In today’s fast-paced development landscape, traditional security practices can no longer keep up. Enter DevSecOps: a revolutionary approach that embeds security directly into the DevOps lifecycle. It emphasizes collaboration, automation, and continuous improvement to ensure software is delivered both quickly and securely. As the adoption of DevSecOps continues to grow, organizations are asking: how far have we really come, and what lies ahead? This blog by HashRoot explores the maturity of DevSecOps, benchmarks the present state of adoption, and provides a detailed roadmap for organizations aspiring to reach expert-level integration.

1. The Evolution from DevOps to DevSecOps

DevOps was born out of the need to break silos between development and operations. It emphasized shared responsibility, automation, and continuous delivery, enabling faster and more reliable software releases. However, while DevOps transformed delivery, security remained an afterthought. This oversight often resulted in delayed product releases or exposed vulnerabilities in production environments.

As data breaches became more prevalent and costly, organizations recognized the critical need to shift security left—to integrate it earlier in the software development lifecycle (SDLC). This led to the rise of DevSecOps: the cultural and technical evolution of DevOps to embed security into every stage of the development pipeline.

Today, DevSecOps is more than a buzzword. According to Gartner, by 2026, over 60% of organizations will integrate automated security into their CI/CD pipelines, up from less than 20% in 2022. This transformation signifies a maturing understanding that secure software delivery must be built-in, not bolted on.

DevSecOps achieves this through:

  • Security automation in CI/CD (e.g., SAST, DAST, SCA, IaC scans)
  • Cross-functional team collaboration
  • Risk management integration
  • Developer enablement with security training and tooling

By integrating tools, practices, and mindsets, DevSecOps helps organizations minimize vulnerabilities, reduce remediation costs, and enhance trust across stakeholders.

2. DevSecOps Maturity Models: Where Do You Stand?

To understand progress and set meaningful goals, organizations often assess their maturity using established frameworks. These models help benchmark technical, procedural, and cultural adoption of DevSecOps.

Common Maturity Levels:

  1. Beginner: Security is reactive and fragmented. Scanning tools may exist but are not integrated into workflows.
  2. Intermediate: Security tools are partially embedded in CI/CD. Developers have basic training; some security testing occurs before release.
  3. Advanced: Threat modeling, vulnerability management, and policy enforcement are proactive. Developers and security teams collaborate regularly.
  4. Expert: Security is continuous, automated, measurable, and ingrained into the organization's DNA.

HashRoot’s Recommended Maturity Dimensions:

  • Culture: Shared ownership, leadership support, developer enablement
  • Automation: CI/CD integration, vulnerability triage, remediation orchestration
  • Governance: Policy-as-code, audit trails, compliance automation
  • Risk Management: Threat modeling, asset inventory, incident response readiness
  • Training & Education: Continuous developer and ops upskilling, gamified learning, role-based modules

Assessing these dimensions regularly allows organizations to identify gaps and plan realistic roadmaps for maturity advancement.

3. Current State of DevSecOps Adoption

Though DevSecOps is gaining traction, many organizations still fall short of true maturity. Research suggests that:

  • Only 12% of companies scan every code commit for vulnerabilities.
  • Java applications consistently show the highest rates of exploitable vulnerabilities.
  • Manual infrastructure changes (ClickOps) remain dominant, despite Infrastructure-as-Code adoption.
  • Only 18% of high-severity vulnerabilities are truly exploitable in runtime.

A 2025 report by Datadog reveals startling insights into current adoption:

  • Large container images are 4x more likely to contain critical vulnerabilities.
  • Secrets mismanagement and hard-coded credentials are still pervasive.
  • Many DevSecOps pipelines operate without runtime context, leading to false positives and alert fatigue.

Key blockers to maturity include:

  • Tool sprawl leading to fractured visibility
  • Cultural resistance from traditional development or security teams
  • Limited automation in scanning, alerting, and response
  • Skills gap in secure coding, threat modeling, and tool orchestration

Organizations that address these barriers through collaboration, training, and platform unification tend to accelerate their maturity journey.

