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DevSecOps vs. SecDevOps: Which is better for your organization?
How far left should security shift? DevSecOps and SecDevOps both integrate security into DevOps but differ conceptually and practically. Learn which model suits your needs.
As organizations accelerate digital transformation and continuous delivery practices, the integration of security within the development lifecycle has become a critical design choice. Two dominant models define how enterprises embed security into software engineering processes: DevSecOps and SecDevOps.
While they sound similar and are sometimes used interchangeably, the terms DevSecOps and SecDevOps represent distinct philosophies and organizational structures. The differences lie not just in word order, but in how teams distribute ownership, integrate tooling and balance agility against control. This article explores the core conceptual distinctions, practical differences, advantages and tradeoffs associated with each approach.
Conceptual differences
At its core, DevSecOps and SecDevOps each aims to merge security into continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines. The difference lies in security's position organizationally and how it influences the development flow.
DevSecOps adds a security layer to an existing DevOps culture. Security teams collaborate closely with developers and operations, but still maintain distinct responsibilities, controls and governance oversight.
SecDevOps, on the other hand, takes a security-first stance. It fully integrates security functions and responsibilities within the development and operations teams, treating security as a shared engineering capability rather than an external input.
Structural and role distinctions
DevSecOps maintains separate but synchronized functions. Each team -- security, development and operations -- retains its own focus but collaborates through shared automation pipelines and aligned objectives.
In contrast, SecDevOps dissolves traditional role barriers. Security becomes a core development competency rather than an external validation layer. Developers possess strong security expertise, and security engineers are embedded within development squads, participating directly in feature design, code reviews and threat modeling as peers.
Pros and cons
DevSecOps and SecDevOps have their own conceptual and practical pros and cons, and what is an advantage for one organization might be a disadvantage for another. CISOs should weigh the following in the context of their specific business and security needs and limitations.
DevSecOps advantages
- Clear role definition. Each team maintains expertise in its area, valuable for organizations requiring segregation of duties.
- Strong governance control. Centralized oversight ensures adherence to corporate security policies.
- Ease of adoption. DevSecOps can be added incrementally to existing DevOps workflows.
- Dedicated security expertise. Specialized teams maintain deep technical focus.
DevSecOps disadvantages
- Potential for bottlenecks. Manual reviews can delay deployments.
- Cultural resistance. Developers might view security as an external control.
- Limited agility. Centralized control can slow innovation.
- Fragmented accountability. Ownership of post-deployment vulnerabilities can be unclear.
SecDevOps advantages
- Integrated ownership. Shared goals eliminate handoffs and improve speed.
- Continuous security validation. Automated testing and compliance-as-code provide ongoing assurance.
- Greater agility and innovation. Embedded security enables faster, safer releases.
- Enhanced security awareness. Teams naturally adopt a security mindset.
SecDevOps advantages
- High skill requirements. Recruiting and training for hybrid skill sets is challenging.
- Complex governance alignment. Automation can clash with traditional compliance expectations.
- Risk of inconsistent standards. Lack of centralized oversight can lead to uneven rigor.
- Initial overhead. Transitioning to a SecDevops model requires significant upfront investment in culture and tools.
Choosing between DevSecOps and SecDevOps
The optimal approach for any given program depends on organizational maturity, regulatory constraints and cultural readiness.
Organizations in highly regulated industries could benefit from DevSecOps because of the model's centralized control and separation of duties. Many cloud-native or product-driven organizations would likely thrive with SecDevOps, embedding security directly into agile workflows.
Hybrid environments mix both models, with both centralized governance and embedded team-level security practices.
Both DevSecOps and SecDevOps aim to deliver secure software rapidly. The distinctions lie in how deeply security is integrated and who owns it. DevSecOps embeds security through collaboration among specialized teams, preserving governance and structure. SecDevOps, in contrast, fuses security into development, making it an inseparable and automated part of the process.
Neither model is universally superior. Rather, they represent points on a spectrum of security integration. Organizations with regulatory obligations often prefer DevSecOps, while agile enterprises evolve toward SecDevOps -- where security is no longer a layer but a language spoken by every engineer.
Matthew Smith is a vCISO and management consultant specializing in cybersecurity risk management and AI.
