The Impacts of the AppDev and DevOps on the SDLC - AppDev Field Day Roundtable

In this AppDev Field Day roundtable discussion moderated by Paul Nashawaty, the conversation delved deep into the impacts of AppDev and DevOps on the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). Nashawaty started the discussion by highlighting the chief concern among CIOs: modernization of applications from legacy systems to new, more efficient models. The discussion underscored the complexity and challenges such as skill gaps and security issues that organizations face in modernization. The delegates discussed the transition from heritage applications to adopting new technologies like microservices, containerization, and possibly serverless frameworks in the future. The conversation also tackled the strategic decision-making involved in determining which parts of an application to refactor, emphasizing that modernization should be driven by clear business needs rather than just the pursuit of new technology.

As the conversation progressed, the delegates explored various facets of application development, including the balance between maintaining legacy systems and adopting new technologies to meet business goals. The discussion also touched on the practical aspects of cloud migration, where it was noted that moving to the cloud is not merely about cost-saving but also about enhancing flexibility and scalability of applications. Security emerged as a critical topic, with a consensus that modernization often necessitates a focus on tightening security to address vulnerabilities inherent in older systems. The roundtable highlighted that successful modernization requires a holistic approach, considering factors like application portability, the need for skilled personnel, and the overarching business objectives driving the need for change.

[jack]

Good conversation - albeit quite depressing to see the same conversations that have existed in the industry for the last few decades being repeated. It was good to see paul try and get the conversation moving on security. Software will not be secure until the industry cops punitive regulation - just as what has happened to many other industries over the years - food, automobiles, aircraft etc. At the moment, when a breach which exploits software vulnerabilities occur, the customer feels the pain, the customers customers feel the pain and the software development companies are not even mentioned - at most, they might lose a couple of customers. There simply is not a strong enough business case for SW development groups to properly secure their software or supply chains and there won't be as long as we continue to allow the industry to hide behind software license contracts and the argument that to put more focus on security will somehow inhibit innovation. Just the fact that SW companies are having kittens about having to produce an SBOM says it all - An SBOM can be compared to the ingredients listed on a 50c can of beans, but apparently, customers asking to have an idea of what is actually in the software causes very real headaches.