Network Security Tip of the Week [2] – Change Requests

Network security change requests are made often and typically need to be processed quickly – to keep up with the speed of business. However, sometimes the change request and the change that is actually made isn’t one in the same! This can happen for several reasons… perhaps in order to process the change quickly enough, some key information is missed/skipped…. perhaps the change made is a more permissive firewall rule than what is actually required.

This week’s network security tip comes from the Outback! Ron, a manager from Australia suggests the following to address this common challenge of ensuring firewall changes match the initial requests…

“Perform reconciliation between change requests and actual performed changes – looking at the unaccounted changes will always surprise you. Ensuring every change is accounted for will greatly simplify your next audit and help in day-to-day troubleshooting.”

Thanks to all of our readers for providing excellent tips and please continue to provide this useful information!