For decades, software was "bespoke." Each application was carefully crafted to solve a specific problem. When this was applied to the federal government, they discovered that this process was slow and unpredictable.

The solution: a software factory. From custom-built software to software that could be created in an organization that had a "bubble" that could standardize on federal security guidelines. From there, they could deliver safer, higher-quality software much faster.

Today, we sit down with Jorge Lopez, Vice President of Security Operations and Trust and Safety at GitLab, to discuss the concept of software factories in the federal government.

Lopez admits the importance of visibility, collaboration, and compliance in these factories. However, during the interview, he notes that gaps in DevSecOps often stem from organizational issues, such as miscommunication between security and development teams. He emphasizes the need for proper monitoring, incident response, and managing secrets to mitigate risks.

Digging deeper, he states that if a federal organization does not have monitoring in place, they will only discover a problem after it happens.

One approach is to go to the people responsible for defending the software. Lopez has seen success when security operations teams and software factory teams talk to each other.

Lopes also discusses the impact of AI on code production and the importance of proactive measures to ensure software factory security.