Top 11 New Year’s Resolutions for Networking Ops and Security

In 2015 cyber-attacks will likely become more and more sophisticated and we’ll continue to see high-profile breaches. On the other hand you will be expected to deploy, migrate or change business applications at faster than ever before, all while maintaining a strong security posture and continuous compliance.

So with the holidays behind us it’s a great time review, tweak and optimize your network security strategy. Here are 11 New Year’s resolutions network operations and security teams should make in order to keep the business secure and agile in the coming year.

1. I will incorporate an application-centric approach into my security strategy, where security policies are managed based on business continuity and agility.
2. I will plan and implement a network segmentation strategy to better protect my organization against cyber-attacks.
   
3. I will talk with R&D to get a handle on the security (or lack thereof) for all their cloud-computing and Shadow IT projects, and develop a plan to secure them.
4. I will aim to get better visibility into my security policies across the hybrid cloud environment.
   
5. I will clean up my firewall rules and remove all rules and objects that are no longer needed.
6. I will create an up-to-date map of application connectivity to visualize and understand the impact of application changes on security and business continuity.
7. I will remove or decommission unnecessary IT services or applications across my estate.
8. I will assess the vulnerability of the data center from the application perspective in order to prioritize and mitigate risk from the business perspective.
9. I won’t forget the security basics.
10. I will be an enabler not a naysayer: It’s my job to enable the business, so I will try to resist the urge to say “no” and figure out how to say “yes”
11. I will automate mundane firewall management tasks so that my skilled people can work on real business issues.

While these resolutions may not help you lose weight and eat healthier, they will help make your organization more agile, more productive, more secure, and they may well allow you to spend more time with family and friends!

Let’s all have a great 2015!