White Paper

Enterprise Security Architecture SABSA Limited

John Sherwood, Andrew Clark & David Lynas
Contact: info@sabsa-institute.org

Executive Summary
SABSA®1 is a model and a methodology for developing risk-driven enterprise information security architectures
and for delivering security infrastructure solutions that support critical business initiatives. At the heart of this
methodology is the SABSA® Model, a top-down approach that drives the SABSA® Development Process. This
process analyses the business requirements at the outset, and creates a chain of traceability through the strategy
& concept, design, implementation and ongoing ‘manage and measure’ phases of the SABSA® Lifecycle to
ensure that the business mandate is preserved. The whole methodology is further supported by framework tools
created from practical experience, including the SABSA® Matrix and the SABSA® Business Attributes Profile.
This white paper explores the advantages of this business-focused model for creating security architecture. It
discusses the pitfalls of a technology-centric approach, and recognises the challenges of integrating the business
leaders with the technology strategists in order to fulfil the potential of the enterprise.
The paper also discusses the SABSA® methodology, explaining this approach by comparing it to the classical
definition of architecture (i.e., the construction of buildings). By illustrating the contextual, conceptual, logical,
physical, component-oriented and operational layers of the architectural process, a comprehensive approach
unfolds that provides a roadmap for business and information and communications technology (ICT) leadership
to follow to ensure the technology foundation becomes an enabler of business performance.

The Origins of Architecture

Architecture has its origins in the building of towns and cities, and everyone understands this sense of the word,
so it makes sense to begin by examining the meaning of ‘architecture’ in this traditional context.
Architecture is a set of rules and conventions by which we create buildings that serve the purposes for which we
intend them, both functionally and aesthetically. Our concept of architecture is one that supports our needs to
live, to work, to do business, to travel, to socialise and to pursue our leisure. The multiplicity and complex
interaction of these various activities must be supported, and this includes the relationship between the activities
themselves and their integration into a whole lifestyle. Architecture is founded upon an understanding of the
needs that it must fulfil.
These needs are expressed in terms of function, aesthetics, culture, government policies and civil priorities.
They take into account how we feel about ourselves and about our neighbours, and how they feel about us. In
these various ways, architecture must serve all those who will experience it in any way.
Architecture is also both driven and constrained by a number of specific factors. These include: the materials
available within the locale that can be used for construction; the terrain, the prevailing climate; the technology;
and the engineering skills of the people.
This all boils down to three major factors that determine what architecture we will create. These factors are:
• The materials available within the locale that can be used for construction

1 SABSA®: System and Business Security Architecture – a registered trademark of SABSA Limited

Revised 7 February 2005 (A4) Page 1 of 17

Copyright © 1995 - 2005 SABSA Limited. All Rights Reserved
 • The terrain
• The prevailing climate
• The technology
• The engineering skills of the people
As a result, there are fundamentally three major factors that determine what architecture we will create:
• Our goals
• The environment
• Our technical capabilities

Information Systems Architecture

The concept of ‘architecture’ in buildings has been adapted to areas of life other than the building of towns and
cities. For example one talks about a ‘naval architect’ being someone that designs and supervises the
construction of ships. In more recent times the term has been adopted in the context of designing and building
business computer systems, and so the concept of ‘information systems architecture’ has been born.
In the same way that conventional architecture defines the rules and standards for the design and construction of
buildings, information systems architecture addresses these same issues for the design and construction of
computers, communications networks and the distributed business systems that are implemented using these
technologies.
As with the conventional architecture of buildings, towns and cities, information systems architecture must
therefore take account of:
• The goals that we want to achieve through the systems
• The environment in which the systems will be built and used
• The technical capabilities needed to construct and operate the systems and their component sub-
systems
If one accepts this analysis then one is already well on the way to recognising that information systems
architecture is concerned with much more than mere technical factors. It is concerned with what the enterprise
wants to achieve and with the environmental factors that will influence those achievements.
In some organisations this broad view of information systems architecture is not well understood. Technical
factors are often the main ones that influence the architecture, and under these conditions the architecture can
fail to deliver what the business expects and needs.
This document is mainly concerned only with one aspect of information systems architecture: that is the security
of business information systems. However, in addressing this specialist area the authors have tried to provide as
much advice as possible on how to take the broader view. Thus the focus is on an ‘enterprise security
architecture’, to emphasise that it is the enterprise and its activities that are to be secured, and that the security of
computers and networks is only a means to this end.

