Every product launched on the market by ARKOON Network Security (whether it is a new appliance or a new software version) is meeting general management policy of the quality, which goes through the follow-up of the various phases of its life cycle.
The security appliances produced by ARKOON integrate a software part: the system, which is declined in various versions; and a material part: the appliance. The final product consists of the integration of a software system on an appliance.
The software system of the Arkoon equipments is evolving over the time. These evolutions can be motivated by 2 main reasons:
1 - Functional evolution:
2 - Patching :
ARKOON defines 2 types of versions on the system:
During its lifecycle (detailed below), every version (major or evolutive) may be subject to patches (security or functional patches):
**Evolutive Version: An evolutive version is an intermediate version released between two major versions.
***Corrective Patches:
- System evolution (kernel, functionality, security)
- An evolution of the ergonomics or of the IHM interfaces (simplification of a configuration process, addition of on-line commands…)
- An evolution of the elements of audit, reporting
- Security patching
- Functional patching
- The major versions *
- The evolutive versions**
- Patches***
*Major Version:
A major version in maintained during 36 months. Frequency of major versions = released approximately every 9 months
Period of corrective software maintenance = until the release of the next evolutive
version (+or- 3 months)
Frequency of evolutive versions = release approximately every 3 months (Tied to availability of new functionalities)
Frequency of Corrective Patches: tied to the criticality of the components of the patch
