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Lynx Software Technologies (Lynx) released a report detailing the adoption of DevSecOps across the aerospace and defense (A&D) industry, with findings indicating that security has become a top concern for developers of mission-critical software. Specifically, the survey was designed as a gauge of the adoption of DevSecOps across various sectors of the A&D industry.

DevSecOps – which stands for development, security and operations – integrates security throughout the software development lifecycle, starting with the initial design phase through integration, testing, deployment and delivery, automatically. Unlike previous development methods, DevSecOps treats security as the mission-critical element it is, rather than an afterthought addressed at the end of a development cycle by a discrete quality assurance team.

Notably, nearly three-quarters (71.6%) of respondents in Lynx’s survey said their organization had adopted DevSecOps within the past two years, perhaps in response to the remote work environments necessitated by the pandemic. Additionally, the ability to spot and address security risks earlier in the development cycle was most frequently cited (77.1%) as the primary benefit of respondents’ DevSecOps deployments.

“The insights from this report debunk the myth that the aerospace and defense industry is slow to adopt new technologies and methodologies,” said Ian Ferguson, VP of Marketing. “With reports showing a recent explosion in ransomware attacks, it’s clear that integrating security remains critical at every phase of the software development cycle. Based on our findings we can see that it’s especially top of mind for A&D organizations working within mission-critical systems.”

In addition to a stronger focus on security, respondents cited other benefits associated with DevSecOps implementation, including the ability to release code faster (68.2%), shorter development timelines (52.7%) and reduced development costs. Other notable findings from the report reveal:

The aviation industry (87.5%) was the sector most likely to have implemented DevSecOps at every stage of the development lifecycle.

56.7% of respondents said they have experienced compatibility issues such as legacy network interfaces, older software products and development tool chains, when going through the DevSecOps implementation process.

The growing threat of ransomware attacks and other security concerns was most frequently cited (80.6%) as the driving force behind respondents’ adoption of DevSecOps.

The report, What To Know About Aerospace & Defense Latest Security Trend – DevSecOps, was commissioned by Lynx Software Technologies and conducted by Zogby Analytics. The survey polled over 200 IT decision makers in the aerospace, aviation, government/public sector and military industries to analyze the state of DevSecOps in the A&D industry. The survey was conducted online Oct. 14-18, 2022.