This article is a translation of the recent Tech Rocks post on DevSecOps practices published on October 10, 2023, in French, on the Tech.Rocks website.
Integrating development, security and operations, DevSecOps is a central pillar of today’s technological landscape. As part of this approach, dashboards and reporting play a crucial role in the continuous monitoring, management and improvement of processes and security. This article explores the key aspects of DevSecOps dashboards, key performance indicators (KPIs), and how they can be customized and managed effectively for various roles within a business.
What are the essential key performance indicators (KPIs) to include in a DevSecOps dashboard?
DevSecOps KPIs can be split into two major categories: the measured state of implementations and the efficiency of processes. KPIs and metrics such as the number of vulnerabilities detected, incident response time and effectiveness in relation to penetration test results are crucial. The balance between maintaining robust security and ensuring smooth software delivery is vital, requiring in-depth data analysis to avoid overload and false alarms.
How can dashboards be customized to meet the specific needs of different roles?
Customizing dashboards for different roles is essential to ensure that relevant data is easily accessible and understandable. Dashboards can be designed for specific roles, such as developers, DevOps, and even non-technical stakeholders, using platforms such as Splunk, Grafana, ELK, and Prometheus. The aim is to provide relevant data in a clear and concise way, avoiding unnecessary complexity.
How do you create and manage dashboards effectively in DevSecOps?
Managing DevSecOps dashboards requires an iterative and agile approach. KPIs and metrics must be regularly reviewed and adjusted to accurately reflect the current state of security and operations. Automation, data centralization and real-time alerting are essential for effective, proactive monitoring.
How can KPIs be selected and adjusted to accurately reflect the state of security, while avoiding false alarms and information overload?
KPIs and metrics must be selected and adjusted to accurately reflect the state of security, while avoiding false alarms and information overload. This may involve assessing the relevance of KPIs, considering historical data, and adjusting metrics to ensure they provide an accurate and actionable view of security and operations.
How can vulnerability metrics be used to proactively identify and prioritize security problems?
Vulnerability metrics, when used proactively, can help to identify and prioritize security issues. This may involve monitoring vulnerabilities over time, assessing the severity of problems, and using this data to make risk management decisions and prioritize remediation actions.
How can we ensure that DevSecOps dashboards are adapted and accessible to a variety of audiences within the company, including those who are not technically savvy?
Ensuring that DevSecOps dashboards are understandable and accessible to a range of audiences, including those who are not technically savvy, is crucial. This may entail the use of clear data visualizations, the creation of simplified reports, and even the development of newsletters or regular updates to inform various stakeholders of the status of security and operations.
In conclusion, DevSecOps dashboards and reporting are essential to ensure continuous monitoring, management and improvement of security and operations processes. By integrating relevant KPIs, customizing dashboards for different roles, and actively managing metrics and data, businesses can not only maintain a robust security posture but also continually improve their DevSecOps practices.
While implementation and management can be challenging, a strategic and thoughtful approach can ensure that dashboards serve as powerful tools for decision making and continuous improvement within the business.
Contributors to the “DevSecOps Tech.Rocks” working group
- Aroua Biri, “DevSecOps” working group leader and founder of Frcyber-WeeSec
- Adnan Aita, CTO of Sharelock
- Camille Marsigny, Information Security Manager at Blablacar
- Ludovic Eschard, DevSecOps Team Lead, Orange France
- Stéphane Loesel, Co-founder and CTO of Antidot/Fluid Topics
- Tobias Rohrle, Solutions Engineer, Cloudflare
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