DevSecOps: Integrating security into DevOps

Technology businesses constantly innovate and push out new software at unprecedented rates. While speed and agility are crucial for success, they cannot come at the expense of security. Data breaches, vulnerabilities, and noncompliance can cripple a company’s reputation and bottom line.

As a result, integrating security and compliance practices into software development processes has become crucial for sustainable growth. With DevOps methodologies becoming more integrated into core IT protocols in the mainstream, the concept of DevSecOps has emerged as a holistic approach to building secure and compliant software products.

Let’s take a look at how you can ensure continuous compliance from a secure development lifecycle by leveraging DevSecOps integration.

What is DevOps?

To learn about DevSecOps we must first understand DevOps. DevOps is an evolving philosophy and continuous set of practices that combine the processes of software development (Dev) and IT operations (Ops) into a single, cohesive framework. The primary goal of DevOps is to improve and speed up the software development process by encouraging collaboration between development and operations teams. The DevOps framework is designed to support faster application development and quicker deployment of new features/products.

DevOps spans all stages of the development and operations lifecycle, from planning, building and deployment to testing, monitoring and iterating. Successful DevOps relies on cross-team collaboration, communication, transparency, flexibility, and automation.

What is DevSecOps?

DevSecOps is similar to DevOps but with an important added element – security. It is a collaborative approach that integrates security considerations throughout the entire software development lifecycle (SDLC). It breaks down the traditional siloed approach where security teams are brought in as an afterthought.

Instead, DevSecOps fosters a culture of shared responsibility where developers, security professionals, and operations teams work together to build secure software from the get-go.

This shift-left approach, where security is addressed early and often, offers numerous benefits:

• Reduced risk: By identifying and addressing vulnerabilities early in the development cycle, DevSecOps helps prevent costly security incidents further down the line.
• Faster time to market: Automating security checks as part of the continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipeline allows for earlier detection and resolution of issues, leading to faster deployments.
• Improved software quality: Security becomes an integral part of the development process, resulting in more robust and resilient software.
• Enhanced productivity: Automated security tools free up developers to focus on core coding tasks, improving overall efficiency.

DevSecOps integration with Vanta

For businesses looking to integrate security into their DevOps, luckily there are a few solid options to choose from. For example, Vanta, the leading provider of automated security and compliance solutions, offers a suite of tools designed to seamlessly integrate security into your DevOps pipeline.

Vanta’s security tools are designed to integrate into your DevOps processes to help your business maintain agility and speed for optimal performance. Vanta’s security automation platform simplifies compliance while empowering developers to build secure software with confidence.

Here are some key steps to achieve DevSecOps with Vanta:

Automated security assessments

The Vanta platform automates the lengthy processes of security assessments, scanning code repositories, infrastructure configurations, and network architectures for vulnerabilities and compliance gaps. By automating these assessments, you’ll be able to identify and prioritise security issues in real time for faster problem resolution.

Continuous monitoring

Vanta provides continuous monitoring capabilities, allowing you to track your compliance status in real time. By monitoring changes in the environment and detecting changes to compliance standards, you’ll be able to proactively address potential issues before they escalate into compliance violations.

Remediation workflows

Vanta streamlines the remediation process by providing actionable insights and recommendations for addressing security vulnerabilities and compliance gaps. By integrating with your existing DevOps tools and workflows, the Vanta platform ensures that security issues are addressed promptly without disrupting the development process.

Documentation and reporting

Vanta automatically generates compliance reports and documentation, providing you with a comprehensive audit of your security posture. These reports can be used to demonstrate compliance to regulatory bodies, customers, and other stakeholders to foster trust and transparency.

What are the benefits of continuous compliance?

Continuous compliance is the pursuit of achieving and maintaining compliance with regulations and industry standards across your IT and business environment. Continuous compliance enabled by the integration of security practices into your DevOps offers several benefits for organisations:

• Improved security posture: By proactively identifying and handling security vulnerabilities, you can enhance your business’s overall security posture and reduce the risk of breaches and data loss.
• Cost savings: Automated security assessments and continuous monitoring reduce the manual effort required for compliance, resulting in cost savings in terms of time and resources.
• Faster time to market: By integrating security into the DevOps pipeline, you can accelerate the development process without compromising on security, enabling faster time to market to ensure a competitive edge.
• Enhanced trust and reputation: Demonstrating compliance with industry standards and regulations builds trust with your customers, partners, and regulatory bodies which enhances your reputation and credibility.
• Reduced compliance risk: Continuous compliance ensures that you stay ahead of evolving regulatory requirements and industry standards, reducing the risk of non-compliance penalties and fines.

Secure your DevOps with automation

Integrating security practices into DevOps is no longer optional in today’s threat landscape – it’s a necessity for businesses looking to build secure, compliant, and high-quality software. With security seamlessly integrated into your DevOps workflow, you can focus on innovation and growth, knowing that your software foundation is secure and trustworthy.

Continuous compliance not only enhances security but also drives cost savings, accelerates time to market, and enhances trust and reputation. With everything to potentially lose, there’s all to gain with DevSecOps.

Get secure with WeAreBrain and Vanta

WeAreBrain is Vanta’s lead Managed Service Provider in the Benelux. Our vCISO automation delivers scalability and flexibility to empower businesses to adapt to evolving security and compliance challenges.

Our automated vCISO services enable real-time threat detection, rapid response to security incidents, and continuous network activity monitoring to minimise the risk of data breaches and cyberattacks.

The scalability and flexibility offered by our vCISO automation empower businesses to adapt to evolving security challenges, safeguard sensitive data, and preserve trust among customers and stakeholders.

Get in touch for specialist DevSecOps integration.

Mario Grunitz

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