Adopt DevSecOps to Transform Embedded Systems Development

The adoption of **DevSecOps** by embedded systems teams is a growing trend, driven by the need to modernize development practices. This movement, which integrates security from the beginning of the process, is propelled by new market demands where software becomes increasingly crucial for product differentiation.

But, what is **DevSecOps**? It refers to the application of collaborative engineering practices, integrated tools, and automation in software development for embedded systems, adapting to hardware integration.

Converging Market Forces

Three main market forces are driving the modernization of development practices in embedded systems teams.

1. Software-Defined Product Revolution

Products, once primarily defined by hardware, are now differentiated by their **software capabilities**. The market for **software-defined vehicles (SDV)** is expected to grow from $213.5 billion in 2024 to $1.24 trillion by 2030, representing a compound annual growth rate of 34%. By 2025, it is projected that each vehicle will contain 650 million lines of code. Traditional embedded development approaches cannot support this software complexity.

2. Hardware Virtualization as a Technical Enabler

**Hardware virtualization** is an essential enabler for DevSecOps in embedded systems. **Virtual Electronic Control Units (vECUs)** and advanced simulation environments allow for testing that previously required physical hardware. These technologies create a foundation for **Continuous Integration (CI)**, being more effective when incorporated into an automated workflow.

By combining collaborative development practices and automated pipelines, issues can be detected earlier in the software development life cycle, reducing costs. Without DevSecOps practices and tools, organizations cannot leverage this virtualization trend.

3. Competitive and Economic Reality

Three interrelated forces are transforming the competitive landscape:

• The talent shortage in engineering. As noted by an embedded systems leader from a GitLab client, newly graduated engineers are unfamiliar with legacy tools and prefer modern environments.
• The competitive edge gained by companies that adopt modern practices. For example, SpaceX conducted more orbital launches in 2024 than the rest of the world combined, standing out in software development.
• The high development costs in embedded environments. Long feedback cycles increase inefficiency. When developers take weeks to test code, productivity decreases and error correction costs rise.

Organizations are adopting **DevSecOps** to tackle these challenges.

Priority Transformation Areas

Leaders in embedded systems are implementing **DevSecOps** in the following areas:

From Hardware Bottlenecks to Continuous Testing

Hardware testing bottlenecks are one of the biggest obstacles in traditional development. To overcome them, a multifaceted approach is needed, including:

• Automation of orchestration of shared hardware test benches.
• Integration of **Software-in-the-Loop (SIL)** and **Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL)** testing into continuous pipelines.
• Standardization of compilations with version-controlled environments.

These improvements can be achieved using the GitLab On-Premises Device Cloud, which helps reduce feedback cycles from weeks to hours.

Automating Compliance Governance and Security

Embedded systems face stringent regulations, and manual compliance processes become unsustainable. Best practices include:

• Replacing manual workflows with automated **compliance frameworks**.
• Integrating security, functionality, and code quality tools into automated CI pipelines.
• Automating approval and audit workflows.

With this approach, companies can increase compliance maturity without needing more staff, as demonstrated by an electric vehicle manufacturer that runs 120,000 CI/CD jobs daily with GitLab.

Enabling Collaborative Innovation

Collaboration among developers is essential. Innovative organizations break down barriers through shared code visibility and integrated CI/CD workflows. This not only retains talent but also unlocks innovations that would otherwise remain hidden. As stated by a DevOps director at an automotive manufacturer, "having a single view of the workflow is key to agility in innovation."

The Window of Opportunity

Leaders in embedded systems have a clear window of opportunity to gain competitive advantages through the adoption of **DevSecOps**. This window will not remain open forever. As software becomes the primary differentiator in embedded products, the gap between leaders and laggards will only widen. Organizations that successfully adopt **DevSecOps** will be able to reduce costs, accelerate product time to market, and drive innovations that differentiate them in the marketplace.

For more details on how to implement these practices in your organization, check out our guide: 4 ways to accelerate embedded development with GitLab.