Relevance of DevSecOps in Healthcare Industry

As the digital transformation of the healthcare industry continues, concerns about data security are compelling healthcare organizations to take necessary actions to safeguard patient privacy. Data shows that the number of healthcare breaches in the first five months of 2022 has nearly doubled from the previous year. The increasing number of cyber threats is driving the growth of the “DevSecOps” market with a projection to reach USD 41.66 Billion by 2030, growing at a Compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 30.76% from 2022 to 2030. Embedding security into the “DevOps” process is also gaining traction in the healthcare industry to enhance safeguards. By incorporating security processes and testing into the digital transformation process, potential security gaps are identified and addressed early in the process, reducing the risk of security breaches. This blog highlights incorporating security processes into “DevSecOps” as a part of digital transformation and reaping its benefits in the healthcare industry.

What is DevSecOps? 

DevSecOps refers to integrating Software Development, IT Operations, and Cybersecurity processes into a cohesive system to minimize an organization’s risk. It is a methodology and a set of practices that aim to integrate security into the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) to ensure the security and integrity of software systems. Unlike traditional software development models where security is treated as an afterthought, DevSecOps integrates security throughout the SDLC, from project initiation and early stages of development to implementation, ongoing operation, and maintenance. This approach ensures that security is a fundamental aspect of the process. DevSecOps also emphasizes collaboration and communication between development, security, and operations teams to address security concerns promptly and effectively. 

Implementing DevSecOps in Healthcare Organizations 

Below are some steps that can be implemented into the DevSecOps process as a part of digital transformation:

• Define your Security Requirements:  Identify your organization’s specific security requirements and ensure they are included in the software development process. This may include access requirements, data requirements, compliance requirements, threat modeling, penetration testing, etc.

• Establish a security culture: A security-first approach is crucial for healthcare organizations to lower risk and protect patient information. It is achievable by promoting a “security first” culture defined by the senior management supported by regular security awareness training. The culture of security first is essential to the success of DevSecOps in lowering data breaches and risks for a healthcare organization. A top-down approach to embedding security into processes lays the foundation necessary to protect data.

• Automate security testing: Automated security testing is one way to detect vulnerabilities early on and speed up the development process. The testing can include unit testing, integration testing, and penetration testing. They are all methods to check for software vulnerabilities and identify potential security risks.

• Implement Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery: Continuous Integration (CI) is a practice where developers frequently integrate their code changes into a shared code repository to detect and resolve conflicts and ensure a stable codebase. Continuous Delivery (CD) is a practice where code changes are automatically built, tested, and deployed to production environments, allowing faster delivery with fewer errors. Together, CI and CD can integrate security processes into the development process, detecting and resolving security issues early to ensure the fast and secure delivery of code changes to customers.

• Regularly review and update the process: Continuously reviewing and updating the DevSecOps process and adapting changes to meet the organization’s security requirements will deliver low-risk applications. Staying current with the leading practices such as secure coding, secure testing, and deployment, and addressing emerging threats to the systems and data will lead to a better DevSecOps process model. By continually reviewing and updating the DevSecOps process, healthcare organizations can ensure their software development efforts are secure and comply with industry standards and regulations.

• Collaborate and Communication: Collaboration and clear communication are essential for the success of DevSecOps to deliver secure software and propel cultural changes. Security leaders can set the tone with guidelines for better collaboration by involving security and communication experts early in the development process, regularly reviewing and updating security processes, and maintaining clear communication among all teams. 

Conclusion

DevSecOps is an important approach for healthcare organizations to build security into the development process, reduce the risk of security breaches, and protect patient data. It involves incorporating security into the development process, catching vulnerabilities early on, remediating in minimal time, automating security testing, quick deployments, etc.  to improve  security and lower the risk of data breaches. It also helps healthcare organizations comply with regulations like HIPAA, HITRUST, etc. 

With the increase in cyberattacks, it is essential for healthcare organizations to have the right cyber security measures in place, and a team of experienced cyber security professionals who can work with you to assess cyber security needs. iQuasar Cyber can provide healthcare organizations necessary expertise and guidance in ensuring safety in digital transformation process. Book a consultation and learn more about our Cybersecurity services and how they can help your healthcare organization in data safety and protection through customized solutions.