Enterprise DevSecOps comes from enterprise threat modeling across the comprehensive attack surface. Both seek to infuse security’s perspective end-to-end throughout the enterprise DevOps environment. In our previous article on implementing DevSecOps through rolling out an enterprise threat modeling process, we examined the intersection of SecDev’s focus on end-to-end security and SecOps’ focus on processes and tools that keep the IT system up and running without sacrificing security. In this installment, we examine why enterprise DevSecOps is security at scale and how to implement it throughout the entire DevOps portfolio.
When developers adopted Agile methods, they underwent a massive paradigm shift, focusing on:
- Customer collaboration through the evolution of the product vs. customer negotiations regarding the predicted product final state;
- Creating a highly adaptive, iterative development process with short feedback cycles vs. maintaining the heavyweight waterfall process; and
- Writing functional code vs. writing documentation about the code.
The net results of adopting Agile methods – particularly as seen from a revenue perspective as functional product throughput increased – was not only encouraging, it was a game-changer. Before long, the organizations that maintained their competitive advantage and strategic leadership were those that adopted Agile development methods.
The natural evolution of Agile development was to seek a culture that applied Agile concepts throughout the organization. In particular, as applied to the development team, Agile results in an increase in the number of releases. An “Agile ideal” would then seek to create an organizational environment that promotes an increase of functional products and increases the quality of those releases. DevOps – the combination of Agile development and operations – is the organizational culture change focused on realizing the “Agile ideal” through continuous delivery.
Security Challenges Increase at the Speed of DevOps
The increased productivity of DevOps is here to stay – but it comes with a price. With increased deployment comes increased security risk. The very nature of functional DevOps – decentralized, smaller teams simultaneously completing smaller projects on shorter timelines – means understanding organizational risks is more challenging and more complicated. Traditional security, often an “add-on” at the end of the development cycle, is increasingly ineffective in the fast-paced DevOps environment.
The only way to effectively implement security within the fast-paced DevOps environment is to integrate it into the development process during the design phase of each development iteration. The hurdle to overcome, of course, is finding a security process that can be realized at the scale of the DevOps portfolio without sacrificing efficiency or effectiveness.
Why DevSecOps is Security at Scale
Enterprise threat modeling powered by ThreatModeler™ is the most effective and efficient way to integrate security into the development design phase seamlessly. ThreatModeler’s unique diagramming method is architecture-centric. This allows application architects to white board new iterations directly on the ThreatModeler™ diagramming canvas, thereby creating or updating threat models as part of the design process.
Empowering developers and application architects with the tools and processes they need to create threat models as an integral part of their design whiteboarding process seamlessly integrates security’s perspective into each DevOps iteration or new project. It is the very definition of how DevSecOps is security at scale.
Understanding that DevSecOps is security at scale also results in
- Collaboration regarding security concerns across all stakeholders,
- Seamlessly integrating security with existing Agile workflows and toolsets, and
- Automating the identification of potential threats and the necessary mitigation steps.
DevOps is all about an organizational culture emphasizing continuous development. Enterprise DevSecOps takes it one step further – infusing that culture, end-to-end, with the security’s perspective to create a culture emphasizing continuous deployment of functional, quality products that are secure by design.
To learn more about how DevSecOps is security at scale and how to implement it in your organization,
Schedule a demo with a expert to learn more about ThreatModeler™ today.
