Sev1Tech Blog

The Culture Change Necessary to Truly Adopt a DevSecOps Approach

Written by Geocent | Feb 21, 2020 5:45:10 PM


Change, no matter how it arrives, is never easy.

For government agencies, it can be even harder. Systems, processes, and mindsets are more entrenched because of the extreme vetting that goes into inputting these frameworks.

The same goes for adopting a DevSecOps approach to your software tech systems.

Bringing Government Systems into the 21st Century

The government sector, by and large, lags behind the commercial sector in software technology.

We’ve seen many a client still using the “waterfall” method, where work is done department-by-department, with no two groups actually working together on the project.

With DevSecOps, that all changes—for the better.

Your software creation and implementation becomes faster, more efficient, and more secure. Getting buy-in from stakeholders, however, can be the most difficult part of going from behind the curve to cutting-edge.

The Pushback

A waterfall approach is full of silos.

Each department works independently, with their own territory to lord over. They feel ownership over it, naturally. And when management comes in and wants to reclaim that territory or give it a different look, resistance is natural.

People worry. Will I lose my job? Can I keep up?

Management worries, too: Will this new approach actually work? We’ve done it one way for a long time—why are we abandoning our tried-and-true way? Why rock the boat?

You might be surprised how entrenched some people can be about this change. And if you believe your team is truly using a DevSecOps approach, but your development and operations teams still aren't communicating or working cohesively, you lose. 

The Solution

The facts don’t change, no matter the pushback: DevSecOps will radically improve how your government agency works. Gone are the worries about security checks. The amount of time and effort saved with a continuous-integration, continuous-deployment (not delivery) environment can have a monumental impact.

Maybe that means some staffing changes are in store if you encounter persistent resistance. But when the work your government agency does is so important, it’s worth it in the long-term.

 

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