What Is SecOps? A Comprehensive Guide

The security challenges faced by businesses today are immense. As hackers and fraudsters become more sophisticated in their attacks, more and more organizations are falling victim to successful assaults on their infrastructures.

SecOps is a movement designed to bring together the capabilities of IT teams and operations teams. The SecOps definition is broad as businesses will decide how to implement Secure Ops support systems properly.

Here’s what you need to know about SecOps and why it should form part of your organization.

What is SecOps? 

The SecOps meaning comes down to making security the main focus of everyone involved within your organization. The simplest way to define SecOps is to compare it to the DevOps system.

DevOps is all about breaking the silos that isolate development and operations teams. When security is added into the mix, you enter the realm of SecOps security.

Depending on the size of your organization, it can range from a simple management philosophy to a dedicated SecOps team. Each business must make its own decision on how to properly implement the tools and integrations needed to make the most of this approach to security.

How SecOps Supports Companies 

The goal of SecOps security is to improve the security footing of an organization. When security issues become a shared responsibility across every team, product, and service, businesses are better defended from external threats.

A SecOps team must break the siloed approach common to modern-day businesses and collaborate on a deeper level. Management buy-in is critical to making this work, but if your company already uses DevOps, attaching the security aspect shouldn’t be particularly difficult.

This approach to security is also about raising awareness across the entire company. Management teams are often quick to dismiss security as a matter for the IT team, but with the array of threats facing businesses, this is no longer enough to mount a strong defense.

To sum everything up, this is a collaborative approach to security that makes defending your organization from harm a significant priority rather than an afterthought.

The Benefits of SecOps 

If you define SecOps, you will find a philosophy that elevates security on your priorities list. However, what are the benefits of SecOps security on the ground?

• Automation – Managing security procedures via automation is a key part of Secure Ops. This reduces the reliance on human manual operators.
• Strong Security Policies – Whenever changes are made to application code, they’re automatically tied together with rules for deployment, which prevents configuration errors and potential vulnerabilities.
• Proactive Management – Any known vulnerabilities are proactively managed in a well-developed Secure Ops environment.
• Enforced Compliance Policies – Maintaining compliance with policies across teams can be complicated, but this process can be automated within this security ecosystem.
• Better ROI – Integrated security delivers better ROI through automated shared responsibilities. This will reduce the need for additional human analysts and operators.

Developing this type of security environment puts security at the heart of your organization. As well as preventing attackers from breaching your systems, SecOps security comes with the potential for boosting your bottom line in the long run.

Secure Ops Support Systems 

What does it take to begin implementing a SecOps system from the ground up?

Most businesses will manage the process in stages, especially if they have yet to invest in DevOps.

Begin building your support systems with a comprehensive risk audit. Some of the threats to your company could include:

• Disgruntled employees
• Vulnerable supply chains
• Criminal data theft
• Industrial espionage

Avoid thinking about generic threats and focus on specific, defined threats within your industry sector.

Now move onto the assessment stage. For this stage, you should consider each type of risk, the level of risk it presents, and the consequences of that risk coming to pass.

Ensure your company has covered all the basic security measures that can deter most attackers, such as strong passwords, VPNs, and 2FA. All staff should be aware of corporate policies when it comes to proper security measures in force.

Beyond these basics, start building collaborative security teams. This is part of a culture shift that will require your business to alter the way it works on a permanent basis. 

To help create this sort of environment, it’s well worth investing in bringing professional Secure Ops experts to provide advice and recommendations for long-term success.

Conclusion

Security has never been a more significant issue than it is now. With so many moving parts, it can be complicated for businesses to cover all the bases adequately. The point of Secure Ops is to prioritize security and make it a core function of your organization.

TokenEx is the expert in creating and maintaining PCI compliant solutions that keep organizations safe and secure. To learn more about securing your business, contact TokenEx now.