Firewall Change Request Policies

This question asks if you have written procedures that everyone must follow when they need to make changes to your firewall rules. It's like having a formal process for changing the locks or security codes in your building - not just anyone can do it whenever they want. The policy should spell out who can request changes, who approves them, and how they're implemented safely.

A documented firewall change policy prevents security chaos and costly breaches. Without it, developers might punch holes in your firewall for convenience, creating vulnerabilities that attackers exploit. Enterprise customers require this because undocumented changes are a leading cause of security incidents. Having a clear policy reduces configuration errors by up to 80%, demonstrates mature security governance, and is required for SOC 2, ISO 27001, and most enterprise contracts. This single document can be the difference between passing or failing a security review.

Companies often have informal processes but no written policy, which fails compliance audits. Another mistake is having a policy that exists only on paper but isn't followed in practice - auditors will test this. Some policies are too vague, lacking specific approval workflows, testing requirements, or rollback procedures, making them ineffective.