Benefits Of Implementing Secure Computing'S Sidewinder Firewall Appliance At A U.S. Army Mil

When I began as a Network Security Administrator at a nearby military installation, the network backbone was in the process of a gigabit migration. Major changes in both the network and corresponding security architectures required the site to pass a DITSCAP accreditation upon completion of the migration. DITSCAP is the certification and accreditation process that all United States Department of Defense (DoD) installations must complete every three years or earlier if major changes occur to the information system. It is the method which helps users, and security officers ensure that DoD information systems operate at an acceptable level of risk. The process is designed to certify that the IT system meets the accreditation requirements, maintains the accredited security posture throughout the system life cycle, and subsequently ensures the protection of the Defense Information Infrastructure. This paper addresses the added protection mechanisms supplied by the implementation of a Sidewinder firewall appliance, along with strict 'least privilege' access control policies would assist the Designated Approval Authority in accepting the new minimized level of risk and therefore approve the site's new DITSCAP accreditation.