A cloud engineer needs to deploy a new virtual firewall in a private cloud. Which of the following should the engineer do as a FIRST step?

Documenting the deployment is typically done after planning or during/after execution, not as the very first step before initiating the process.

Creating a change for deploying the firewall is the foundational first step in any structured IT environment to ensure that the deployment follows organizational policies, undergoes necessary approvals, and is properly documented for accountability and risk mitigation. This formal process prevents unauthorized changes and maintains service stability.

Putting the hypervisor in maintenance mode is a technical execution step performed much later, likely during the actual deployment window, not as the initial planning phase.

Informing users about service unavailability is a communication step taken closer to the actual deployment, after the change has been approved and scheduled, not as the initial action.