In 2019 IT and Firewall audits are going far beyond just the firewall policies. They are constantly evolving into making the organization’s network system healthier and more consistent.
And, when it comes to the violations of IT audits you can be assured that the fines are going to be hefty. So, it is always a good idea to stay ahead of the game in terms of your IT and Firewall audit.
There are just a handful of IT and Firewall auditing tools provided by companies that provide state of the art Firewall audit tool management. And, choosing the right one is going be the key to you keeping your network system safe and up to date.
Nevertheless, when you are in the market looking for a reliable firewall audit management partner here are the key factors you are looking for.
The DO’s Before Your Firewall Audit
So, before your next Firewall audit here are the DO’s you should make a note of.
Have a Backup of All Firewall Data
Before you start the next Firewall, audit collects all the previous firewall typologies and data, including all policies and interactions. You should make a list of the servers and what they correspond to.
And storing them in an excel sheet is not going to work out well, because compliance form a spreadsheet has a record of working out badly.
An Optimized Rule Base
With every firewall audit, you would be adding more rules to your base. But here is the catch, with all these rules that are being replaced you are hoarding a lot of obsolete rules too.
So, before you dive right into your firewall audit, the advice is to clear out the network system off all your rules. Because obsolete rules create an unwanted overhead for your audit. This will eventually also slow down the performance of your firewall.
The DON’T’s Before Your Firewall Audit
When we are about to face an audit, we naturally want to get through it asap. But here is where we need to hold our horses and remember the following;
Don’t Compromise Scalability
If you are going to partner with a firewall audit tool firm, then don’t be swept away with immediate benefits. What works for you now may not when your business grows. So, keeping your growth in mind negotiate with your partner firm accordingly ensure you only pay for what you buy.
Don’t Forget Your Firewall Logs
When it comes to the pre-firewall audit, gathering all your data is important, but also is ensuring you have access to all the firewall logs on your network.
To ensure this goes as smoothly as possible, we suggest having the diagram of your network will really help you.
Final Thoughts
In the end, your IT team is working hard to keep your network away form vulnerabilities and your firewall audit is going to be one of the most important steps in your entire IT audit.
So, having your whole firewall audit checklist ready is going to give you an upper hand through the whole process.