Security policy update supporting at least one security service provider includes each of one or more security service providers receiving a set of new rules to be enforced as part of a new security policy. Each security service provider processes the new rules in order to be ready to begin using the new rules, but continues to use the previous set of rules until instructed to begin using the new rules. When all of the one or more security service providers are ready to begin using the new rules, they are instructed to begin using the new rules at which point all of the security service providers begin using the set of new rules substantially concurrently.