What is System Development Life Cycle SDLC?
System Development Life Cycle SDLC Definition: A structured project management methodology that divides information system development into phases such as initiation development implementation testing and disposal.
Understanding System Development Life Cycle SDLC
A structured project management methodology that divides information system development into phases such as initiation development implementation testing and disposal. SDLC is a structured approach to building and maintaining information systems throughout their useful life covering all activities from initial conception through retirement and disposal. It provides a framework for identifying requirements designing solutions implementing systems and maintaining them securely. Secure SDLC frameworks are described in standards like NIST SP 800-64 ISO/IEC 27034 and Microsoft SDL. Organizations implement secure SDLC through security requirements threat modeling secure architecture security testing code reviews and security validation at each phase. For example a financial services firm might implement a secure SDLC where security requirements are defined at project initiation threat modeling occurs during design security code reviews and static analysis run during development penetration testing occurs before deployment and security reassessment happens with each major change ensuring security is built in throughout the system lifecycle rather than bolted on later. Related terms Secure SDLC Waterfall Agile Development Security requirements Security testing Shift left Security by design DevSecOps.