DevSecOps Metrics: How to Measure Security Without Killing Velocity

DevSecOps promises security without slowing delivery. But security teams measure vulnerabilities while engineering measures velocity—and the metrics rarely align. This guide covers the metrics that bridge both worlds: how to measure security effectiveness, prove shift-left ROI, and keep security from becoming a bottleneck.

"73% of organizations say manual security and compliance processes slow down code releases. The fix isn't less security—it's automated security that doesn't wait for the end."

The State of DevSecOps

DevSecOps adoption has accelerated rapidly. According to recent research:

• 70% of security teams say security has shifted left (StrongDM, 2025)
• 75% of rapid development teams will have fully integrated DevSecOps by 2025
• 60%+ of organizations will integrate automated security into CI/CD pipelines by 2026, up from <20% in 2022 (Gartner)
• Over 70% of organizations using DevSecOps report improved security outcomes and faster vulnerability remediation

The shift is happening. The question is: how do you measure whether it's working?

Core DevSecOps Metrics

Effective DevSecOps measurement spans three categories: detection, remediation, and prevention.

Detection Metrics

Remediation Metrics

Prevention Metrics

Measuring Shift-Left ROI

Shift-left security moves vulnerability detection earlier in the pipeline. The ROI is straightforward: earlier detection means cheaper fixes.

Cost of Fixing Vulnerabilities by Stage
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════

Stage                    Relative Cost    Example
──────────────────────────────────────────────────
Development (IDE)        1x              $25
Build (CI)               5x              $125
Testing (QA)             10x             $250
Staging                  15x             $375
Production               30x             $750
Post-Breach              100x+           $2,500+

Source: IBM Systems Sciences Institute, adjusted for 2025

SHIFT-LEFT ROI CALCULATION
─────────────────────────

Before Shift-Left:
• 80% of vulns found in production/staging
• Average fix cost: $500/vuln
• 50 vulns/quarter = $25,000

After Shift-Left:
• 90% of vulns found in CI/development
• Average fix cost: $75/vuln
• 50 vulns/quarter = $3,750

Quarterly Savings: $21,250
Annual Savings: $85,000

"A vulnerability found in CI costs 5x less to fix than one found in production. Found post-breach? 100x. The math is simple: shift left or pay later."

Integrating Security Into the Pipeline

Here's where to add security gates and what to measure at each stage:

DevSecOps Pipeline Integration Points
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════

┌─────────────┐   ┌─────────────┐   ┌─────────────┐   ┌─────────────┐
│   COMMIT    │──▶│    BUILD    │──▶│    TEST     │──▶│   DEPLOY    │
└─────────────┘   └─────────────┘   └─────────────┘   └─────────────┘
      │                 │                 │                 │
      ▼                 ▼                 ▼                 ▼
┌─────────────┐   ┌─────────────┐   ┌─────────────┐   ┌─────────────┐
│Pre-commit   │   │SAST Scan    │   │DAST Scan    │   │Image Scan   │
│hooks        │   │Dependency   │   │Pen testing  │   │Runtime      │
│Secret scan  │   │check        │   │Security     │   │monitoring   │
│Linting      │   │License scan │   │review       │   │WAF/IDS      │
└─────────────┘   └─────────────┘   └─────────────┘   └─────────────┘

METRICS AT EACH STAGE
─────────────────────

Commit:
• Secrets blocked: ___ per week
• Pre-commit hook pass rate: ___%

Build:
• SAST findings by severity: ___
• Dependency vulnerabilities: ___
• Build failure rate (security): ___%

Test:
• DAST findings: ___
• Security test coverage: ___%

Deploy:
• Container vulnerabilities: ___
• Runtime alerts: ___

Security Tools Stack

Different tools serve different purposes in the DevSecOps pipeline:

DevSecOps vs. DevOps Metrics

DevSecOps doesn't replace DevOps metrics—it extends them:

"If security scans add 30 minutes to every build, that's a delivery tax. Measure the tax—then reduce it."

Implementation Guide

Phase 1: Foundation (Weeks 1-4)

1. Enable dependency scanning (Dependabot/Snyk) on all repositories
2. Add secret scanning to pre-commit hooks
3. Establish baseline metrics: current vulnerability count, MTTR, detection rates
4. Define severity-based SLAs (critical: 24h, high: 7 days, etc.)

Phase 2: Pipeline Integration (Weeks 5-8)

1. Integrate SAST scanning into CI pipeline
2. Add container image scanning for deployed services
3. Create security dashboards with metrics above
4. Establish security gates (block deploys for critical vulns)

Phase 3: Optimization (Weeks 9-12)

1. Tune scanners to reduce false positives (<10%)
2. Add DAST for critical services
3. Implement infrastructure-as-code scanning
4. Review and optimize scan performance (keep CI fast)

Common DevSecOps Pitfalls

Pitfall 1: Security Theater

Having 10 security tools that nobody looks at is worse than having one tool with actionable alerts. Focus on signal, not tool count.

Pitfall 2: Blocking Without Context

Failing builds for every medium-severity finding trains developers to ignore security. Be strict on critical/high, track medium/low as tech debt.

Pitfall 3: Not Measuring the Tax

If security scans add 20 minutes to every build, engineering will (rightfully) complain. Measure and optimize scan performance just like you optimize build time.

Pitfall 4: Ignoring Developer Experience

Security tools that produce confusing output or require context-switching get ignored. Integrate findings into existing workflows (PR comments, IDE plugins).

Related Guides

• DORA Metrics Guide — The delivery metrics that DevSecOps extends
• DevOps Automation Metrics Guide — Measuring automation effectiveness
• Security & Compliance for GitHub Analytics — Data security for engineering metrics tools
• Test Failure Rate Guide — Quality metrics that complement security

Conclusion

DevSecOps metrics bridge the gap between security requirements and engineering velocity. The goal isn't maximum security—it's appropriate security that doesn't become a delivery bottleneck.

Start by measuring where vulnerabilities are found (pre-production vs. post), how long they take to fix (MTTR), and how much time security processes add to delivery (the security tax). Then optimize: shift detection earlier, automate remediation, and reduce false positives.

"Modern DevSecOps isn't just shifting left—it's shifting everywhere. Security in production is no longer a reactive afterthought."

Track your delivery metrics with CodePulse to see how security integration affects your overall engineering velocity.