The implementation of policy as code has become increasingly important in cloud development, but scalability continues to pose challenges. While policy as code is seen as vital for preventative security and compliance at scale, a new survey reveals that organizations still struggle with issues such as alignment, visibility, and consistency. The study, conducted by a cloud-native authorization software provider, found that a lack of alignment between teams, a lack of visibility into authorization, and inconsistent policy development were among the major obstacles. Despite these challenges, organizations are recognizing the significance of policy as code and plan to invest more in this solution. However, the implementation process remains complex.
Challenges with Policy as Code Implementation
Implementing policy as code can present several challenges for organizations. These challenges include:
Friction with a lack of alignment between teams
One of the main challenges in policy as code implementation is the lack of alignment between different teams within an organization. Policy decisions often involve various stakeholders, including developers, security engineers, and compliance officers. If these teams are not aligned in their understanding and implementation of policies, it can lead to conflicts and delays in deploying policies effectively.
Lack of visibility into authorization
Another challenge in policy as code implementation is the lack of visibility into authorization processes. It can be difficult for organizations to have clear visibility into who has access to what resources and what actions they can perform. This lack of visibility can result in security vulnerabilities and compliance risks.
Inconsistent or not centralized policy development
When policies are developed inconsistently or are not centralized, it can lead to confusion and inefficiency in policy enforcement. Different teams may have their own interpretations of policies, leading to conflicts and discrepancies. Centralizing policy development can help ensure consistency and clarity in policy enforcement.
Difficulty with meeting security, compliance, and auditability requirements
Implementing policy as code can be challenging when it comes to meeting security, compliance, and auditability requirements. Policies need to be defined and enforced in a way that ensures the security of organizational resources, compliance with regulations, and the ability to provide audit trails for policy enforcement. Failure to meet these requirements can result in serious consequences for organizations, including data breaches and regulatory penalties.
Benefits of Policy as Code
Despite the challenges, policy as code offers several benefits for organizations. These benefits include:
Enables different stakeholders to understand policies
Policy as code allows different stakeholders, including developers and security engineers, to easily understand and implement policies. By defining policies in code, organizations can make their intent clear and provide clear guidelines for policy enforcement.
Integration with infrastructure as code (IaC) and DevOps
Policy as code can be integrated with infrastructure as code (IaC) and DevOps practices, enabling organizations to enforce policies throughout the development and deployment process. This integration ensures that policies are implemented consistently and automatically.
Ability to automatically enforce infrastructural policies
With policy as code, organizations can automatically enforce infrastructural policies. By defining policies in code, organizations can ensure that their infrastructure adheres to the defined policies and automatically take action when policies are violated.
Overview of Open Policy Agent (OPA)
Open Policy Agent (OPA) is a popular tool used for policy as code implementation. It uses Rego, a declarative language for defining policies. OPA enables organizations to define, implement, and enforce policies across microservices, CI/CD pipelines, and API gateways. It is compatible with platforms like AWS CloudFormation, Docker, and Terraform, making it a flexible tool for policy enforcement.
Enterprise OPA and its Purpose
Enterprise OPA is a version of OPA designed specifically for enterprises building cloud-native applications. It is purpose-built to handle large data sets and manage authorization processes effectively. By using Enterprise OPA, organizations can scale their policy enforcement capabilities and ensure the security and compliance of their cloud-native applications.
Other Policy as Code Tools
While OPA is a popular tool for policy as code implementation, there are other tools available as well. Sentinel by HashiCorp is one example of a policy as code tool. Organizations can choose the tool that best fits their specific needs and requirements.
Survey Findings on Policy as Code Adoption
A survey conducted by a cloud-native authorization software provider found that policy as code is considered vital for security and compliance at scale by 94% of respondents. The survey also found that 83% of organizations plan to invest more into policy as code as a solution. These survey findings highlight the growing importance of policy as code in the industry.
Scalability Challenges in Policy as Code
Policy as code implementation can face several scalability challenges. These challenges include:
Alignment, visibility, and consistency issues
As mentioned earlier, the lack of alignment, visibility, and consistency between different teams can hinder the scalability of policy as code implementation. It is crucial for organizations to address these issues and ensure that all teams are aligned and have clear visibility into policies.
Friction between teams causing implementation challenges
Friction between teams can lead to implementation challenges in policy as code. It is essential for organizations to foster collaboration and communication between different teams to ensure smooth implementation of policies.
Lack of visibility into authorization processes
The lack of visibility into authorization processes can hinder the scalability of policy as code. Organizations need to have clear visibility into who has access to what resources and what actions they can perform in order to effectively enforce policies.
Inconsistent or decentralized policy development
Inconsistent or decentralized policy development can create scalability challenges in policy as code. Organizations should centralize policy development and ensure that policies are developed consistently and clearly communicated to all teams.
Difficulties in meeting security, compliance, and auditability requirements
Meeting security, compliance, and auditability requirements can be challenging in policy as code implementation. Organizations need to ensure that their policies are defined and enforced in a way that meets these requirements to avoid security breaches and regulatory penalties.
Importance of Scalable Policy as Code Implementation
Scalable policy as code implementation is crucial for organizations for several reasons:
Organizations need the right resources, technology, and expert guidance
To ensure the scalability of policy as code implementation, organizations need to invest in the right resources, technology, and expert guidance. This includes having skilled personnel, implementing the appropriate tools and platforms, and seeking guidance from experts in policy as code implementation.
Scalable policy implementation is crucial for security and compliance
Scalable policy implementation is essential for the security and compliance of organizations. By ensuring that policies are enforced consistently and effectively across the organization, organizations can mitigate security risks and remain compliant with regulations.
Maintaining developer productivity while ensuring security and compliance is essential
Scalable policy as code implementation allows organizations to maintain developer productivity while ensuring security and compliance. By automating policy enforcement and integrating it with DevOps practices, organizations can ensure that policies are enforced without hindering development processes.
Conclusion
Policy as code is becoming increasingly important in cloud development. Despite the challenges in scalability and implementation, organizations can benefit from policy as code by ensuring alignment, visibility, and consistency, and by investing in the right resources and tools. By addressing the challenges and implementing scalable policy as code solutions, organizations can enhance their security and compliance posture and achieve a streamlined development lifecycle.
References
Link to the full survey report: survey report
