What Role Does GitLab Play In Fostering A Shift-left Culture?

Cybersecurity remains a paramount concern for organizations worldwide. As cyber threats evolve, so does the role of developers. GitLab’s 2022 Global DevSecOps survey reveals a significant shift in responsibility, with over half of developers now considering themselves “fully responsible” for security—an increase of 14% from the previous year. This paradigm shift indicates a trend towards “shifting left,” integrating security best practices early in the software development life cycle (SDLC) to enhance efficiency and expedite software releases. Here are ten powerful strategies to assist your teams in shifting left for more efficient DevSecOps.

Measure Time: Begin by quantifying the time lost in remediating vulnerabilities post-code merging. Identify patterns in vulnerability types or sources, facilitating data-driven adjustments for continuous improvement. This approach fosters efficient time management and a proactive security mindset.
Identify Bottlenecks: Pinpoint pain points and bottlenecks in security protocols and processes. Develop and execute a resolution plan to streamline workflows, foster collaboration, and ensure the seamless integration of security measures.
Demonstrate Compliance: Combat unplanned delays by automating compliance frameworks. This not only ensures consistency across development environments and teams but also accelerates releases by minimizing unscheduled work interruptions.
Ditch the Toolchain: Streamline your toolchain by reducing complexity, and providing developers with a unified interface—a single source of truth. This focused approach allows teams to concentrate on critical security tasks, promoting collaboration and overall efficiency.
Automate Scans: Overcome the limitations of manual processes by automating vulnerability discovery. Automate findings into a merge request for efficient review, source identification, and accessibility for developers to promptly address vulnerabilities.

Eliminate Waterfall: Embrace agility by reducing or eliminating waterfall-style security processes within the SDLC. This shift prevents organizational struggles when changing direction and aligning security practices with the dynamic needs of software development.
Security Reports: Grant developers access to Static Application Security Testing (SAST) and Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) reports. These tools are pivotal in building secure coding practices, ensuring vulnerabilities are seamlessly addressed within the workflow.
Smarter Teams: Empower the security team with insightful dashboards into resolved and unresolved vulnerabilities. Access to details such as vulnerability locations, creators, and status for remediation enhances overall team efficiency.
Start Small: Encourage developers to make incremental code changes. Smaller changes are easier to review, and secure, and can be launched more quickly than large-scale project modifications, fostering agility in the development process.
Update Workflows: Seamlessly integrate security scans into developers’ workflows to ensure early identification and resolution of vulnerabilities. Embedding security measures early allows teams to address issues before the code leaves their hands, ensuring a robust and secure final product.

Shift Left with GitLab:

GitLab stands as a beacon for initiating a proactive security strategy. By embedding security and compliance within The One DevOps Platform, GitLab offers an end-to-end DevSecOps workflow. The platform’s ability to automatically scan for vulnerabilities on feature branches empowers teams to remediate issues before pushing to production, effectively managing risk.

With GitLab’s comprehensive platform, organizations can not only meet the challenges of cybersecurity but also foster a culture of efficiency, innovation, and enhanced customer service. GitLab isn’t just a tool; it’s a catalyst for innovation, scalability, and customer success, empowering users to innovate faster, scale more easily, and serve and retain customers more effectively.

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