Incorporating DevOps for Salesforce has helped numerous companies to optimize and streamline their development efforts. Stronger projects, faster release cycles, and reduced overhead costs have solidified the essentiality of incorporating DevOps tools and practices.
However, fast release cycles and reliable products are not the only factors in the success of your DevOps for Salesforce efforts. Data security must also play a huge role.
The next evolution of DevOps includes the integration of security measures into every aspect of the development pipeline. This is what’s known as DevSecOps.
DevSecOps has become the industry standard for Salesforce development. Those that have worked to establish a DevOps for Salesforce strategy might be wondering, What do I have to gain from altering our current approach?
This is a fair question, but the answer isn’t a single point. Learning more about DevSecOps illuminates just how essential it is to incorporate security into every aspect of your pipeline. We thought we’d dig into some specifics to learn more about why DevSecOps has become so essential.
We’ll explore these important aspects of DevSecOps:
Benefits of Incorporating Security Considerations
Traditionally, security checks were the last step in a development project. The code would be written, tested, and deployed before the project would be examined for potential security flaws and vulnerabilities. Here are some benefits you’ll see from moving security considerations to an earlier point in the process.
Save Money
Consideration security concerns in the earlier processes such as planning and writing the code reduces the number of vulnerabilities you’ll find later on. The amount of work and cost of rectifying issues is much smaller when they are found earlier. Reworking lines of code becomes much more cumbersome when the project is fully built.
More Secure Products
Simply put, your applications and updates are more secure when these considerations are at the forefront of your thinking. DevSecOps is a proactive way of approaching data security as opposed to the tradition reactive mindset. This leads your team to make secure projects the first time.
Reduction in Redundant Work
The ability to perform a task one time without the need to continually revisit it saves your team members time and effort. This leads to increased productivity because they will be able to focus on moving the project forward instead of focusing on singular details.
Adaptable Processes
DevSecOps efforts can be repeated and refined over time. Every company is going to have different needs. Tailoring your DevSecOps efforts to your Salesforce environment will provide increased benefits as you perfect your processes.
Data Security Threats to DevOps for Salesforce
Data security needs to be a constant concern in DevOps for Salesforce because of the many potential threats. We’ve seen many stories in the news lately about systems being hacked, but that isn’t the only threat to data security. Here are a few examples of both external and internal threats that necessitate a strong data security strategy.
External Threats
Cybercrime is projected to cost companies $10.5 trillion annually by 2025. Hackers have many tactics to gain access to your system, and a vulnerable update or application creates a perfect opportunity to do so.
Natural Disasters can disrupt a lot more that road service. Damage to servers or electricity sources can knock out your Salesforce instance, damaging or corrupting important system files.
System Outages can come in many forms. A compromised third-party application creates a backdoor for bad actors to enter your system and impact functionality and service.
Internal Threats
Accidental Deletions are one of the top sources of data loss. Instilling security measures throughout your pipeline creates a protective barrier against mass deletions and a backup plan.
Exposed Data can come from compromised passwords or even a computer left unlocked. Security measures will need to be in place to mitigate the impacts of these exposures.
Malicious Employees aren’t as rare as we might like to think. Previous employees—for example—that still have access to your system can steal and corrupt sensitive data.
Ways to Introduce Security to DevOps for Salesforce
The first steps toward incorporating security measures into your DevOps for Salesforce strategy can be as simple as shifting your viewpoint. From there, you can take incremental steps toward securing your applications and updates through intentional practices. Here are a few recommendations to get you started down the DevSecOps path.
Ensuring High Quality Code
The structure of your projects will have a great impact on their overall stability. A product that has a lot of bugs and errors can be more easily exploited by cybercriminals while also being a risk of corrupting or losing important data.
Incorporating a tool like static code analysis ensures your code health remains high from the moment it’s written. This automated tool provides visibility into your coding structures and saves your team valuable time. Finding and fixing these errors early in the process also saves your company money on top of the boost in data security.
Data Backup & Recovery
A reliable backup of your Salesforce data and a means of recovering it should already be included in your DevOps for Salesforce strategy. This consideration is so important that we wanted to make sure it’s included in your existing toolset.
Data loss events can happen at any time and be extremely costly. A recent and complete data backup ensures you remain in compliance with data security regulations while also helping your company to quickly return to operations should a data loss event occur.
Employee Best Practices
Provide clear and comprehensive directions to your employees. Team members are your greatest asset in accomplishing your goals, but they can also be a liability when it comes to data security. Simple mistakes can have large consequences.
Here are a few ideas to pass along to your team members to support data security at every stage of your DevOps pipeline:
- Use strong passwords
- Don’t access company servers from personal devices
- Lock devices when away from the screen
- Run frequent system audits
- Update user permissions and profile settings
Data security is a combination of multiple efforts. And the earlier in the process you start making these efforts, the more secure your system will be. Introducing security to the entirety of your DevOps pipeline gives you the best chance at avoiding a potentially costly data loss event, hack, or system outage.