Managing Complexity
One of the key functions of ‘architecture’ as a tool of the architect is to provide a framework within which
complexity can be managed successfully. Small, isolated, individual projects do not need ‘architecture’,
because their level of complexity is limited and the chief designer can manage the overall design single-handed.
However, as the size and complexity of a project grows, then it is clear that many designers are needed, all
working as a team to create something that has the appearance of being designed by a single ‘design authority’.
Also, if an individual project is not isolated, but rather is intended to fit harmoniously within a much wider,
highly complex set of other projects, then an architecture is needed to act as a ‘road-map’ within which all of
these projects can be brought together into a seamless whole. The result must be as though they were all indeed
part of a single, large, complex project. This applies whether the individual projects are designed and
implemented simultaneously, or whether they are designed and implemented independently over an extended
period of time.
Revised 7 February 2005 (A4) Page 2 of 17
Copyright © 1995 - 2005 SABSA Limited. All Rights Reserved
As complexity increases, then a framework is needed within which each designer can work, contributing to the
overall design. Each design team member must also be confident that his/her work will be in harmony with that
of colleagues and that the overall integrity of the design will not be threatened by the work being split across a
large design team.
The role of ‘architecture’ is to provide the framework that breaks down complexity into apparent simplicity.
This is achieved by layering techniques – focusing attention on specific conceptual levels of thinking, and by
modularization – breaking the overall design into manageable pieces that have defined functionality and defined
interfaces. This process is also known as ‘systems engineering’.

Enterprise Security Architecture

It is the common experience of many corporate organisations that information security solutions are often
designed, acquired and installed on a tactical basis. A requirement is identified, a specification is developed and
a solution is sought to meet that situation. In this process there is no opportunity to consider the strategic
dimension, and the result is that the organisation builds up a mixture of technical solutions on an ad hoc basis,
each independently designed and specified and with no guarantee that they will be compatible and inter-
operable. There is often no analysis of the long-term costs, especially the operational costs which make up a
large proportion of the total cost of ownership, and there is no strategy that can be identifiably said to support
the goals of the business.
An approach that avoids these piecemeal problems is the development of an enterprise security architecture
which is business-driven and which describes a structured inter-relationship between the technical and
procedural solutions to support the long-term needs of the business. If the architecture is to be successful, then
it must provide a rational framework within which decisions can be made upon the selection of security
solutions. The decision criteria should be derived from a thorough understanding of the business requirements,
including:
• The need for cost reduction
• Modularity
• Scalability
• Ease of component re-use
• Operability
• Usability
• Inter-operability both internally and externally
• Integration with the enterprise IT architecture and its legacy systems.
Furthermore, information systems security is only a small part of information security, which in turn is but one
part of a wider topic: business security. Business security embraces three major areas: information security;
business continuity; physical and environmental security. Broader still is the view that business security is
concerned with all aspects of operational risk management. Only through an integrated approach to these broad
aspects of business security will it be possible for the enterprise to make the most cost-effective and beneficial
decisions with regard to the management of operational risk. The enterprise security architecture and the
security management process should therefore embrace all of these areas.
The team at SABSA Limited has been working since 1995 with a model and a methodology for developing
enterprise security architecture. This SABSA® Model is the basis used for major consulting assignments with
clients, and over the years the methodology has been reviewed and refined in the light of experience and in
response to new inputs of ideas from various sources.
The primary characteristic of the SABSA® Model is that everything must be derived from an analysis of the
business requirements for security, especially those in which security has an enabling function through which
new business opportunities can be developed and exploited. The model is layered, with the top layer being the
business requirements definition stage. At each lower layer a new level of abstraction is developed, going
through the definition of the conceptual architecture, logical architecture, physical architecture and finally at the
lowest layer, the selection of technologies and products (component architecture) - in other words, the shopping
list (in the building trade known as the ‘bill of materials’). In addition the whole area of security management,
administration and operations is addressed through the operational architecture.

