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For years, software and application development teams have worked in silos—developers racing for speed, QA diligently hunting for bugs, IT ensuring system stability, and security managing risks. These distinct roles, while crucial, have often led to delays, security gaps, and frustration. However, the landscape is shifting, and the need for collaboration is more pressing than ever.
With the emergence of new regulations, the ascent of DevSecOps, and the increasing attention to third-party risks, collaboration is no longer just a helpful strategy—it’s a vital necessity in the fast-evolving tech landscape.
Why the Conflict?
Despite sharing the same ultimate goal—delivering reliable and secure software and applications—development, security, QA, and IT teams often find themselves at odds. Each group has its priorities, and these differences can create bottlenecks, slow down releases, and introduce security risks. Understanding these conflicts is the first step toward breaking down silos and fostering true collaboration.
The need for collaboration is more critical than ever as 2024 was a record year for Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs) with over 40,000 reported, which is an increase of 38% over the prior year.
Unfortunately, the traditional structure of software development has often created friction among teams with different priorities as follows:
Dev & Security: Speed vs. Safety
Developers must release new features and functionalities quickly to meet business demands, but security teams require careful reviews to prevent a multitude of risks. Thus, there is a constant struggle between speed and safety. Companies who don’t have a security component to their development cycles risk far more than an extended release date.
QA & Dev: Functionality vs. Fast Releases
QA teams play a key role, balancing between development, product, business, and end-users. They must ensure that releases work correctly and attempt to detect and escalate problems early. However, tight deadlines and unknown or undocumented changes to various dependencies often result in security concerns being skipped, or overlooked, making the product more vulnerable.
IT & Dev: Stability vs. Continuous Deployment
IT teams focus on keeping systems stable and running smoothly. Developers, however, push for frequent updates and changes, which can sometimes lead to conflicts over system reliability. This struggle felt even more so for teams needing to support legacy systems as well as those on the cutting edge.
What’s Changing?
The traditional tensions between development, security, QA, and IT are no longer sustainable in today’s dynamic tech landscape. External pressures—from stricter regulations to increasing third-party risks—inevitably force organizations to rethink how they build and secure software and applications.
The good news? Implementing frameworks involving DevSecOps can pave the way for more seamless collaboration, turning security from a bottleneck into a built-in advantage.
The software development landscape is evolving rapidly, with several key trends driving the need for better collaboration:
Regulations and Compliance Are More Important Than Ever
Cybersecurity is now a top priority for companies who host and create software and applications for consumers or the larger business ecosystem as they’re at an even higher risk of attack.
New and refined regulations around the globe, such as those enforced in the SEC cyber disclosure rules and CMMC in the United States, make a stricter risk management and compliance program necessary. Failure to meet regulation requirements can lead to legal trouble, reputation damage, and lost customers.
Third-Party Risks are Increasing
Attacks on software supply chains, like the SolarWinds breach, have shown that outside vendors can introduce security risks. Organizations must now carefully evaluate the security of every third-party tool they use.
DevSecOps is Encouraging Teamwork
DevSecOps is a game-changer. It’s not just about integrating security into the development process, it’s about transforming it. With DevSecOps, teams can find and resolve vulnerabilities earlier, preventing costly issues down the line.
How Teams Can Move Forward
All teams must embrace collaboration and integrate security throughout their workflows to navigate this new environment. Here’s how:
Automate Security in CI/CD
Tools like SAST (Static Application Security Testing) and DAST (Dynamic Application Security Testing) help teams catch security issues early without slowing development.
Combine QA & Security Testing
Security testing can be integrated into QA, it doesn’t always need to be a separate process. Tools like IAST (Interactive Application Security Testing) and RASP (Runtime Application Self-Protection) can help QA teams find security weaknesses during regular testing.
Make Security a Shared Responsibility
Security isn’t just for one team—it’s a job for everyone. Organizations should track security and compliance efforts alongside development speed to encourage a security-first mindset.
Embracing Security-First Development
Security isn’t a blocker—it’s a business enabler. Organizations that proactively integrate security into their development lifecycle will find and mitigate risks faster, allowing them to gain a competitive edge in the market.
By breaking down silos, embracing DevSecOps, and fostering a culture of shared responsibility, development teams can achieve both speed and security.
Ready to learn more about DevSecOps and third-party SaaS vulnerability?
That’s exactly what we’re tackling in our upcoming webinar Shadow SaaS and Gen AI Apps: The Silent Cybersecurity Threats IT Leaders Are Missing coming up on March 19th.
You’ll hear from top cybersecurity vendors who see these threats unfold in real-time and get practical strategies to stay ahead of them.
What You’ll Learn:
- How SaaS and GenAI apps create hidden attack vectors.
- Proven ways to secure your organization—beyond CASBs, IAM, and EDR.
- Key compliance considerations you can’t afford to overlook.
