Understanding the Question

When an interviewer poses the question, "How do you advocate for security best practices with development teams that may prioritize speed over security?", they are probing your ability to balance the often competing priorities of rapid development and robust security. The question goes to the heart of the DevSecOps philosophy, which aims to integrate security principles and practices into the DevOps process from the outset.

This question tests not just your technical knowledge, but also your soft skills in persuasion, negotiation, and advocacy. It's about how you champion security within a culture that may historically favor speed and functionality over security considerations.

Interviewer's Goals

The interviewer is looking to assess several key areas:

1. Knowledge of Security Best Practices: Understanding of the security principles and practices that should be integrated into the development lifecycle.
2. Communication Skills: Your ability to communicate the importance of security to stakeholders who may not share your perspective.
3. Strategy and Implementation: How you go about integrating these practices into existing workflows without significantly disrupting or slowing down development processes.
4. Conflict Resolution: Your approach to handling resistance or objections from development teams.
5. Cultural Influence: How you contribute to building a culture where security is valued as much as speed and efficiency.

How to Approach Your Answer

To answer this question effectively, structure your response to demonstrate your comprehensive approach, including:

1. Educate and Inform: Start by highlighting the importance of educating teams on the risks of neglecting security and the long-term benefits of integrating security best practices into their workflows.
2. Collaboration Over Mandates: Emphasize the value of working collaboratively with development teams rather than imposing security measures. Show how you seek to understand their priorities and collaborate to find solutions that address both security and speed.
3. Integration of Tools and Practices: Discuss specific tools, practices, or methodologies you've implemented or recommend to seamlessly integrate security into the development process. Mention automation, CI/CD pipelines, IaC (Infrastructure as Code), and static/dynamic code analysis tools as examples.
4. Early and Continuous Involvement: Highlight the importance of involving security early in the development lifecycle and maintaining continuous security assessment throughout.
5. Success Stories: If possible, share examples of past successes where you've managed to balance speed and security, demonstrating tangible benefits.

Example Responses Relevant to DevSecOps Engineer

"I believe in advocating for security by integrating it into the development process in a way that complements speed. For example, by implementing automated security scanning tools within our CI/CD pipeline, we can identify and address vulnerabilities early without significantly interrupting development workflows. This approach not only maintains speed but also reduces the risk of costly security issues later on.

Furthermore, I focus on educating development teams about security risks and the potential impact on the business, fostering a shared sense of responsibility. I've found that when teams understand the 'why' behind security practices, they're more likely to embrace these measures.

To bridge any gaps between speed and security, I regularly collaborate with developers to optimize our processes, ensuring security measures are as non-intrusive as possible. For instance, by adopting Infrastructure as Code (IaC), we can automate many security configurations, saving time and reducing human error."

Tips for Success

• Empathy and Understanding: Show empathy towards the pressures and challenges faced by development teams. Understanding their goals and constraints will help you propose security solutions that are more likely to be accepted.
• Be Specific: When possible, use specific examples from your experience where you successfully advocated for security without compromising on speed.
• Focus on Benefits: Highlight the benefits of integrating security early, such as reduced risk, cost savings, and enhanced product quality.
• Continuous Learning: Demonstrate your commitment to staying updated on the latest security practices and tools that can help balance security with development speed.

By crafting your response to touch on these aspects, you'll not only showcase your technical expertise but also your ability to navigate the complex interpersonal dynamics inherent in the role of a DevSecOps Engineer.