Dev + Sec: A collaborative approach to cybersecurity
The age-old tension between development and security teams has long been a source of friction in organizations. Developers prioritize speed and efficiency, aiming to deliver features and products quickly with a fast-paced, iterative development cycle and move on efficiently. On the other hand, security teams strive to balance risk and innovation but must focus on protecting sensitive data and systems with guardrails and ensuring compliance with stringent regulations.
These contrasting priorities and communication gaps lead to a rift that is more than an internal rivalry – it has tangible repercussions. An organization in which developers and security view their goals as contradictory or, even worse, cease to collaborate altogether, may contend with delayed releases, system downtimes and increased costs – not to mention an acrimonious working environment, decreased morale and growing security risks.
At the root of this rift are misperceptions and a lack of communication and context. In many organizations, security and development teams operate in silos. Security is often viewed as the „final checkmark“ in the development process, with security teams completely detached from developer workflows until there’s a problem. Security teams often use security tools that lack relevance or adaptability for developers, making it impossible for the two teams to work together.
Nobody likes change, especially if they don’t really buy into the reasons behind it. Therefore, the only real way to overcome these cultural and practical challenges is to create a collaborative approach to cybersecurity.
There’s no I in BREACH
A collaborative culture starts from the top. Security has traditionally been viewed as a necessary discipline but one that is external to the company’s core business, rather than an integrated element in all company processes (including development).
If this has always been the case in your organization, your metrics for success most probably do not include security. Security is often treated as an afterthought or a secondary concern when measured against goals such as “number of features,” “speed of delivery,” “customer satisfaction” and others. However, as many scarred and bruised companies will attest, one breach is all it takes to realign business goals to include a strong and secure organizational posture. Security and business leaders must align the metrics and goals of the two teams from the very top.
Don’t hate – integrate!
Embed and integrate security features, guardrails, priorities and practical steps into every stage of the development lifecycle, from planning to production.
By adopting a shift left workflow, the two teams collaborate by design, integrating security into development processes from the very beginning. This ensures that all teams have context and shared goals and use tools that are developer-friendly – minimizing the number of alerts, driving automation and providing actionable insights and feedback.
Using tools that are designed for developers, not only for security professionals, ensures that security is an inherent concern but part of the developer’s workflow, not an external – and annoying – afterthought.
This collaborative approach must extend across all security and development tasks. Security must be viewed as an enabler, ensuring that customers receive products that are innovative, but also safe and resilient.
Prioritize and prosper
One of the primary frustrations for developers is receiving a deluge of security findings without adequate context or prioritization. To address this issue, security teams should contextualize findings by linking them directly to potential business or technical impacts, enabling developers to understand the urgency of specific issues.
Additionally, implementing risk-based prioritization systems can help filter out less critical vulnerabilities, allowing developers to focus on the most pressing concerns. By providing clear recommendations and necessary resources, security teams can empower developers to address issues efficiently and effectively, fostering a more collaborative and productive relationship.
Breaking down silos
Security teams and developers must recognize that they are playing for the same team and share the same responsibilities and challenges and ultimately the same goal – delivering secure, top-tier products. This sense of shared responsibility lies at the heart of motivating these teams to action.
Joint meetings, training sessions and an overall culture of transparent communication will help build mutual understanding and trust, as well as a shared sense of respect. Once developers feel comfortable sharing their concerns about alert fatigue and security teams describe what proactive security measures entail on the developer side, they can together identify blockers and potential issues at the earliest stages, before they become impossible to resolve.