A global survey of 5,001 GitLab software professionals found that developers believe efficiency, higher quality code, and developer productivity are key drivers of DevOps adoption.
GitLab’s sixth volume Global DevSecOps Survey found that the developers surveyed continue to prioritize security and compliance, investments in toolchain consolidation, and the continued impact of rapid DevOps adoption.
After two years of growth in technology adoption, nearly three-quarters of developers surveyed say they have adopted or plan to adopt a DevOps platform within a year.
Security and the complexity of DevOps toolchains were one of the main concerns of respondents.
Looking at toolchain consolidation, GitLab reported that 69% of respondents want to consolidate their toolchains due to challenges with monitoring, development delays, and negative impact on the developer experience.
The survey found that while 60% of developers surveyed are releasing code faster than before, nearly 40% say they spend between a quarter and half of their time maintaining or integrating complex toolchains — more than double the percentage. from 2021.
In terms of security, the 2022 survey found that this is the highest-priority investment area for organizations. It reported that more than half of security team members say their organizations have shifted security to developers, or plan to do so this year.
However, despite the desire to move security to the left, GitLab found that many companies are still in their infancy in their approach and results. Only 10% of those surveyed indicated that they would receive extra budget for security.
GitLab said the research shows misalignment between security and development teams. More than half of respondents said security is a performance measure for developers within their organizations, but 50% of security professionals reported developers failing to identify security vulnerabilities – 75% of vulnerabilities.
To align performance metrics with reality, GitLab recommended that developers be incentivized to practice security protocols and fully understand the toolchain and potential risks.
“Fast deployment and speed to market are some of the biggest differentiators in today’s business landscape,” said Johnathan Hunt, vice president of security at GitLab. “This often comes at the cost of security – a major concern for technology, business and government leaders – but it doesn’t have to be.
“Streamlined toolchains and standardized, transparent processes help organizations keep security and compliance at the heart of the software development lifecycle, rather than an afterthought.”
When security collaboration is achieved, organizations can achieve great results, according to GitLab. The research found that a commitment to security is a driver for many decision makers when choosing a DevOps platform or other tools.