Often the deployment of new technology or software capabilities within government agencies can take a long time.  In a world where technology refresh cycles are happening quicker than ever, agencies need to be able to keep pace in order to improve their speed to mission. DevSecOps enables agencies to develop and deploy new software at speed and scale, while prioritizing security from the earliest stages of development. 

A DevSecOps approach provides a variety of benefits to agencies, including shorter time-to-delivery, streamlining manual tasks with automation tools, empowering team collaboration, improving mission success, and inspiring innovative thinking. In a webinar hosted by FedInsider, Simon Szykman, Maximus’s Senior Vice President for Client Growth explained how DevSecOps uses automation tools to reassign repetitive and manual tasks resulting in development teams having more time to focus on more complex tasks. 

“[DevSecOps is] all about reducing time to functionality and accelerating the speed of deployment of new capabilities into production,” Szykman said. “[Automation is] all about accelerating the ability to get things to the hands of the end users.”   

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Traditional waterfall development practices result in agencies waiting three to five years for a new application to be delivered. However, DevSecOps unifies operations and development teams to create a faster and more efficient production process that prioritizes security and dependability. With its focus on iterative development and baking security in from the outset, a DevSecOps approach facilities rapid modification and minimizes the risk of incompatible components.  

DevSecOps enables an agency to streamline its technology footprint by reducing the number of platforms and technology components they have to manage. By using techniques like impact mapping, agencies can ensure that the requirements being implemented, and the work being done, will deliver the desired mission outcomes. These techniques can also result in the delivery of more effective application capabilities and systems to constituents. 

Szykman recommends that when agencies are looking for a contractor to build software that they begin with an initial examination process. Invite a small number of contractor DevSecOps teams to submit a project proposal describing the composition and costs of each team, including developers, testers, scrum, and masters. Then, have each of these teams build a prototype to submit for evaluation. This initial examination process allows agencies the ability to effectively evaluate and differentiate which team will best meet their unique mission goals. Szykman explained that this process is, “an effective way to differentiate between the companies that can talk the talk and write a good proposal versus walk the walk [and] actually deliver high quality DevSecOps and application development services.” 

A DevSecOps approach has proven to  be a more efficient, secure, and faster production process. This development process will continue to help government agencies save time and money by building secure and dependable applications faster. By using methods that improve speed to mission, government agencies can deploy new capabilities and meet both changing customer demands and technology needs as they arise. 

Learn how to implement technology solutions that help agencies improve speed to mission here.