DevOps
DevOps integrates software development(Dev) and IT operations(Ops). It offers a wide range of methods, tools, and technologies to reduce the overall software delivery time and enhance the velocity of its execution. One of the major goals for DevOps teams is to accelerate the process of sending the code into production by automating the process. To put it in other words, DevOps offers a range of tools and services that helps organizations streamline the software release processes and further improve software quality and scalability. With the increase in agile methodology, software deployment has become fast and more efficient, leaving behind security concerns until the end of the CI/CD pipeline.
DevSecOps
DevSecOps is a relatively new concept that originated with the need for security within DevOps. It is a combination of software development (Dev), Security(Sec), and IT operations(Ops). With DevSecOps security is ensured at each phase of the Software Development Life Cycle from development to testing till deployment. For faster delivery of projects, security should not be compromised. With DevOps, security is generally performed at the later stages when the project is in the deployment stage, which can cause unnecessary delays and increased costs if vulnerabilities are detected, and recoding is needed. To resolve this issue, DevSecOps came into action as it embeds security features at every step of software development.
Differences Between DevOps and DevSecOps
| DevOps | DevSecOps |
| DevOps is a set of procedures that helps automate and enhance software development activities, ensuring fast and efficient delivery. | DevSecOps is a more holistic approach as it includes security at each phase of the software development. It helps in mitigating the risks and improves software quality. |
| DevOps builds effective communication and integration between software developers and operations teams. | DevSecOps builds collaboration between software development, security, and operations teams. |
| DevOps aims to improve software quality and delivery speed by continuously and frequently releasing software updates. | DevSecOps aims to provide secure software products. |
| DevOps teams ensure consistent development and automated delivery process. They also ensure the delivery remains efficient, predictable, and secure. | DevSecOps teams ensure that security is embedded in each step of the development lifecycle and that the responsibility to build a secure product is shared among each team member. It reduces the chances of detecting vulnerabilities due to bottlenecks in security practices. |
| In DevOps, developers have more control and a better understanding of the product infrastructure and its environment. Team members have the freedom to develop, validate and deploy products. | In DevSecOps, development and operations teams have more control over tools and processes for adding a security element to support an agile environment. |
| The major work of DevOps is to build an application, detect and fix bugs, deploy system updates and optimize infrastructure to develop the best product quickly and efficiently. | DevSecOps’s major work is to provide security at each step of SDLC (Software Development Life cycle) by active monitoring and automation. DevSecOps fixes vulnerability issues as soon as they are detected. |
| DevOps includes automation and active monitoring to build efficient products with reduced development life cycles. This activity is often referred to as scrum by developers. Scrum sets each team member’s roles and responsibilities and defines how they can work together for a common goal. | DevSecOps works along a CI/CD pipeline, as each step needs security procedures to be applied. Various run-time checks are executed, such as commit time, build time, test time, and deploy time checks. |
| In DevOps, security issues are handled at the end of the development process | DevSecOps security practices are followed throughout the development process. |
| DevOps team members must be skilled at using various DevOps tools and technologies. | DevSecOps team members must be skilled at detecting vulnerabilities using automated tools. They must possess a good knowledge of cloud security and provide infrastructure support. |
| DevOps practices include building microservices, CI/CD(Continuous Integration/ Continuous delivery), and using infrastructure as code. | DevSecOps practices include vulnerability testing, threat modeling, and incident management. |
Systematizing security into the DevOps Pipeline
Integrating security into DevOps reduces the overall delivery time by focusing on the major concern for any development process from the start rather than checking it during the testing phase. There are several ways in which DevOps and security teams complement one another. Some of them are
Quick resolution to vulnerability detection
When a vulnerability is detected when a project is in the production phase, the DevOps team resolves it there itself as it may exploit other features in an application, thereby increasing the overall cost of software project development. Testing source code for security issues during software development phases ensures a more secure product rather than performing security checks at the end of the development cycle.
Collaboration between Development, Operations, and Security teams
DevSecOps bring the culture of working together for different teams by collaborating with development, operations, and security teams so that the concerns raised by each team can be worked upon from the planning phase onwards. This enables better communication between the DevOps team and the security experts as they can guide us about the latest tools to prevent vulnerabilities and apply security best practices.
Iterative releases and constant improvement
To systematize security into CI/CD pipeline, DevOps has shifted its approach from reactive to proactive, where there is a constant improvement in software performance by incorporating the latest features and technologies. The strategy focuses on iterative releases seeking constant improvement and addressing the threats as soon as they are detected.
Cost and time Effective
As the DevSecOps model emphasizes testing at each phase of software development, it naturally adds security, thus making the source code stronger and more resilient to vulnerabilities. This reduces the chances of threats after the deployment stage, making the development process cost and time effective.
By Following the above-mentioned practices to systematize security into the DevOps pipeline, the performance of DevOps teams also gets enhanced by delivering a more secure product and safeguarding their development process and applications.