How DevOps may be the answer to cyber-attacks
Source- theinnovationenterprise.com
Today, small businesses are facing greater cybersecurity risks than ever before. In the past, the bulk of cyber-attacks were aimed at large organizations, because they were more lucrative targets. However, things have changed, and hackers have shifted their focus to smaller businesses over the past couple of years. Although the payoffs of launching a cyber-attack against a small business are typically lower, hackers have discovered that the security solutions of the small organizations are less sophisticated, thereby making them more attractive targets. This puts small businesses at significant risk. It is estimated that 60% of small businesses that suffer from a cyber-attack are forced into bankruptcy in just six months.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are starting to recognize that their existing cybersecurity solutions are inadequate against the cyber-attacks. This is why they have started revamping their approach to reduce the risks that hackers pose. One of the most significant changes they have made is investing in DevOps.
DevOps is the practice of integrating IT and beta testing processes into software development. The two processes are usually conducted at separate stages of the development stage, but a growing number of software development companies are discovering that utilizing DevOps streamlines processes. DevOps was originally developed to improve efficiency, but newer findings show that DevOps also significantly improves the quality of the final products. Bugs are discovered more quickly and are usually adequately strengthened before the software is implemented.
A growing number of experts are finding that DevOps is also helping to improve security. Furthermore, the role of DevOps is expected to be addressed more significantly in cybersecurity training courses in the near future.
Why is DevOps essential for cybersecurity? Here are some reasons.
DevOps ensures that security testing is integrated into the development process
Traditional cyber security approaches have proven to be rather clumsy. Developers take very basic approaches to cybersecurity while creating new applications, which causes unforeseeable flaws that can only be uncovered during the beta testing process. Other flaws get overlooked during the testing and only come to the attention of the developers after the product has launched in the market. In both cases, developers are forced to create quick solutions to resolve the problem but with the uncertainty if whether it will fix the issue.
The recent trends in DevOps have proved that it helps developers and their quality testing partners discover security flaws early in the development process. This enables them to develop a more holistic development process that involves designing applications that will be free from vulnerabilities. It also keeps them from having to hastily create solutions for security vulnerabilities that are uncovered during the development stage.
Improved efficiency for security experts
Security experts cannot afford to spend countless hours addressing mundane security flaws. Since hackers are developing more sophisticated threats every day, security experts must focus their efforts on creating timely responses to the growing list of threats.
DevOps processes have made it easier for security experts to invest more time in implementing high-quality security defences. According to estimates, DevOps have reduced the time that a security expert spends on basic troubleshooting tasks by up to 85%. They can use this time to find new security threats and preemptive measures.
Reducing the cost of dealing with cybersecurity flaws
Dealing with cybersecurity flaws is expensive. Developers have found that they can cut the cost of fixing errors in the program by 75-80% by using a DevOps process.
DevOps is the future of cybersecurity
Cybersecurity experts need to be more vigilant than ever before. Hackers are becoming more brazen and using increasingly sophisticated technology to perpetrate their attacks.
DevOps has helped make the process easier by incorporating the testing process into development. This has helped cybersecurity professionals create more cost-effective and responsive cybersecurity solutions.