Corporate Firewall Migration

Network Services | Client Location: Saudi Arabia

The client was in need of migration of the corporate firewall for higher security and upgraded features.

Before starting the migration, we had to do a lot of background work as the firewall is the main device and the entire system of the company can collapse due to even a minor mishap. In the beginning, we conducted an audit to understand the configuration of the existing firewall thoroughly. Post that, we designed and developed a proper plan of action stating how and when to begin execution keeping in mind all the different aspects. We created a detailed program and submitted it for tool approval to the client. They reviewed and analyzed the proposed plan and gave consent to go ahead.

We assigned our associate who was physically present over there to do cabling, connect the new firewall in to the rack, and prepare it for the configuration. Initially, we took complete backup of the detailed configuration of firewall. Once we were done with the backup we asked our counterpart to manually switch over cable connections from old firewall to the new one. This resulted in connection loss for some time which was well informed to the customer in prior. We were able to access the firewall over the internet during this time. We had done basic configuration of the firewall earlier but after attaching it physically, we were able to configure it in comprehensive manner.

We didn’t retire the old firewall yet and kept it with us in case something goes downhill. New firewall was kept under observation for a week to make sure that existing firewall is meeting all the business requirements. After replacement, a lot of security issues were addressed and changes were suggested, which were implemented smoothly.

We impelled some of the best and latest practices available in the market, upgraded high-end features and added more rules for the security purpose. Once this was fully done, we asked people present at the company to test it. Testing was done by a small user community that was available, and as per their deductions, everything was working perfectly fine. In the end, we got greatly praised for finishing the job transition efficiently, without even our physical presence.