How to Safeguard DevOps Pipelines

If you are even remotely involved in the app development sector, you would have heard the term DevOps. But what is it? Well, simply put, it is a development tenet wherein software development and IT operations are merged and operated as a single entity to accelerate software delivery via the establishment of a sustained loop of feedback and collaboration. To help you understand this methodology better, allow us to walk you through the four stages of a DevOps pipeline.

1. Development: At this step, developers write the code, which is then channeled into a source control repository system. This is followed by source code integration. It may help to note the market offers several options for code repositories as well as version control services.
2. Building: Once the development stage is finished, the project then moves on to the next stage, i.e. building. At this point in the process, programmers make use of the integrated code from the source code repository that was brought into the picture in the first stage. This code is then used to build the application, of course.
3. Testing: Once developers are done building the app, they move on to the testing phase. This is decidedly a critical part of the process — one that businesses simply cannot afford to ignore. Anyway, at this stage, personnel/teams charged with ensuring the quality and performance of the app test the app across a variety of aspects such as unit tests, system tests on the build from the second stage of the process, functional tests, etc. Once issues are identified, if at all, they are reported and returned to developers for the query to be addressed appropriately.
4. Deployment: After the app’s performance has been thoroughly verified, the next step is to set up and configure the production environment, followed by the deployment of the final iteration of the app’s build.

Now that we know what DevOps pipelines are all about, let us also talk about how to safeguard them.

1. Zero trust approach: As the name suggests, the zero-trust approach for the app’s security architecture involves not trusting a single thing by default. What that means is trust must be established, be it by the means of certificates, SSH keys, authentication, etc., to be able to access a network resource.
2. Management of security threats and risks: It is critically important to delineate concise and easily comprehensible cybersecurity procedures and policies, which would typically encompass factors such as access controls, configuration management, code review, firewalls, vulnerability testing, etc.
3. Automation: Embracing automation for security processes and tools is vital for not only scaling but also accelerating security operations. Experts recommend automation of aspects such as configuration management, code analysis, privileged access management, etc. This is because automation renders vulnerability discovery and determining potential risks easier.

For those who seek to adopt a thorough approach, it may also help to integrate measures such as privileged access management, vulnerability management, shifting security left, setting up credential controls, etc. Don’t forget to monitor the security of the software supply chain and, most importantly, embrace the DevOps approach. And if you find yourself needing assistance, you can always engage the services of a renowned DevOps development services provider to assist with your project and development requirements.