DevOps vs. DevSecOps: 4 Critical Differences

Technical debt for security teams will go up by 75% for security decision-makers. Forrester says this will happen somewhere around 2026 as AI solutions rapidly develop. DevOps teams must stay multiple steps ahead of technology trends and be competitive.

DevSecOps fills in the missing gas DevOps leaves – and that is security. Learn the key differences between DevOps vs DevSecOps in this guide. Whether you’re a software engineer, CISO, security analyst, or cloud expert, you will know actionable tips, improve development speed, and secure your components successfully across all stages of your SDLC near the end of our post.

What is DevOps?

Software development has changed a lot over the years. Initially, it was all about development and operations, and security was not considered throughout the development cycle.

Every business was under pressure to build and deploy apps quickly. Security was an afterthought, added only later. The DevOps approach focuses more on innovation. It’s about optimizing resource use, producing faster, and minimizing waste.

What is DevSecOps?

DevSecOps is the evolution of secure software development. As we push for agility and faster developments, we’re rethinking how we look at security across every stage of the SDLC. DevSecOps integrates your security requirements from the very beginning of your software development. DevSecOps also includes the software delivery process and secures it. It builds a cyber-aware culture and automates security checks, bringing it up to par with the best industry standards. Everyone adds value to the product and improves customer experiences by enhancing security across all phases, no matter how big or small, including integrations.

3 Critical Differences between DevOps Vs DevSecOps

DevOps is not a single process but a culture of development and deployment. It is based on open feedback, communication, and security work automation. The first idea of DevOps appeared in the book ‘The Phoenix Project: A Novel About IT, DevOps, and Helping Your Business Win’ by Gene Kim.’

DevOps’ philosophy is this – everyone can work, but they should learn to work better instead of solely focusing on completing day-to-day tasks for the sake of completion. Here are the main critical differences between DevOps and DevSecOps for organizations.

#1 Technology & Security

DevSecOps focuses on integrating security with changing technologies on mobile phones, web apps, servers, and IoT devices. Developers can guide the building of security features and take an incremental approach in DevSecOps. For example, they can use threat modeling and automation tools across the SDLC to catch potential vulnerabilities early on. Developers can learn and understand how to write secure code from the beginning.

#2 Release Times

DevOps is generally faster than DevSecOps when pushing software into markets. It speeds up collaboration and encourages shorter and more frequent updates. DevSecOps adds security to the design, planning, development, testing, and deployment processes. It automatically remediates vulnerabilities during testing, which can slow down production timelines. But the good news is that we won’t have to revisit these issues later. DevSecOps updates take longer than DevOps ones, which is a big difference between DevOps and DevSecOps.

#3 Performance and Failure Rates

DevSecOps can lower failure rates for new software releases. It ensures faster times to market and improves mean time to recovery.

DevOps breaks down operational silos and addresses development concerns to streamline and speed up the entire software development lifecycle. It also includes quality assurance and may invoice maintaining multiple code versions to build and package executables forwarded to QA for testing.

DevOps code can be containerized and pushed to selected servers. It manages configurations, visualizations, and code constructions. DevOps can track your application performance and identify critical flaws in real-time. You can ensure smooth and uninterrupted business operations and drive ongoing improvements in developments and operations.

DevOps vs DevSecOps: Key Differences

Here is a list of the key differences between DevOps vs DevSecOps for modern organizations.

When to Choose DevOps Over DevSecOps?

Whether you choose between DevOps or DevSecOps will depend on your overarching goals as an organization. It’s a question of timelines and deliverables. The software production and collaboration scale will influence your decision between DevOps vs DevSecOps. If security is a top priority over application performance, you will do well with DevSecOps.

It’s essential to remember that one cannot do without the other. You cannot do DevSecOps without DevOps. DevOps is the blueprint or foundation on top of which you build DevSecOps. There is no security if the application itself doesn’t exist. DevSecOps cannot replace DevOps. Another factor that may influence your choice between the two is how you tackle siloes.

If your goal is to address security siloes over operational ones and dismantle them, then choose DevSecOps. DevOps will finetune your application quality and functioning. If you want to prevent bottlenecks first and address security concerns later, go with DevOps.

