What Is DevSecOps?

Security can’t be something your team bolts on at the end. In a world where software updates ship faster and attack surfaces grow wider — especially with the rise of AI and cloud-native tools — security has to be built into everything you deliver.

DevSecOps is a modern development approach that integrates security directly into every phase of the software development lifecycle (SDLC). It ensures that security is a shared responsibility across development, operations, and security teams — not a last-minute checkpoint.

Let’s break down what DevSecOps means, how it works, and how you can bring it into your development process.

DevSecOps stands for development, security, and operations — three functions traditionally siloed within software delivery. DevSecOps brings them together, embedding security practices into every stage of development: from planning and coding to deployment and monitoring.

Rather than waiting until an app is nearly finished to run security scans, DevSecOps shifts that work left — meaning earlier in the lifecycle. This gives teams real-time feedback, automates vulnerability checks, and ensures that security scales as fast as your code does.

This shared responsibility model is especially important because it helps eliminate handoff delays and reduces the chance of miscommunication between siloed teams. It fosters a culture where security is everyone's concern, not an afterthought. The result is faster development cycles, fewer vulnerabilities, and a more resilient software delivery process.

To keep up with your competitors and release products on time, you have to work quickly and efficiently. Sometimes that can lead to security risks being overlooked. But ignoring security can lead to catastrophic consequences for your business, from costly data breaches to regulatory fines and reputational damage.

That’s why DevSecOps is an important way to structure your development process; it empowers you to build, deploy, and maintain applications quickly without compromising on security. Additionally, other factors come into play:

• Cyberattacks are becoming more sophisticated and frequent (and the average cost of a data breach is $9.36 million).
• AI tools increase development velocity, but also introduce new risks.
  Regulatory frameworks like GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS require stronger controls across systems and data.

DevSecOps isn’t just a best practice — it’s foundational to building secure, resilient systems at speed.

While DevOps focuses on collaboration between development and operations to speed up delivery, DevSecOps takes it a step further by making security a core pillar of the process.

In a traditional DevOps model, security is often added at the end of the workflow, but that does create potential delays or security vulnerabilities. DevSecOps, on the other hand, embeds security from day one.

For example, imagine you’re building a new application. In a DevOps workflow, your team might focus on deploying the app quickly, with security checks coming after you’ve created the project.

With DevSecOps, data security software like automated scanning or threat modeling are integrated into your CI/CD pipeline. This way, you’re identifying and fixing issues as they arise, not after they’ve reached production. The result is a more secure, efficient, and collaborative approach to software development.

DevSecOps isn’t just about shifting security left. It brings together key practices and tools that support proactive, scalable security.

By embedding security checks directly into your CI/CD workflows, you can identify vulnerabilities early and before they reach production. This approach allows you to maintain development velocity while catching issues at the source.

Automating repetitive security tasks saves you time and ensures consistent accuracy. Processes like static code analysis, compliance checks, and vulnerability scanning are ideal candidates for automation that can free up your team to focus on more complex challenges while reducing the risk of human error.

"Shifting left" means addressing security concerns early in the development lifecycle — during the design and coding phases. By conducting secure code reviews, threat modeling, and static application security testing (SAST) upfront, you can proactively address vulnerabilities before they grow into costly problems.

Security doesn’t end when your code is deployed. Continuous monitoring helps you keep a watchful eye on your environment to identify vulnerabilities and suspicious activity in real time. This constant vigilance helps you respond to threats quickly and minimize the risk of breaches or downtime.

DevSecOps thrives on collaboration. Breaking down silos between development, operations, and security teams creates a culture of shared responsibility. When your teams work together, you can deliver secure, high-quality software more efficiently.

DevSecOps offers a measurable return on security investment without compromising on speed or innovation.

Integrating security into each phase of the development lifecycle helps make sure vulnerabilities are caught and addressed early. Automated security checks, like static code analysis or dependency scanning, identify issues as you code, while continuous monitoring keeps your applications secure in production. This proactive approach minimizes the risk of breaches and gives you confidence that your software is secure by design.

When you embed security into your development process, you eliminate bottlenecks caused by post-development fixes. Automated security processes, such as vulnerability scans and compliance checks, let you release applications faster without sacrificing quality. For instance, secure-by-design workflows help you deliver updates and new features swiftly.

DevSecOps fosters a culture of collaboration, breaking down silos between development, security, and operations teams. For example, when security teams provide developers with actionable insights during coding, it prevents rework later. Regular communication and tools like shared dashboards further improve teamwork and collaboration at every stage of development.

Addressing security issues early in the development lifecycle is far less expensive than fixing them after deployment. DevSecOps’ focus on proactive security saves you money and avoids costly downtime or breaches that could disrupt your operations.

By adopting DevSecOps, you demonstrate a commitment to building secure, compliant applications, boosting customer confidence. Meeting standards like GDPR, HIPAA, or PCI DSS becomes a natural part of your workflow and reduces reputational risks and fines. Secure applications protect sensitive data and help you win and retain loyal customers.

Adopting DevSecOps can revolutionize the way you develop and secure software, but it’s not without its challenges. Here’s a closer look at the most common challenges and how you can address them.

One of the biggest obstacles is overcoming the traditional silos between development, operations, and security teams. These teams often have different priorities and ways of working. To foster a DevSecOps culture, you need to break down these barriers.

Start by encouraging cross-training so that team members understand each other’s roles and responsibilities. Leadership buy-in is crucial as well — when leaders champion shared goals, it motivates everyone to work toward the same vision.