Revised 7 February 2005 (A4) Page 3 of 17

Copyright © 1995 - 2005 SABSA Limited. All Rights Reserved
The SABSA® Model itself is generic and can be the starting point for any organisation, but by going through the
process of analysis and decision-making implied by its structure, it becomes specific to the enterprise, and is
finally highly customised to a unique business model. It becomes in reality the enterprise security architecture,
and it is central to the success of a strategic programme of information security management within the
organisation.

Why Architectures Sometimes Fail to Deliver Benefit

Historical Background
Many corporate organisations implement technical solutions to business security requirements on a very tactical
basis. Usually a requirement is identified and a product is sought and acquired to meet that requirement without
regard to the broader implications. A point solution is implemented which is often effective in providing some
security, but frequently no-one is really sure that the security is appropriate to the risk, or that the cost is
commensurate with the benefit, or that it meets a wide variety of other business requirements which are not
specifically risk-related. Security is often the last thing to be considered in business information system design,
and often gets relegated to the status of a few add-on fixes when all other design decisions have been frozen.
This can lead to many problems. The security solutions are often isolated and incapable of being integrated
together or of inter-operating with one another. The variety of security solutions leads to increased complexity
and cost of support, and in particular can lead to an exploding workload with regard to administration and
management. Worst of all, because there has been inadequate attention paid to the business requirements, the
“solution” can sometimes hinder the business process rather than helping it, and the reputation of “security”
among the business community gets worse and worse.
Appropriate ‘business security’ is that which protects the business from undue operational risks in a cost-
effective way. If ‘business security’ is to be effective in enhancing the business process and achieving business
goals (and what other possible use could it have?) then the approach described above must be avoided. A much
more strategic view should be developed, in which the business requirements are the primary driver for
developing effective information security solutions.

The Wider Business Requirements

Consider again the issue of information security, using it as an example, whilst remembering that the
requirements for business assurance and operational risk management also span the areas of business continuity
and physical and environmental security. The same principles developed below can be applied across the entire
area of business assurance.
The primary business requirements for information security are business-specific. They will usually be
expressed in terms of protecting the availability, integrity, authenticity and confidentiality of business
information, and providing accountability and auditability in information systems. To understand these
requirements, a detailed analysis of the business processes is required, using as source data information gathered
by direct interviews with operational business managers.
However, there is much more to the business requirements than pure “security and control”. Information
security provides for the confident use of information for business purposes across the entire organisation. The
generic business requirements for an information security solution often include the following:

Usability
Is the solution appropriate to the technical competence of the intended users and will it be ergonomically
acceptable to those users?

Inter-Operability
Will the solution provide for the long-term requirements for inter-operability between communicating
information systems and applications?

Integration
Will the solution integrate with the wide range of computer applications and platforms for which it might be
required in the long term?

Revised 7 February 2005 (A4) Page 4 of 17

Copyright © 1995 - 2005 SABSA Limited. All Rights Reserved
Supportability
Will the solution be capable of being supported in the environment2 within which it has been designed to be
used?

Low Cost Development

Is the solution of modular design and hence capable of being integrated into a development programme at
minimal cost?

Fast Time to Market

Is the solution capable of being integrated into a development programme with minimal delay?

Scalability of Platforms
Will the solution fit with the range of computing platforms3 with which it might be required to integrate?

Scalability of Cost
Is the entry-level cost appropriate to the range of business applications for which the solution is intended?

Scalability of Security Level

Does the solution support the range of cryptographic and other techniques that will be needed to implement the
required range of security strengths?

