ALM & DevSecOps

ALM (Application Lifecycle Management).

• -- BLUF: ALM refers to the people, processes, and tools that manage an application's entire lifecycle, from its initial conception to deployment, maintenance, and eventual retirement (CCRM). It ensures a standardized approach for developing, testing, releasing, and maintaining high-quality applications. -- Also see APM (Application Portfolio Management: Managing the entire application portfolio in an organization) 

• -- Key ALM Disciplines (11). -- These disciplines work together throughout the application lifecycle. These need to be noted and understood across the ALM Working Group (WG)/Team.

  1. Governance: Defines decision-making processes and risk management strategies for your application.

  2. Project Management: Plans, organizes, and executes project activities and resource allocation.

  3. Requirements Management: Captures, analyzes, and validates user needs and translates them into technical specifications.

  4. Architecture Design: Defines the application's structure and component interaction.

  5. Development: The coding, building, and version control of the application.

  6. Test Management: Creating and executing tests to ensure the application meets requirements and quality standards.

  7. Deployment: The process of releasing the application to production environments.

  8. Maintenance and Support: Fixing bugs, addressing issues, and providing ongoing support for the deployed application.

  9. Change Management: Managing changes to the application throughout its lifecycle.

  10. Release Management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling the release of new application versions.

  11. Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery (CI/CD): Automates the development, testing, and deployment processes.

• -- Steps to Implement ALM:

  1. Define your ALM strategy: Determine your organization's specific needs and choose an appropriate development methodology (e.g., Agile, Waterfall).

  2. Select ALM tools: Align tools with your chosen methodology and team size. Consider factors like scalability, integration capabilities, and ease of use.

  3. Establish processes: Define clear processes for each stage of the application lifecycle, ensuring efficient collaboration between teams.

  4. Implement and integrate tools: Set up and integrate your chosen ALM tools to streamline the development workflow.

  5. Train your team: Provide training for your development, testing, and operations teams on the chosen ALM tools and processes.

  6. Monitor and Continuously Improve: Track the effectiveness of your ALM implementation and make adjustments as needed.

• -- Azure DevOps for ALM. (6)

  1. Azure Boards: Manages work items, user stories, and backlog prioritization for project planning.

  2. Azure Repos: Provides Git version control for code management and collaboration.

  3. Azure Pipelines: Creates and automates CI/CD pipelines for building, testing, and deploying applications.

  4. Azure Artifacts: Provides secure package management for storing and sharing reusable code components.

  5. Azure Test Plans: Manages manual and automated testing processes, including test case creation and execution.

  6. Azure Monitor: Tracks application performance and health in production environments.

DevSecOps (Develop, Security, and Operation).

• BLUF: (3)

  1. The practice of automating and integrating security throughout the entire software development lifecycle (SDLC).

  2. Across the pipeline./ Software Factory (like Lego blocks anology).

  3. Continuous Integration / Continuous Delivery (CI/CD)

• Value & Benefits (using Azure): (3)

  1. Integrated Tools: Azure offers a comprehensive suite of tools for all aspects of DevSecOps, from secure development environments to continuous monitoring.

  2. Scalability and Automation: Azure tools can scale to meet the needs of your organization and automate many security tasks, improving efficiency.

  3. Compliance: Azure helps you comply with various security regulations and standards.

• Set up DevSecOps (using Azure): (5)

  1. Plan and Develop with Security in Mind:

     • Define Security Policies: Establish clear security policies for code, infrastructure, and access control. Use Azure Policy for defining and enforcing rules across your Azure resources.

     • Threat Modeling: Integrate threat modeling techniques early in the development process to identify potential vulnerabilities.

  2. Secure Your Development Environment:

     • Source Code Management: Utilize Azure Repos with built-in security features like code reviews and branch protection rules.

     • Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Use Azure Resource Manager (ARM) templates or Azure Bicep for defining infrastructure with built-in security best practices.

     • Secret Management: Leverage Azure Key Vault to securely store and manage sensitive information like passwords and API keys.

  3. Integrate Security Testing Throughout the Pipeline:

     • Static Application Security Testing (SAST): Integrate SAST tools like Azure DevOps Security Code Analysis or third-party tools (e.g., SonarQube) into your CI/CD pipeline to identify vulnerabilities in code.

     • Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST): Utilize DAST tools like OWASP ZAP or third-party solutions to scan your application at runtime for vulnerabilities.

     • Infrastructure Security Scanning: Integrate tools like Microsoft Defender for Cloud to scan your IaC templates for security misconfigurations before deployment.

  4. Secure Deployment and Operation:

     • CI/CD Pipeline Controls: Implement access controls and audit logs within your CI/CD pipeline (e.g., Azure DevOps pipelines) to ensure only authorized users can deploy code.

     • Azure Monitor and Defender for Cloud: Continuously monitor your deployed applications and infrastructure for security threats and vulnerabilities.

     • Patch Management: Automate security patching processes for your Azure resources to ensure timely vulnerability mitigation.

  5. Continuous Improvement and Feedback Loop:

     • Security Champions: Foster a culture of security within your development teams. Train developers on secure coding practices and encourage participation in security testing activities.

     • Incident Response: Establish clear procedures for responding to security incidents and learning from them to improve your DevSecOps practices.

• Additional Azure Tools to Consider: (3)

  1. MS Entra ID (aka Azure AD) for Identity and Access Management: Manage user access and permissions for your development environments and resources.

  2. Azure Sentinel: A SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) tool for advanced security threat detection and analysis.

  3. Microsoft Defender for Containers: Provides security for containerized applications running on Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS).