How do you test and secure your network changes?

1 Plan your changes

Before you make any network changes, you should have a clear plan that defines the scope, objectives, requirements, and impact of the changes. You should also document the current state of your network, the desired state, and the steps to achieve it. A good plan will help you avoid unnecessary or conflicting changes, communicate your intentions to stakeholders, and prepare for contingencies.

3 Secure your changes

Securing your network changes means ensuring that they comply with your network policies and standards, and that they do not expose your network to any vulnerabilities or threats. You should use tools and methods that can audit and enforce your network security, such as firewalls, VPNs, encryption, authentication, or access control. You should also use tools and methods that can detect and respond to any network anomalies or attacks, such as IDS, IPS, SIEM, or incident response. Securing your network changes will help you protect your network data and assets from unauthorized or malicious access or modification.

5 Review your changes

Reviewing your network changes means evaluating the effectiveness, efficiency, and quality of your network changes, and identifying any gaps, errors, or opportunities for improvement. You should use tools and methods that can assess and benchmark your network performance, security, and compliance, such as audits, surveys, tests, or feedback. You should also use tools and methods that can compare and contrast your network before and after the changes, such as baselines, snapshots, or trends. Reviewing your network changes will help you measure and demonstrate your network value and impact, and plan your future network changes.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?