For example, implementing joint meetings or shared performance metrics can help teams work together. The more you integrate collaboration into daily workflows, the easier it becomes to embrace DevSecOps.

Integrating security tools into your existing DevOps pipelines can be a daunting task, especially in large or complex environments. Many organizations struggle with choosing tools that work with their current systems and workflows. To tackle this, focus on tools designed for integration, such as Salesforce or GitHub Advanced Security.

You can also simplify the process by rolling out integrations incrementally. Start with a pilot project to test the tools’ effectiveness before scaling them across your organization. This phased approach minimizes disruption for smoother adoption.

Delivering functional products quickly is an important part of development; however, it shouldn’t come at the expense of delivery over security. This creates a tension that can undermine your efforts to adopt DevSecOps.

The key to solving this challenge is implementing more automation that can help you integrate security without slowing down your workflows.

For example, automated vulnerability scans can be set up to run alongside your CI/CD pipeline, catching issues without delaying deployment. This ensures that you can meet your delivery timelines while meeting your security requirements.

Adopting DevSecOps doesn’t happen overnight. Gradual adoption allows you to minimize disruptions and build team buy-in for long-term success. Here’s how you can get started.

Security should be part of the conversation from the very beginning. During the planning phase, involve security experts to anticipate potential risks using tools like threat modeling. This proactive approach helps you design systems with security in mind and reduce vulnerabilities before they’re coded.

During sprint planning, treat security requirements as priorities, alongside features and performance. When you integrate security considerations early, you save time and effort later.

Manual security checks can be time-consuming and prone to human error. Automating these processes allows you to identify vulnerabilities faster while freeing up your team to focus on more complex tasks. Use tools like SAST (static application security testing) to validate your code early in development.

By embedding these automated checks into your CI/CD pipeline, you can maintain development speed and security.

Testing lets you identify vulnerabilities before deployment. Dynamic application security testing (DAST) tools, container scanning, and infrastructure as code (IaC) validation help you uncover risks that static analysis might miss. Create a dedicated testing environment that mimics production conditions as closely as possible to ensure accurate results.

Even with automated checks and testing, some vulnerabilities can slip through. Penetration testing involves simulating real-world attacks to evaluate your application’s defenses. This step helps you uncover weaknesses that automated tools might miss, such as misconfigurations or complex logic flaws.

Conduct penetration testing regularly, especially after major updates, to ensure your security measures are up-to-date and effective against evolving threats.

Security doesn’t stop after deployment. Ongoing monitoring helps you detect and respond to vulnerabilities or threats as they happen. Tools like SIEM (security information and event management) solutions and runtime application self-protection (RASP) provide continuous insights into your environment.

Regularly review and update your security practices to address new challenges and incorporate feedback from your team. Continuous improvement helps your DevSecOps process implementation stay effective as your business and technology evolve.

Adopting DevSecOps is all about creating secure, efficient, and collaborative workflows. These six best practices offer actionable steps you can take to enhance your development process and achieve measurable benefits.

Incorporate security measures early in your development process by embedding them into the design and coding phases. Use tools like threat modeling to identify vulnerabilities before they escalate. This approach saves you time and money by addressing issues early when fixes are less disruptive.

Automating repetitive tasks, such as code analysis and vulnerability scanning, ensures consistent accuracy while freeing up your team’s time. Using automated security helps speed up the development process without compromising security.

Break down silos between development, security, and operations teams by promoting shared goals and responsibilities. Simple strategies, like cross-functional training and regular check-ins, build trust and foster collaboration. Collaborative teams can deploy secure, reliable applications faster and with fewer errors.

Ongoing monitoring is essential to detect threats and vulnerabilities after deployment. Continuous analysis helps you respond to potential risks quickly, reducing downtime and keeping your customers happy.

Implement role-based access controls (RBAC) to ensure only authorized team members can make changes to your CI/CD pipeline. Locking down your data helps you prevent unauthorized access and reduce the risk of insider threats.

Choosing the right DevSecOps tools helps you add security to your current DevOps practices, and these are the key ones to consider.

Static application security testing (SAST) tools analyze your source code to identify vulnerabilities before your application is built. They’re ideal for catching issues like insecure coding practices early in development that could be costly later in the process.

Dynamic application security testing (DAST) tools simulate real-world attacks on your running application to identify vulnerabilities in live environments. By testing applications post-deployment, you can uncover issues that static analysis might miss, such as authentication flaws or misconfigured APIs.

Software composition analysis (SCA) tools scan your application for vulnerabilities in third-party libraries and dependencies. These can help you ensure your open-source components are secure and up-to-date, reducing the risk of supply chain attacks.

Interactive application security testing (IAST) tools combine the benefits of SAST and DAST by analyzing your application during runtime. They provide detailed insights into vulnerabilities in your code as it interacts with various components.

Infrastructure as Code (IaC) scanning tools analyze your infrastructure configurations to detect security risks before deployment. IAC tools check that your infrastructure fits with best practices, which can reduce the risk of misconfigurations that could expose your system.

Container scanning tools assess your containerized applications for vulnerabilities in images and configurations. This tool helps you secure your containers, ensuring they remain compliant and protected throughout their lifecycle.

Adopting DevSecOps helps your teams deliver faster — and safer. You reduce risk, accelerate delivery, and build trust with customers and regulators alike.

With the Salesforce Platform, you can embed DevSecOps practices into your AI app development process using integrated tools for low code development capabilities, secure DevOps pipelines, and built-in AI. Explore adjacent topics like CI/CD, zero trust architecture, and application security to deepen your understanding and sharpen your workflows.