The software development life cycle (SDLC) is a framework used to develop, implement and maintain software. The framework focuses on the process of improving software quality and formalizes the tasks or activities into six or eight stages so that it is possible to measure and analyze the system, incorporate improvements, and, in turn, monitor progress and costs.
At first glance, the SDLC and application lifecycle management (ALM) seem very similar: both are concerned with developing and managing the system. However, the software development lifecycle can be considered a subset of ALM that focuses mainly on the development stage.
In this sense, we are going to dedicate the following sections to learning a bit more about what SDLC is and what relevance it has with the DevSecOps service.
How does the SDLC relate to the agile and DevOps approach?
It is a common misconception that the SDLC is tied to a specific software development methodology. It is true that if you run the eight stages of the SDLC in sequential order, they appear to describe the waterfall process, but it is important to remember that in addition to the waterfall process, the agile, efficient, repeatable, spiral and DevOps approaches are also SDLC methodologies.
These may vary depending on which stages they include, the order of execution, or the name given to each stage; for example, different activities may be grouped into a single stage, such as planning and requirements analysis. Regardless of the differences, the SDLC provides a framework that can be used to understand and evaluate the activities required to develop software.
SDLC methodologies, such as agile and DevOps, focus on the iterative approach to software development rather than the linear waterfall strategy.
The importance of security in the SDLC
One of the most common problems in software development is that security is addressed too late in the process: testing, after the more important tasks of design and implementation have been completed. In many cases, the security controls that are executed at this stage are superficial, i.e., limited to analysis and penetration testing. As a result, more complex security issues may be overlooked, which, if detected, could delay the system’s arrival in production. In addition, resolving problems is more time-consuming and costly, as it may require the entire software to be redeveloped and retested.
How is SSDLC implemented with DevSecOps?
Enterprises need a set of processes and practices that are constantly updated in order to cope with growing security threats. In SSDLC, security points and controls must be implemented early in the development and deployment process. Companies adopt the DevOps approach and automated continuous integration and deployment (CI/CD) channels to be able to implement improvements continuously and quickly. To avoid deadlocks, security must be a constant and automated process, and development teams must be responsible for application protection in addition to design, development, operations, and maintenance.
DevSecOps service is a set of practices that include people, processes, and technologies to improve the speed and efficiency of software development while providing greater security, consistency, repeatability, and collaboration. The key is to share responsibility between the development, operations, and security teams. These are some of the goals of DevSecOps:
- Improve security and reduce risk by eliminating more vulnerabilities early in the infrastructure lifecycle and application development, reducing potential problems in production.
- Increase the efficiency and speed of DevOps release cycles by eliminating legacy security practices and tools. Using automation; adopting a standardized toolchain; and implementing infrastructure, security, and compliance as code to improve repeatability and consistency can optimize the development process.
- Reducing risk and providing clarity by implementing security controls early in the infrastructure and application development lifecycle reduces the likelihood of human error and improves security, compliance, and the ability to anticipate and repeat processes to address issues, and reduces audit issues.
