Many legacy insurance companies established their internal technological infrastructure a long time ago, and, even if these systems are occasionally updated, a completely new way of looking at the system as a whole is needed. This is where DevSecOps comes in.
DevSecOps is the next iteration of DevOps, the combination of software development and IT operations. The "Sec" in the new iteration is for "security," whose concerns are incorporated throughout the development pipeline to optimize internal processes and create high-quality, secure releases. Insurance companies handle large amounts of sensitive information. Properly securing this data is paramount to protecting clients as well as remaining in compliance with data security regulations.
But how does a DevSecOps pipeline directly address the unique concerns of the insurance industry?
Let’s look into these three ways DevSecOps helps propel insurance companies forward:
1. Streamline Processes
Many things need to happen to bring an update or application from planning through deployment. The initial spark of a new development project is likely something as simple as noticing a hole in the industry—a need that is going unfulfilled.
DevSecOps provides a framework by which your team can quickly and securely move an idea through production while ensuring all of your bases remain covered.
Redundant tasks, errors found late in the pipeline and repetitive manual tasks are a drain on productivity, so automated tools are a huge part of an optimized DevSecOps pipeline. Various tools address different parts of the pipeline but work together to reduce errors and speed a project toward deployment without sacrificing quality.
The customers’ expectations are constantly evolving. Frequent and reliable development releases are the only way to provide these capabilities to customers. Insurance companies that can be trusted to offer continued access to these services will be seen as market leaders.
Automation, team collaboration and other DevSecOps practices are widely recognized for their ability to optimize the Salesforce development release process.
See also: Key Considerations for Managing Innovation
2. Enhance Code Quality
DevSecOps includes multiple quality checkpoints with the goal of ensuring proper code structures, reducing errors and improving the experience for your end user.
Insurance companies simply can’t allow improper functionality to enter their system and potentially affect data pools.
Data and metadata influence our working environments in many ways—including defining how certain fields relate to each other. For instance, filling in a customer’s name in one field might bring up their address in another field. A failure to properly link these two fields can create large problems.
Tools like static code analysis and CI/CD enable team members to produce the highest-quality code without sacrificing large amounts of time to manually verify coding structures.
Data sets in the insurance industry can be huge. A data governance plan will involve the efforts of various sections of a company.
DevSecOps processes incorporate the efforts of various teams to arrange essential data into workable sets. The data can then be incorporated into processes and future developments to provide various benefits:
- Reduce errors
- Improve planning for future updates
- Provide useful analytics
- Assist successful deployments
- Deliver actionable feedback
3. Remain Secure and Compliant
Cyberattacks are becoming increasingly prevalent. In fact, businesses suffered 50% more cyberattack attempts per week in 2021. These attacks can be disastrous for any company. Insurance companies, however, run the risk of exposing all of their customers’ sensitive information on top of the massive costs associated with experiencing a data loss.
The threats against a company’s systems are constantly changing. Our responses to these threats need to be continually evolving, as well.
See also: Don't Just Indulge in “Innovation Theater”
A streamlined DevSecOps pipeline enables insurance companies to quickly release patches, updates or other security applications to stay on top of emerging vulnerabilities. Secure releases with reliable coding structures are an essential aspect.
Protecting this sensitive information is incredibly important. This is why data security regulations exist. Companies that operate with sensitive information—such as the insurance industry—are required to take adequate measures to protect it.
Documentation of data access, records kept and any breaches to your Salesforce system can be implemented through proper DevSecOps processes.
Handling and storing system files, metadata and customer personal identifiable information (PII) is essential to remaining compliant. DevSecOps strategies imbue every step with an eye toward proper handling of this information.
