ITban

ITban is a term used in information technology governance to denote formal restrictions or bans placed on IT resources to mitigate risk, enforce security policy, or comply with legal requirements. It is not a product name; rather, it describes a policy approach that can apply to user accounts, devices, network segments, software, or data flows.

The term combines "IT" with the notion of a ban and is used in incident response, access control frameworks, and compliance programs. ITban actions can be enacted quickly in response to threats, violations, or regulatory demands, and may be temporary or permanent depending on risk assessments and policy objectives.

Common mechanisms include disabling user accounts, quarantining devices, enforcing network access control, blocking IP addresses, applying geofencing, and enforcing application allowlists, as well as terminating active sessions. Effective ITban practices rely on centralized policy management, clear change workflows, and auditable records.

Considerations for ITban programs include potential operational disruption, impact on user productivity, and privacy and legal concerns. To avoid abuse, organizations typically define governance structures, escalation paths, review intervals, and rollback procedures to maintain balance between security and usability.

ITban is typically discussed alongside related concepts such as access control, incident response, network security, device management, and data loss prevention.