From Scanners to Systems

DevSecOps Principles That Scale With AI-Driven Development

In this article, I show you how to plug security into delivery so you can ship fast (and securely) without relying on other teams.

AI tools are shipping code faster than you can review it. More changes, more dependencies, more risk. To keep up, we need to build automated guardrails in the same path the code travels, using PRs and pipelines. Don’t make teams come to security for reviews or pentest results. Meet developers where they work. That’s DevSecOps.

Unfortunately, most teams treat DevSecOps like a “one-and-done” project. They flip on scanners, drown in noise, and slip back to “ship now, fix later.” That pace, plus AI-generated code, leads to long hours and burnout.

Why Do AppSec Programs Fail?

Here are a few reasons teams stall or fail:

  • Boil-the-ocean approach(trying to secure everything at once)

  • Security owns the risk (no shared responsibility/ownership, so it never sticks)

  • No measurement (you can’t improve what you don’t track)

You can fix this. It’s not a tool purchase. It’s a system.

Here’s how to start, step by step:

Step 1: Focus on DevOps Principles & Shared Ownership

DevSecOps extends DevOps. Start there. Use the CALMS acronym as shared vocabulary for how to build high quality and secure software:

  • Culture – One delivery team. You build it, you run it, and you own it (including security).

  • Automation – Put automated checks in development workflows.

  • Lean – Small batches, fast feedback. Scan changed code in pull requests (PR).

  • Measurement – Track the work and the results. Work backward from the result you want.

  • Sharing – Team up, document, teach.

Next Steps:

  1. Write a one-pager: “Applying DevSecOps at <org name>.” Define “done” (e.g. tests pass, no secrets, no new high-risk vulns).

  2. Join teams where they are. Embed a security engineer or champion in each delivery team.

  3. Learn dev tools and workflows. If Git and branching are knowledge gaps, close them first. Git is foundational knowledge. (Check out my article on Git)

Step 2: Add Automated Guardrails Where Code Lives

Don’t turn on every scanner. Start with the ones that catch the biggest risks, and run them on every PR and merge.

Start with fast, high-confidence checks:

  • Secret scanning on every push and PR

  • Dependency checks (SCA) that only flag what changed (no new vulnerable packages)

  • Branch protection + required checks (no direct pushes to main)

Don’t light up every tool. Begin in warn mode, tune noise weekly, then move to enforce. Deliver a clean checklist, not a flood of alerts.

Side Quest:

  1. Pick one service. Wire the three checks above.

  2. Fail the build only on “changed code” issues at first.

  3. Auto-open PRs for simple fixes (bump a minor dependency, swap a base image).

Step 3: Measure and Share

Pick three metrics that reflect flow and safety. Review them for 15 minutes every week.

Good Starters:

  • Lead Time for Change (PR open -> Prod)

  • Change Failure Rate (security or reliability rollbacks)

  • Time to Merge a Security PR (from auto-PR to merge)

Add one outcome metric: “Vulns prevented before prod” (high-risk items blocked in PR). Celebrate wins. Call out individual contributions. Positive reinforcement builds the behavior you want.

Make security shared, keep guardrails lean, and watch the numbers. You’ll move faster and be better prepared as AI increases the flow of changes.

finally:

  • DevSecOps isn’t another tool. It’s how Security and Dev work together to ship secure code. Start small, make it obvious, and let the system do the heavy lifting.

Diving Deeper

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