Data breaches, phishing, malware, oh my! It’s no wonder security is the #1 priority for IT investment today. A breach in your security protocols can jeopardize your product continuity and cost you thousands in downtime, data noncompliance and/or loss of customers.
To lock down security, businesses are looking to DevSecOps as a Service. DevSecOps is an enhanced version of DevOps that adds security considerations to the loop. It’s a must-have for planning security protocols early – and continuously – within the development lifecycle.
Even so, only 36% of teams are currently leveraging the advantages of DevSecOps. Here we’ll take an insider’s look into DevSecOps as a Service, including benefits, best practices, actionable tips and more. We’ll also analyze why DevSecOps has gained importance in today’s fast-paced development environment.
What Is DevSecOps as a Service?
You’ve likely heard of DevOps, the popular methodology for continuously aligning your development and operations teams. DevSecOps takes this approach to the next level by including security into these interlinked workflows.
The idea is to integrate security in DevOps development phases – instead of leaving it to the end – in order to reduce vulnerabilities. In turn, this creates a secure software development lifecycle (SDLC) for your business. In particular, DevSecOps enables ongoing security checks within your secure CI/CD pipeline, including:
- Continuous security monitoring
- Comprehensive security testing
- Cloud security automation
- Automated threat detection and modeling
- Automated security practices
- Code analysis
- Change management
- Compliance management
- Vulnerability management
- Third-party tool management
- Access management
- Security incident response
- Security training
- Collaborative security tooling
DevSecOps as a Service is when your business hires a third-party partner to handle your ongoing security requirements. Typically the “as a Service” model works as a monthly subscription that fits into your previously established team workflows. In addition to DevSecOps, this model is also in high-demand for cloud-based solutions and managed services.
Why Is DevSecOps Essential in Modern Software Development?
Today’s fast-paced development environment puts pressure on teams to churn out high-quality products on tight timetables. With such rapid cycles, it’s easy for key security and compliance concerns to get lost in the shuffle.
DevSecOps is a top working method to make sure that doesn't happen. Here’s how it addresses security for modern software development.
Security at Every Stage
Security and testing used to be an afterthought that came up at the end of the project. DevSecOps turns this notion on its head and integrates security in DevOps practices at every stage, so that coding is security-friendly, tools aren’t vulnerable to bad actors and bugs are detected early. To support a wider security scope, experts also employ security automation and modeling across the DevSecOps pipeline.
A Culture of Security
DevSecOps isn’t just a workflow, but also a cultural shift to share security responsibilities. By integrating it into all stages, security becomes an ongoing team effort. What’s more, this model promotes security training and practices to decrease human error and create a security-aware culture.
Cost & Risk Mitigation
Proactive security strategies can reduce expensive fixes down the road. By finding bugs and protecting data early in the cycle, you can prevent a costly breach, a noncompliance fine and/or unexpected downtime. Just consider that the average data breach cost for a SME is just over $19,000! Overall, DevSecOps sets up risk mitigation in CI/CD pipelines, so that you’re not easily exposed to vulnerabilities.
Complex Compliance
37% of businesses are concerned about the sensitivity of information handled in security testing. That’s why it’s important to understand regulatory compliance in software development, including data and privacy regulations. GDPR has set the gold standard for protections, though you may also have to meet HIPAA and/or other local laws. DevSecOps brings these requirements to the table early, so that the design, development and continued operation of your product fulfills these demands.
Benefits of DevSecOps as a Service
DevSecOps as a Service is highly advantageous for your business. Not only can you enhance security protocols and reduce risks, but also empower business-related DevSecOps benefits.
Security Automation
Security automation is a key way that DevSecOps accelerates delivery while also ensuring comprehensive security coverage. Experts can set up automated threat detection, security incident response, vulnerability management, compliance management and more. Overall, this reduces human error and allows for efficient resource usage as your IT infrastructure grows over time.
Scalability
DevSecOps as a Service makes security monitoring and management as efficient as possible, enabling new levels of scalability. As a result, your business can leverage this model to get on-demand security scaling for any and all of your projects. As your systems expand and become more complex, DevSecOps is an affordable way to keep up.
Cost-Effectiveness
In addition to new efficiencies in your team workflow, DevSecOps enables significant cost savings in other areas. For example, the lowered risk level can eliminate expensive breaches or fixes. And you won’t need to recruit and hire expensive in-house security experts, instead opting for the “as a Service” model to reduce your budget.
Expertise
Hiring specialized security experts is no easy feat in the U.S. That’s why it’s worth looking beyond your borders to access top-tier specialists from other regions worldwide. DevSecOps as a Service connects you to experts based in Latin America or elsewhere who are dedicated to meeting your security needs remotely.
Time to Market
Lastly, DevSecOps is specifically designed to speed up resolution of security issues. Studies show that DevOps leads to twice as fast code releases in 60% of cases. A quicker time to market is ideal for businesses wanting to guarantee security and get ahead of the competition.
How to Successfully Adopt DevSecOps as a Service
DevSecOps is an unparalleled choice for scaling security needs. Even so, you should be aware of the challenges of setting up DevSecOps for your business.
Evaluate Needs
Before you modernize your workflows, understand your needs as an organization.
By identifying gaps in your current DevOps process, you can better design your CI/CD security practices within your pipeline.
Choose the Right Provider
39% of organizations don’t have sufficient time to adopt DevSecOps. That’s where a top DevSecOps as a Service provider comes into play. Take your time to analyze potential partners’ portfolio and roster of experts. Through interviews, you’ll also want to gauge their level of business alignment and communication style. Don’t forget about teaming logistics too, including shared workday hours and collaborative DevSecOps tools.
Implement Incrementally
You don’t have to revamp your entire DevOps process right away. Start with high-priority areas, such as automated security monitoring or threat detection. From here, you can add even more DevSecOps implementation over time.
Foster Collaboration
Security-aware culture is essential for success with DevSecOps as a Service. Take a relationship-first approach to encourage synergy between security, development and operations teams. Work together to shift your culture towards a strong security mindset with ongoing training, team building and more.
Use the Right Tools
Finally, DevSecOps relies on the best tools in the industry, with most companies using between 6-20 tools for security. You’ll require leading DevSecOps tools and frameworks to achieve close collaboration, as well as technical practices such as automation. Some key tooling for automating tasks include Jenkins, Kubernetes and AWS Security Hub.
Why TECLA for DevSecOps as a Service Talent?
To navigate the complexity of DevSecOps, you’ll need the right security experts by your side. At TECLA, we connect you with elite Latin American specialists who can maximize DevOps security integration. Our nearshore DevSecOps professionals boast of:
- Best-in-class skills: We pre-vet top-tier security experts from our pool of 50,000+ developers. We check for technical and communication prowess to ensure seamless cross-team workflows.
- Real-time collaboration: All our talent is located in Latin America, which shares significant workday hours with the U.S. Your security experts will be able to collaborate real-time with your teams to guarantee efficient processes and by-the-minute threat detection.
- Cultural alignment: It’s easier to foster security-aware teams when there aren’t any cultural or language barriers in the way. Our DevSecOps specialists are well-versed in U.S. culture and have strong English proficiency.
- Cost-effective rates: Although our security experts are at the top of their fields, their rates are about 50% lower compared to the U.S. You’ll get technical excellence without exceeding your budget.
For more info about our DevOps talent, explore our exceptional talent base here!
Scale Up DevSecOps as a Service With TECLA
Build a DevSecOps pipeline that achieves frictionless workflows, minimizes vulnerabilities and cuts your costs. DevSecOps as a Service is a robust, scalable method for meeting your security requirements during all stages of development. It also promotes a security-first culture, so you can continuously update your protocols according to your evolving business needs.
Unlock proactive security strategies with first-rate talent. At TECLA, we provide leading DevSecOps experts to set up airtight security at your business. We have 10+ years of experience in matching U.S. businesses with winning tech talent in Latin America. Contact our talent specialists to match with DevSecOps experts today!