Public Sector: Strengthening the secure CI/CD backbone behind mission-critical defence software

The Client Challenge

As a global defence and aerospace group continued to build mission-critical software, the security and reliability of its delivery pipeline became a critical priority. In this context, the CI/CD backbone was not just a route to faster releases – it formed part of the software attack surface itself, meaning every pipeline, tool and change needed to be secure, modern and trusted.

The organisation needed specialist DevSecOps capability that could identify vulnerabilities across its GitLab CI/CD environments, implement and prove effective fixes, and strengthen confidence in the delivery tooling supporting highly sensitive engineering work. It also needed support modernising legacy environments, including a niche language with limited modern pipeline support.

To strengthen the security of its software delivery processes, the client needed to:

• Identify and remediate vulnerabilities within GitLab CI/CD pipelines
• Introduce modern tooling into legacy delivery environments
• Build confidence with senior stakeholders through validated, evidence-led delivery

The Sparta Solution

As part of its established Capability Build Service, Sparta Global trained and embedded DevSecOps consultants into the client’s engineering teams. All professionals completed dedicated training in the Sparta AI & Tech Institute.

Through a rigorous hiring process, the Institute identifies the UK and Europe’s brightest future technology talent and equips them with industry leading skills to deliver value from day one – bringing the technical expertise to drive results, the confidence to support change, and the collaborative mindset to integrate seamlessly into digital teams. On site with our defence and aerospace client, our Spartans played a critical role in strengthening the secure delivery tooling and CI/CD foundations that engineering teams relied on to develop and deploy mission-critical software.

How Sparta Global delivered the solution

Sparta embedded DevSecOps consultants directly into the client’s engineering environment, providing immediate technical capability while supporting the client’s wider goal of improving secure software delivery.

Client success and Business Impact

In defence and aerospace, mission-critical software depends on the security and resilience of the delivery pipeline behind it. AI-assisted development can only scale if the CI/CD backbone is secure, trusted, and proven. This client needed consultants who could strengthen that foundation, improve pipeline security, and modernise delivery tooling.

By embedding DevSecOps consultants directly into the client’s engineering teams, Sparta Global strengthened secure delivery capability, validated remediation activity, and supported the adoption of modern tooling across legacy environments.