40. A technician recently received a written warning for causing a system-wide outage. The outage was a result of an unattributed patch being manually pushed during production hours. Which of the following could have most likely prevented the technical from receiving the warning?
Answer: A
Following corporate procedures could have most likely prevented the technician from receiving the warning.
Adhering to corporate procedures is essential in maintaining operational integrity and mitigating risks associated with system changes. By following established protocols, the technician would have likely avoided the unauthorized patch deployment that led to the outage.
A) Following corporate procedures
This option is correct because corporate procedures are designed to ensure that any changes to the system, such as patches, are applied in a controlled and documented manner. If the technician had followed these procedures, the unauthorized patch would have likely been prevented, thus avoiding the outage and the subsequent warning.
B) Validating a rollback plan
While having a rollback plan is important for recovery after an incident, it does not directly prevent the issues caused by deploying an unattributed patch. Therefore, this option is incorrect as it does not address the root cause of the technician's warning, which was the improper application of the patch in the first place.
C) Documenting the findings
Documenting findings is crucial for post-incident analysis and learning, but it does not prevent the incident from occurring. This option is incorrect because, although documentation is beneficial, it does not mitigate the risk of unauthorized changes being made during production hours.
D) Establishing a plan of action
Having a plan of action is important for managing future incidents, but it would not have prevented the technician from pushing an unauthorized patch. This option is incorrect because it focuses on response rather than prevention, which is the main concern in this scenario.
Conclusion
Following corporate procedures is the most effective way to prevent unauthorized actions that can lead to system outages. The other options, while relevant for incident management and recovery, do not address the fundamental need for adherence to established protocols that ensure system stability and integrity. Thus, the correct answer not only highlights the importance of following procedures but also illustrates the shortcomings of the other options in preventing the incident.