4. Real-World Case Studies: Lessons from Leaders

Case Study 1: Department of Defense (DoD) The DoD is pioneering DevSecOps at scale. By implementing Continuous Authority to Operate (cATO) across software factories like Platform One, they have:

  • Reduced delivery timelines from months to days
  • Embedded security testing and compliance as code
  • Enabled faster, more secure software deployment for mission-critical applications

Case Study 2: Checkmarx Clients (Financial Sector) Checkmarx helped a large financial services firm centralize application security across 100+ development teams. Key outcomes included:

  • 42% reduction in false positives
  • 3x faster remediation of critical vulnerabilities
  • Unified visibility across SAST, SCA, and API testing

These examples highlight how leadership support, centralized platforms, and cross-functional enablement drive real maturity.

5. Drivers of DevSecOps Maturity Model

Organizations that reach higher maturity levels typically share five foundational practices:

1. Governance & Metrics:

  • KPIs aligned to both development speed and security outcomes
  • Shared OKRs across Dev, Sec, and Ops
  • Risk-based prioritization of security issues

2. Security by Design:

  • Threat modeling integrated into planning
  • Secure-by-default configurations and minimal container images
  • Use of SBOMs and artifact signing for traceability

3. Toolchain Integration:

  • Seamless integration of SAST, DAST, IaC scanning, and secrets detection
  • Auto-remediation for common vulnerabilities
  • CI/CD hooks for compliance checks

4. Training & Culture:

  • Security champions embedded in development squads
  • Gamified learning and contextual training
  • Culture of shared responsibility and psychological safety

5. Executive Sponsorship:

  • C-suite leadership backing DevSecOps initiatives
  • Investment in tooling, training, and staff enablement
  • Long-term vision that balances speed and security

6. Persistent Challenges in Achieving Maturity

Even as DevSecOps adoption increases, organizations face ongoing hurdles:

  • Alert Fatigue: High-volume, low-context alerts from security tools overwhelm developers.
  • Skills Shortage: Security expertise is in high demand, and developers often lack training in secure coding.
  • Fragmentation: Disparate tools and lack of integration reduce effectiveness.
  • Cost Constraints: Smaller teams may struggle to invest in platforms or personnel.
  • Shadow IT & ClickOps: Manual changes outside governance pipelines introduce risks.

To overcome these challenges, leaders must prioritize automation, unify toolchains, and foster a culture of continuous improvement.

7. What’s Next in DevSecOps: The Future Roadmap

The future of DevSecOps is driven by innovation in automation, AI, and platform engineering:

  1. AI-Augmented Security:
  • Large Language Models (LLMs) for triage, risk analysis, and remediation recommendations
  • AI-powered alert deduplication and prioritization

2. Hyper Automation:

  • From vulnerability scanning to self-healing pipelines
  • Robotic Process Automation (RPA) to reduce manual effort in compliance and auditing

3. Software Supply Chain Security:

  • Emphasis on SBOMs, digital signatures, dependency validation, and contributor risk assessment

4. Quantum-Safe Readiness:

  • Preparing CI/CD systems for post-quantum cryptography adoption

5. Platform Engineering:

  • Internal Developer Platforms (IDPs) with embedded security services
  • Self-service environments with policy enforcement and guardrails

These trends suggest DevSecOps will become more invisible yet more impactful—operating under the hood of secure, efficient developer workflows.

8. Strategic Recommendations from HashRoot

To help clients advance along the DevSecOps maturity curve, HashRoot recommends the following steps:

1.Perform a Maturity Assessment:

  • Use a comprehensive model across people, process, and technology.
  • Identify gaps and quick wins.

2. Invest in Unified Platforms:

  • Consolidate your security toolchain to reduce noise and enhance visibility.

3. Automate Where Possible:

  • Begin with secret scanning, license compliance, and CI/CD policy enforcement.

4. Upskill Your Teams:

  • Contextual training, gamification, and hands-on labs improve secure coding skills.

5. Establish Metrics:

  • Track time-to-remediate (MTTR), vulnerability closure rates, and developer adoption.

6.Engage Leadership:

  • Secure executive sponsorship to fund initiatives and set top-down expectations.

A Continuous Journey

DevSecOps maturity isn’t a destination—it’s an ongoing evolution that demands commitment, iteration, and alignment across people, processes, and platforms. At HashRoot, we empower organizations to integrate security as a core value, not an afterthought. Our approach blends technical excellence with cultural enablement to deliver scalable, resilient, and secure software.

Whether you're just starting out or striving to optimize a mature practice, HashRoot can guide you at every step of your DevSecOps journey.Ready to assess your DevSecOps maturity? Connect with HashRoot today to start building security into your development DNA.