Software Defined Networking | The Change Control Blast Radius

A minor change control has been approved, impacting only a small section of the network. However, the change is performed on shared network infrastructure such as firewalls or load balancers. Now comes implementation time, which is the ideal time for application usage but miserable for operators that value their weekends or evenings. Preparation is everything, the appropriate IT staff is on hand to conduct the change and the right business validators set to ensure success. Nothing unusual here and then…BAM! Something goes wrong. The NOC is inundated with calls and management system is lighting up like a Christmas tree.