Here is a checklist you can follow if you want to convert from DevOps to DevSecOps:

• Map out your organization’s DevSecOps objectives; it will include aspects such as improved efficiency and faster deployments.
• Identify communication gaps between deployments and pinpoint bottlenecks. Assess your current workflows and design interactive experiences accordingly.
• You can use a combination of code reviews, automation testing, and security deployments to enhance DevSecOps efficiency.
• Educate your team on the importance of both DevOps and DevSecOps. Otherwise, you cannot decide or reach a standard agreement. Provide training on training programs and best practices related to implementation, adoption, and integration.

DevOps vs DevSecOps Use Cases

You’re bound to find unique ways these practices shape different industries. Here are eight that stand out:

• Blockchain in Supply Chains: Blockchain projects benefit from DevOps by speeding up deployments across distributed ledgers. When you shift to DevSecOps, you include security checks at every milestone, so you’re not leaving any node exposed. This approach helps you run real-time transaction validations while preventing unauthorized modifications on digital contracts and traceable assets.
• Fintech Payment Rails: DevOps promotes continuous delivery for payment gateways and settlement solutions in Fintech. When you plug in DevSecOps, you add immediate threat detection against fraud and malicious transactions. It matters greatly if you’re dealing with cross-border payments or regulated environments with strict compliance requirements. A single unpatched loophole might sink user trust, so you want security.
• AI-Driven Healthcare Analytics: Healthcare teams rely on DevOps for fast rollouts of data-processing modules and analytics dashboards. DevSecOps steps in to make sure personal health information isn’t left exposed in memory or logs. You reduce compliance risks around regulations like HIPAA. This lets you share life-critical insights faster without compromising patient data or system stability.
• Mobile Payments and Wallets: Any product that handles payments needs speedy updates so you can stay competitive. DevOps covers automated builds, quick patching, and continuous feedback from your QA team. DevSecOps adds another layer: real-time checks on cryptographic modules and tokenization services. That way, your users’ wallets remain safe from exploits at every point in your pipeline.
• Personalized Banking Services: Banks often use DevOps to roll out chatbots, personal finance dashboards, and budgeting apps. DevSecOps weaves in early threat modeling to keep confidential data safe from internal and external threats. You also get automatic scanning of custom-built add-ons or microservices that link directly to your central banking system. A missed vulnerability can be costly, so security is baked in from day one.
• IoT in Advanced Manufacturing: Manufacturing plants have sensors tracking supply levels and production cycles. With DevOps, you streamline real-time data updates for these systems. DevSecOps adds the guardrails to prevent tampering and industrial espionage. If an untrusted device tries to join your network, you can catch it early and quarantine suspicious behavior before it spreads.
• AR/VR in Retail: Retailers use DevOps for omnichannel campaigns and immersive store experiences. By going DevSecOps, you add protective checks around user data, licensing, and digital rights for augmented reality tools. You also bring automated security testing for edge devices, headsets, or interactive displays. That way, insecure endpoints or shady plugin code don’t threaten brand-specific customer interactions.
• Smart Cities Projects: Cities that embrace smart grids and intelligent traffic systems can fall victim to cyberattacks if they skip security. DevOps helps you keep those systems up to date with incremental rollouts. DevSecOps locks your connected devices, sensors, and data exchange frameworks. It’s crucial if you’re controlling critical infrastructure like power distribution or water supply lines.

How Can SentinelOne Help?

SentinelOne can help you adopt a culture of DevSecOps by enforcing shift-left security. You can build a zero-trust security architecture and apply the principle of least privilege to all your cloud accounts, networks, and devices.

Singularity™ Platform is built for speed, and it catches threats fast. It offers unfettered visibility into your cloud and IT estates. Organizations can design the proper foundation by using its world-class and enterprise-wide autonomous security features. The platform leverages AI to respond across entire connected ecosystems. You can use Singularity Data Lake to ingest data from first, second, and third-party sources. Plus, it works with diverse datasets and can be combined with Purple AI for deeper extraction, insights, threat intelligence, and analysis. You can scan CI/CD pipelines and analyze your repos on public and private clouds, Github, Gitlab, hybrid and multi-cloud environments, and more.

