Software development has become something of a minefield. Across the software development lifecycle, around 60% of U.S. businesses will face security supply chain attacks. Gartner says this marks a triple-digit increase in such attacks in recent years. To mitigate this, businesses have opted for DevSecOps strategies, gravitating toward principles that implement security protocols into the software as early in the process as possible.
With this security mindset, a software development framework tied closely to DevSecOps has emerged: CodeOps. To ensure the highest level of security possible through every step of the development process, organizations should know what CodeOps is, how it works and how it contributes to securing new and developing software.
What is CodeOps?
CodeOps is a cutting-edge approach to software development that utilizes reusable, internally owned code to streamline the development process. Driven by generative AI (GenAI) and leveraging modular coding, CodeOps expedites development and encourages innovation. With added efficiency and security, digital products can continuously evolve and improve.
Large businesses and organizations such as the U.S. Air Force, with high-risk security concerns, have started using this innovative technology to quickly create mission-critical apps and software. Harnessing GenAI to generate code components based on preexisting specifications and utilizing modular coding concepts allow organizations to create reusable and in-house code, which is the base of CodeOps.
To most, the most appealing feature is efficiency. Reusable specifications and pre-certified code components allow organizations to reduce a huge portion of development time, ensuring faster time-to-market on digital products. Flexibility ensures a streamlined development process without compromising security, allowing teams to adapt quickly to new technologies and demands as they evolve. With much repetitive coding taken off an organization’s shoulders thanks to automation, developers can now focus on higher-level ideation and design.
How Does CodeOps Secure Software?
While stringent security seems like an obvious requirement for banking apps that contain important financial data, healthcare apps with sensitive health information or military software that deals with highly classified intelligence, it is no less crucial for apps with more general applications. All apps handle data in some or the other form; therefore, all apps should operate with stringent security that protects the integrity of the data and the privacy of the users. Even in businesses with less obviously sensitive data, the repercussions of security breaches can be incredibly costly, both financially and to the brand’s reputation.
Here are the ways CodeOps can ensure better security:
- Taking advantage of proven code modules. A key aspect of CodeOps is relying on existing code to save time, and using existing code means all modules are pre-approved and conform to existing security guidelines. All new components are mandated to be secure, pre-screened and pre-tested across the entire stack (scaffolds, screens, connectors, models, deployers, etc.), which means that there is no need to individually re-certify pieces of code for new projects before they are utilized.
- Routine code audits. When developing software with CodeOps, the entire codebase is fully auditable, ensuring that security teams can determine that the deployed code:
- Complies with internal security measures such as network port configurations and the principle of least access
- Does not infringe upon any intellectual property rights
- Prevents known security issues via imported libraries or the like from corrupting software.
- Utilizing the most up-to-date security measures. Software development best practices need to evolve in unison with new technologies. Likewise, as new trends and techniques emerge in software security, code modules are updated to make it simpler for organizations to implement the latest security requirements. This ensures consistent and reliable compliance with security standards, protecting data through every step of software development.
Ultimately, with the rapid adoption of GenAI, code is going to be increasingly written on demand by machines rather than humans. While this may sound insecure at first blush, the fact is that CodeOps allows for such an approach. CodeOps is all about reuse, not just bespoke software components, but the reuse of any prior software. It allows organizations to audit, approve and store code created from any source in their private catalogs. This code can then be easily discovered at the specification stage so that efforts are not duplicated.
Essentially, CodeOps and GenAI are aligned: CodeOps treats code produced using GenAI as yet another source of code and focuses on solving the security and discoverability problems inherent in the reuse of existing assets.