Threat actors are increasingly leveraging network devices like firewalls, routers, switches, and access points to compromise organizations. Meanwhile, SecOps teams report lacking the enterprise-wide visibility needed to maintain a strong, effective network security posture. This confluence of pressures suggests that collaboration between NetOps and SecOps is now a critical success factor to strengthen cyber resilience.
In a recent Network World article published on October 27, 2026, BackBox VP of Product and Engineering Richard Phillips discusses five core concepts that network engineering teams can brush up on so they’re better prepared when SecOps arrives with a list of requests or questions that they need help to address.
Where NetOps teams should focus
1. Zero Trust (Never Trust, Always Verify). Assume the network is already breached, and reauthenticate and reauthorize users (human and nonhuman, such as AI agents) at every step as they move through the network and access applications and systems. Validation at a single point isn’t enough.
2. Least Privilege Access. Use role-based access controls (RBAC) and separation of duties to limit access for users (human and nonhuman) and applications to only what is required to perform their jobs. Track every privileged session to accelerate investigation and response.
3. Automated Patching. AI-driven vulnerability discovery and exploitation mean speed is the new risk. Network engineers can gain the lead by leveraging AI-driven automation to quickly determine the right device state for their environment and the most effective, efficient path to achieve it.
4. Vulnerability Management. Automatically check devices weekly, nightly, or in real time against critical parameters to verify compliance and proactively reduce the attack surface. NetOps teams can stay a step ahead and equip security teams with the evidence required to respond rapidly to audits.
5. AI Autonomy. AI is being deployed to help security teams move faster. However, governance lags far behind, exposing organizations to risk. Extending Zero Trust and least privilege policies to AI capabilities and updating AI tools as required helps close the governance gap.
How the Kilter by BackBox Platform Helps
Automatically manage access: Kilter simplifies Zero Trust and least privilege enforcement with RBAC, credential vaults, and compliant onboarding, ensuring administrators have the right permissions to perform their jobs. The platform also maintains an immutable log record for centralized auditing and control of all actions.
Outpace exploits: Kilter continuously monitors devices for network risk stemming from vulnerabilities and configuration drift. Instead of reactive firefighting, the platform uses dynamic inventory, risk data, and scoring to prioritize and enable network engineers to proactively manage risk.
Mitigate risk reliably: Context-enriched risk analysis recommends whether a patch, workaround, configuration change, or upgrade is the most effective and efficient path to resolution. The Kilter platform also provides prebuilt automations and optional AI-driven remediation chains to ensure alignment with your business protocols and best practices.
Use AI responsibly: Kilter AI enables trustworthy AI-powered operations by providing transparency into the data sources that drive insights, explainability of recommendations, and human-in-the-loop validation.
Read the full article to learn more or visit our platform page to discover how Kilter enables cross-team collaboration that strengthens cyber resilience. Ready to get started? Request a demo to see Kilter in action.
Written by
Stephanie Stouck