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Tasktop’s Rapid Response to the Log4J Vulnerability Exemplifies the Importance of Value Stream Management

Published By Nicole Bryan
Tasktop’s Rapid Response to the Log4J Vulnerability Exemplifies the Importance of Value Stream Management

Note: We continue to follow and respond quickly to this complex and evolving issue.

Did Your Response Delight or Disappoint Customers? 

The initial CVE for the Log4j vulnerability that set the internet on fire on Friday was happily already fixed in Tasktop’s SaaS products by early afternoon. Customers running our solutions on-prem promptly received a security bulletin containing instructions on how to mitigate the vulnerability shortly after. 

Our customers’ palpable relief and gratitude was a great reminder of why speed-to-market is so essential to the modern enterprise. Customer satisfaction and customer loyalty are highly influenced by how fast you can deliver, whether it’s new functionality or a patch for a security risk.

Preparing for a Zero-Day Vulnerability Requires Tenacious Focus on Flow

When we heard about the Log4J vulnerability on Friday morning, we quickly launched our standard process: investigation, escalation, creation of a cross-value stream rapid response team. We executed the process perfectly. 

But that would have meant nothing to our customers if we couldn’t deploy a fix to address the issue ASAP. 

Part of practicing value stream management is being conscious that value stream flow forms the basis for a moment like this — to address an issue of this importance in our SaaS environments and package it for distribution to our on-prem install-base. 

We make our work visible, we measure our speed, we continuously address our bottlenecks and always strive to get faster. And on December 10th, the results of our ongoing efforts paid off in spades.

We’re feeling great, because we’ve accomplished what value stream management is all about: better business outcomes. Our customers are happy, our employees feel empowered and our business is protected. 

Get started with Value Stream Management with Tasktop

A Reminder of the Benefits of Cloud

Many enterprises are currently undergoing a shift to cloud, at a time when awareness of the long-term cost implications of cloud is growing. It is in moments like this, however, that cloud shines. As enterprises scramble to patch hundreds and thousands of on-prem systems, SaaS vendors have already fixed the vulnerability.

Tasktop is proud to offer both Planview Viz® and Planview Hub as Software-as-a-Service. Learn more

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Written by Nicole Bryan

Nicole Bryan is the Vice President of Product Management at Tasktop. She has more than 17 years of experience in software and product development, focused primarily on bringing data visualization/infographics and human factors considerations to the forefront of Application Lifecycle Management. Most recently, she served as director of product management at Borland Software/Micro Focus, where she was responsible for creating a new Agile development management tool. Bryan is passionate about improving how software is created and delivered – making the experience enjoyable, fun and yes, even delightful.