What is cloud DevSecOps ?

When we speak about secure development and how we can speeds up the development process the first concept that gets into our head is the DevSecOps. More and more companies around the world have started to implement it because it has proved its effectiveness. Some companies have opted for a local implementation for better control over the infrastructure and some have implemented it in the cloud. So what is cloud DevSecOps?

Cloud DevSecOps is the fact of implementing or using an existing DevSecOps infrastructure (IaaS) in the cloud. This implementation technique gives the software companies the ability to quickly scale their development team without the need for a big investment.

If you are here now, then you either want to implement a DevSecOps in the cloud or you want to adopt one of the IaaS services. Therefore, here I am going to give you the pros and cons of each type of implementation to make the right decision. This blog post will also discuss the difference between using a cloud implementation and a local one.

What is the pros and cons of a local DevSecOps implementation?

Here is a table that describes the pros and cons of implementing a local DevSecOps environment:

Implementing a local DevSecOps environment is one of the most common implementation models. This model gives the companies better control over the used tools and the infrastructure that runs the whole process. This means more customization options. Moreover, for companies that develop top-secret solutions, this model offers better confidentiality for their source code and data.

In addition, opting for a local DevSecOps may open more possibilities to the development team to use different types of tools even the free and open-source tools. In a cloud IaaS cloud, for example, this may not be an option as the IaaS Cloud in some cases come with pre-installed or pre-defined tools that all you can do is to choose between them and click install.

However, this control comes with the cost of less flexibility and difficulties to scale and manage. More control means more problems to solve by the support team that may not have the right skills to solve.

What is the pros and cons of a private cloud DevSecOps?

Here is a list of pros and cons of a personal cloud DevSecOps implementation:

Private cloud DevSecOps is also one of the most common cloud implementations, especially between critical software development companies. This type of implementation offers more flexibility to change the company resource allocation in the production line. Moreover, the DevSecOps environment scalability becomes better as adding or removing devices become much quicker.

The private cloud implementation is a very cost-effective compared to a local implementation as all the hardware management process is delegated to the service provider. This means less downtime for your environment and application.

Unfortunately, the fact that the data is passing through the service provider network, means it may have the ability to read it. Of course, service providers will not do that, but this is still a risk to take into consideration. This also means that data confidentiality will be impacted.

However, using a private cloud implementation means a physical separation between the service provider’s public networks and your network and devices. This separation has a good impact on data security at the hardware level.

Unfortunately, this cloud implementation is also time-consuming even if it is not that bad compared to local implementations. In addition, cloud management requires very specialized skills that may not be easy to find. Moreover, this implementation model offers limited control over the infrastructure as a part of its management (hardware) is delegated to the service provider.

What is the pros and cons of a public IaaS cloud DevSecOps?

Here is a list of the pros and cons of an IaaS cloud DevSecOps implementation:

The best thing about moving the DevSecOps environment from a local to an IaaS cloud environment is the cost-effectiveness that this model offer. The company is no more in need to buy years of license without even using it, or rarely using it. This model offers the possibility to only pay for what you use. Which means way less money to invest in the DevSecOps environment.

This model also offers awesome flexibility and scalability that help companies to quickly scale their environment for more teams and devices which also enhances team collaboration.

Managing this type of DevSecOps environment becomes as easy as a click of a button. No need for advanced skills to manage the infrastructure as everything is done by the service provider. All you need to do is to choose which tool you need in the environment and everything is pre-installed and configured.

This delegation of the management process also means less control over the DevSecOps environment, which in some cases can become very dangerous especially when a breach happens. However, this delegation also comes with the fact that the security of the whole environment is also managed by the service provider that will do his best to keep it safe. This means a very high level of security to the client’s environment compared to what one small company can do to his own network.

Conclusion

DevSecOps is a very important model to adopt for many reasons and choosing the right implementation model depends mainly on the nature of applications you are developing and the level of security you are ready to accept. If you have the right budget to manage a local well-made DevSecOps then go for a local one. If the budget is very low and you still want to implement a DevSecOps and you can accept the confidentiality risks then go for an IaaS environment.

I have also written a blog post about the pros and cons of a DevSecOps environment if you didn’t take the implementation decision yet and you want more information for that.