered the last step before launching an application. DevSecOps integrates security practices into every phase of DevOps to enhance the security and quality of the application. Here are 10 reasons why DevSecOps are important:
#1. DevSecOps reduces the development time
DevOps is meant to combine the development and operation processes to deliver the applications much faster and avoid any delays. However, security measures are checked after the application is completely ready. If a major security risk is found before launching, then the development time would be 2x. However, DevSecOps involves security practices in every phase to reduce development time and avoid any security risks.
#2. DevSecOps is much more cost-effective
The development process can be very expensive, especially for long and complex projects. If you find a major security risk in your application after the development phase is complete. Not only your application is delayed but the cost to fix the issue would be exponential. Then the development cost can be 30x. DevSecOps detects security issues at every phase due to which it can save a lot of money.
#3. DevSecOps highlights threats at an early stage
Detecting a security vulnerability can be very difficult when an application is ready to go live. Due to time and budget constraints the security team might miss some security gaps. Even if they find some vulnerabilities it would need a lot of resources and time to fix. DevSecOps plays an important role here because it is actively involved in the process and highlights the threats during every development cycle. This helps them identify security threats at an early stage and deal with them.
#4. DevSecOps improves collaboration and communication
DevSecOps is very important to improve the productivity of your company because it improves collaboration and communication between the teams. DevSecOps ensures that Development, Security, and Operations team is actively involved during every phase of develop process. It brings a cultural shift in the working environment and improves the overall performance of your company as well. This also helps get instant feedback and communicate effectively which increases efficiency.
#5. DevSecOps increases the security of cloud computing
According to a study, more than 90% of the companies in the Asia Pacific are moving towards cloud computing and most of these companies deploy their applications on the cloud. Mostly, companies are using public or hybrid cloud. DevSecOps has a very important role here because as a user of the cloud you are responsible for security of what’s inside the cloud. The cloud service provider only ensures the security of the cloud and not what’s inside. Using DevSecOps you can automate the security process to increase your cloud security.
#6. DevSecOps introduces a transparent culture
Work environment and culture bring a huge difference in the success of any company and business. DevSecOps introduces transparent culture where everyone knows their exact role in every phase. You can see a clear cultural shift that improves performance. In DevOps, the security team is not involved until and unless the development phase is complete which means DevSecOps bridges the gap.
#7. DevSecOps provides room for consistent improvement
In the DevSecOps approach, the security team is involved from the beginning of the development phase. By repeatedly monitoring success and failures based on different matrices you can create a template to follow for avoiding issues. It can further streamline the development process and decrease the chances of leaving any security gaps.
#8. DevSecOps reduces risk and helps stay compliant
Whenever there is a loophole in the security system of your application, cybercriminals can take advantage of it to breach. This is usually done to gain access to the valuable data of your clients. For certain industries such as banking, hospitals, and insurance you need to be compliant with privacy policy laws (GDPR & HIPAA) otherwise you can face legal action. DevSecOps reduces the risk of any data breach and helps companies stay compliant.
#9. DevSecOps helps automate security tasks
One of the key factors that make DevSecOps very important is automation which is very helpful in many ways. It can reduce the manual effort required to do trivial security checks and vulnerabilities will be handled automatically. This way DevSecOps can also eliminate the percentage of human error.
#10. DevSecOps helps enhance overall security
When you start detecting and fixing the security vulnerabilities at coding level then it improves the security defenses against attacks. This not only means that DevSecOps can help resolve issues on run time but improve the overall security as well. You will also observe visible improvements in your auditing and security monitoring.