Firewalls prevent unauthorized access to or from a network. They can be hardware, software or a combination of both. Firewalls examine network traffic and determine whether it should be forwarded or not based on rule definitions. Firewalls should be considered the first line of defense in protecting information on a network.
SDC Responsibilities
Acquire product and manage licenses and license compliance
Determine where firewalls should be located on the Wide Area Network (WAN) managed by the SDC
Install on SDC-managed hardware platform, configure and test
Administer security rule definitions
Define and manage any associated log and archive files
Monitor, troubleshoot, and tune usage for optimum performance and availability
Consult with vendor technical support staff to escalate issues that cannot be resolved internally
Notify customers of requested customer and SDC upgrades and changes
Patch and upgrade products
Provide consultation to customers on protection of their computing environments if this expertise does not exist within the customer’s organization
Approve requests to change security rule definitions for firewalls and intrusion detection systems that will result in access or denial to SDC systems
[1] SDC policy on supported software versions will be developed at a later time
Customer Responsibilities
Request firewall rule changes through an approved security contact
Approve requests to change security rule definitions for firewalls that impact the customer computing environment
Coordinate schedules of upgrades and product releases so that important customer activities (e.g., application rollouts, application upgrades, training sessions or live service) are not affected by the changes
Who to Call
Your account manager can help answer any questions you have about this service, contact the SDC Service Desk at (503) 373-1000 or e-mail SDC Service Desk.
What to ask for:
Request the Firewall/VPN Request from the SDC
Troubleshooting network and security access issues
Other
Service Levels:
Service levels to be provided in later revisions of this document.
