BizDevSecOps: The Developer’s Path Forward

As digital experiences continue to stay at the forefront of business interactions, increasing the need to incorporate security into the fabric of applications is no longer a key consideration – it’s imperative. Research from the Ponemon Institute found that, in 2020, 71% of enterprises reported their portfolio of applications were more vulnerable to attacks and, additionally, more than 50% of respondents said security is not adequately emphasized during the development of new applications. This means developers play a critical role not just in the design or function of an application, but also need to collaborate with security teams to protect the data and, by extension, the experience of the end user. 

Developers and technologists should consider incorporating a BizDevSecOps strategy into their application development processes to create applications that provide seamless user experience and protect user data. Building on a foundation of DevOps, BizDevSecOps incorporates security and business teams into the development process from the start, providing a solid ground to create sound applications. This makes it easier to target key business outcomes throughout the development cycle.

Here are a few key ways to build BizDevSecOps into your team’s strategy. 

1. First comes DevOps. Developers already know – and in many cases implement – DevOps to improve the development lifecycle and provide continuous delivery to yield high-quality applications. For a successful digital strategy in 2021, incorporating DevOps at the heart means beginning the process of breaking down silos between development and operations teams to create great applications and delivering them in a timely manner. The core of BizDevSecOps begins and ends with DevOps, and none of it is possible without developers. 

2. Incorporate security from the start. Where DevOps prioritizes speedy delivery of functional applications, DevSecOps takes this a step further and builds security into the fabric of the application-building process. Where DevOps creates pressure to produce applications quickly, DevSecOps prioritizes the safety of user data while enriching the collaboration amongst the development and security teams. This is particularly important in mobile development, where multiple new and hybrid platforms create increased opportunities for vulnerabilities to be exposed. In a time when a vast majority of experiences are digital and mobile, security simply has to exist from the start.

3. Tie it to the business. The natural next step from DevSecOps is often overlooked but is just as important – “the biz.” When you add the “biz” – or your business teams – into DevSecOps to create BizDevSecOps, you put the user experience at the center of application development. This is critical to overall success because the end user is one of your most important – if not the most important – stakeholder. For example, when a security team considers implementing a stringent policy that impacts user experience, a business team can step in to advocate for the end user’s experience with the application, backed by the critical business KPIs needed to ensure customer satisfaction thrives. Neither is more important than the other, but they both need to work in tandem in order to provide the best possible experience.

4. Now, observability. BizDevSecOps and observability go hand-in-hand because ultimately, they have the same goal - to provide a seamless user experience while enabling IT teams to monitor and remedy any issues that arise. Recent research from AppDynamics found 96% of technologists recognize that having the ability to monitor all technical areas across their IT stack, including security, and directly link technical performance to business outcomes is important to them in 2021. An overwhelming majority of technologists have seen and experienced the need for observability through the impacts of the last year, and this needs to become a priority all the way across the stack – from development to the end user and everything in between. 

At the end of the day, BizDevSecOps is simply the breaking down of silos to foster connections that result in development of functioning and secure applications. This is the way DevOps teams need to start envisioning the future, because in many ways this reality is already here.