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You Need to Shift Security Left to Avoid DevOps Failure

shift security left devops


DevOps gets justified criticism due to its lack of security. Although DevOps preaches culture, too often does security get left behind. Shifting left provides more value than many teams realize. DevOps comes with a promise of increased speed that entices enterprises throughout the cloud to make the switch. Fortunately, if DevOps can shift left, teams can practice safe and efficient development practices without sacrificing speed.

Shifting left aligns with DevSecOps, it just tacks another buzzword into the world of DevOps. DevSecOps may sound like you need to make another dramatic change, like going from standard IT practices to a more agile approach. However, this isn’t always the case, as DevSecOps adds far more than it changes.

Managed service providers help enterprises shift left with built-in security. These providers work with clients directly, so each component of their system comes personalized. Many MSPs excel at security, DevOps, and more. You can download our Free Managed Service Provider Buyer’s Guide to find the right provider for you. We put many hours of research into consolidating what top vendors offer.

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Distribute Security Demands

DevOps brings collaboration and culture together, and security becomes rejected child in the IT world, though. Security only makes IT run smoother. Shifting left only elevates collaboration. Developers should have a deeper understanding of security. Moving security left on the development pipeline is the first step.

Understanding the specifics of what your colleagues are looking for makes the entire software release process easier. DevOps is about trust and cooperation, training can further bring teams together. Having knowledge about what security teams will be looking for makes the entire process easier for everyone. Developers will recognize flaws as they’re working, thus creating better code.

Sometimes, security teams are coming in after the code is live and things are already out of control. Finding problems late in the development cycle, or even after the release, will create an unsafe cloud environment. Recent hacks have been caused by unsafe DevOps practice. Releasing innovative products means little if your code isn’t safe. Shifting security left isn’t optional anymore, it’s a necessity.

Cross-Training

Integrating security should start with developers. Giving developers the knowledge and tools to understand what security teams are looking for is crucial to a secure development pipeline. DevOps is about trust and cooperation, training will further bring teams together. Giving everyone on the development pipeline security knowledge makes the entire process easier and safer.

Another way that this can be accomplished is by following a method that software developer Puppet has integrated. They have a three-day internal convention that has subject matter experts across the IT fields. Employees hear from operations, security, and development team members to see exactly what they’re looking for. This kind of creativity is an excellent way to learn the nuances each team is focusing on. Training along with open dialogue allows each team to know exactly what to expect, and how to help.

Tools to Shift Left

Aside from cultural change, there are various tools that can help enterprises shift left. For example, containers are a very popular option for software development. Developers love how easy they are to use, move, and release. However, containers do come with their own security flaws.

There are various security options for container workloads, such as Twistlock. Securing the cloud isn’t difficult with the right tools. DevOps, though, needs a cultural change within itself to have the safest development pipeline possible.

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