SentinelOne’s agentless CNAPP offers holistic cloud and cybersecurity features. It includes a signature Offensive Security Engine with Verified Exploit Paths to detect and counteract threats before they happen. You can predict incoming attacks and map out known and unknown attack paths. Singularity Cloud Security can simplify container lifecycle security and secure your VMs, workloads, servers, and serverless environments. You can also use its secret scanning to detect 750+ types of secrets and perform IaC scanning. SentinelOne streamlines your DevSecOps compliance by helping you adhere to the latest standards and regulatory frameworks like NIST, ISO 27001, CIS Benchmark, etc.

Book a free live demo to learn more.

Conclusion

If you can’t decide between DevSecOps and DevOps, here’s a recommendation: focus on DevSecOps first. The last thing you want is to sort through data breaches and hunt for threat actors when they target your app’s exploits. DevSecOps may be slower than DevOps, but the time you invest in it is worth it.

Customers trust your apps and services more, strengthening your company’s integrity. If you need help shifting to DevSecOps or adopting an Agile security culture, contact SentinelOne today. We can assist you.

DevOps vs DevSecOps FAQs

1. What does DevOps focus on in daily workflows?

You aim for speedy releases, shorter feedback loops, and smooth collaboration between development and operations. To achieve these goals, you set up continuous integration pipelines, automate deployments, and track performance regularly. You also break down rigid team barriers so each group can see the entire software lifecycle. Once you master these flows, your updates are pushed out quickly without too many bureaucratic hurdles.

2. How does DevSecOps differ from DevOps in practical terms?

DevSecOps blends in security protocols immediately instead of adding them as an afterthought. Your development sprints incorporate scanning, threat modeling, and compliance checks at set intervals. You’re not pausing production just to squeeze security in at the last minute. This approach boosts confidence in your code and helps you avoid late-stage surprises that might derail your release cycle.

3. Can DevSecOps fit smaller startups, or do you need a huge team?

You don’t need a massive budget or a significant security department to adopt it. You can start small by adding automated scanning tools to your build pipeline and encouraging secure coding habits. It’s about mindset and processes more than team size. Even a handful of developers can adopt these principles and strengthen overall resilience, especially if you want to avoid data breaches early on.

4. Why should you care about security in agile environments?

The last thing you want is to juggle constant feature updates with vulnerabilities that pop up or linger around, just waiting to be exploited. It’s not just about avoiding reputational damage or hefty fines. You also protect your users’ trust and secure your technology stack from inside-out threats. You’ll find that weaving in security as you build helps you manage risk before it spirals out of control.

5. Does DevSecOps slow product releases, or can it keep pace?

You might have a slight uptick in testing and scanning during each sprint. However, you’ll likely save time because you won’t revisit the same issues repeatedly. Security measures become part of standard workflows, so it’s more like a small bump upfront rather than a bottleneck. You’ll usually find that secure and well-tested builds roll out faster in the long run.

6. What’s the best way to introduce DevSecOps to your team?

You’ll want to start with an essential shift-left mindset, where you catch security issues at the earliest stages. Then, you add automated tools and scripts for scanning code, configurations, and dependencies. You also keep a checklist of best practices that developers follow. Over time, addressing vulnerabilities with each commit, pull request, or deployment becomes second nature.

7. How does regulation fit into DevOps vs DevSecOps?

You might have to deal with strict compliance guidelines in healthcare, finance, or government projects. DevOps helps you deliver fast, but DevSecOps ensures your code meets security and data protection rules. It’s more than checking boxes. You integrate compliance scans throughout development so regulators see a steady audit trail. This strategy keeps you out of legal headaches and safeguards user trust.

8. Do you still need DevOps if you’ve already moved to DevSecOps?

DevOps is the core foundation that drives collaboration and continuous delivery. DevSecOps extends that foundation by building security into each step. You’re not replacing DevOps; you’re enhancing it. If you skip DevOps entirely, you miss the streamlined workflows and automated pipelines that make your security plan work. One feeds the other, so you’ll keep both practices alive in your organization.