Re-Usability
Is the solution re-usable in a wide variety of similar situations to get the best return on the investment in its
acquisition and development?

Operations Costs
Will the cost impact on systems operations be minimised?

Administration Costs
Will the solution provide an efficient means for security administration to minimise the costs of this activity?

Risk-Based Cost/Benefit Effectiveness

Is the reduction of risk (the benefit) appropriate to the costs of acquisition, development, installation,
administration and operation?

Enabling Business
Finally there are usually a number of business-specific requirements that influence the security strategy. These
include requirements where security has an important role in generating the appropriate level of confidence so
as to enable new ways of doing business using the latest advances in information technology, such as:
• Exploiting the global reach of the Internet;
• Using global e-mail;
• Outsourcing the operational management of networks and computer systems;
• Providing remote access to third parties;

2 Including the number of end-users and service-delivery points, their geographical location and their
distribution.
3 Potential platforms range from high-end mainframes, through mid-range servers, down to PCs and work-
stations.

Revised 7 February 2005 (A4) Page 5 of 17

Copyright © 1995 - 2005 SABSA Limited. All Rights Reserved
 • Developing on-line business services;
• Delivery of digital entertainment products (video, music, etc)
• Improving customer service through integration of information and consistent presentation of a user
interface
• Obtaining software upgrades and system support through remote access by vendors;
• Tele-working, ‘mobile computing’, ‘road warriors’ and the ‘virtual office’.

Being a Successful Security Architect

Unless the security architecture can address this wide range of operational requirements and provide real
business support and business enablement, rather than just focusing upon ‘security’, then it is likely that it will
fail to deliver what the business expects and needs.
This type of failure is a common phenomenon throughout the information systems industry, not just in the realm
of information systems security. In this book the whole emphasis is on the need to avoid this mistake, by
keeping in mind at all times the real needs of the business. It is not sufficient to compile a set of business
requirements, document them and put them on the shelf, and then proceed to design a security architecture
driven by technical thinking alone.
Being a successful security architect means thinking in business terms at all times, even when you get down to
the real detail and the nuts and bolts of the construction. You always need to have in mind the questions: Why
are you doing this? What are you trying to achieve in business terms here? Otherwise you will lose the thread
and finish up making all the classic mistakes.
It will also be difficult to battle against the numerous other people around you who do not understand strategic
architecture, and who think that it is all to do with technology. These people will constantly challenge you,
attack you and ridicule you. You have to be ready to deal with this. You have to realise that being a successful
architect is also about being a successful communicator who can sell the ideas and the benefits to others in the
enterprise who need to be educated about these issues.
One of the most important factors for success is to have buy-in and sponsorship from senior management levels
within the enterprise. Enterprise architecture cannot be achieved unless the most senior decision-makers are on
your side. The fruits of the architectural work will be enjoyed throughout the enterprise, but only if the
enterprise as a whole can begin to think and act in a strategic way. Creating this environment of acceptance and
support is probably one of the most difficult tasks that you will face in the early stages of your work.

Security Architecture Needs a Holistic Approach

Many people make the mistake of believing that building security into information systems is simply a matter of
referring to a checklist of technical and procedural controls and applying the appropriate security measures on
the list. However, security has an important property that most people know about but few pay any real heed to
it: it is like a chain, made up of many links, and the strength and suitability of the chain is only as good as that of
its weakest link. At worst, if one link is missing altogether, the rest of chain is valueless.
The checklist approach also fails because many people focus on checking that the links in the chain exist but do
not test that the links actually fit together to form a secure chain. The chain is a reasonably good analogy, but
the problem is actually much worse than this. Imagine a checklist that has the following items: engine block;
pistons; piston rings; piston rods, bearings, valves; cam shaft, wheels, chassis, body, seats, steering wheel,
gearbox, etc. Suppose that this list comprehensively itemises every single component that would be needed to
build a car. If you go through the checklist and make sure that you have all of these components, does it mean
that you have a car? Not exactly!
A car is a good example of a complex system. It has many sub-systems, which in turn have sub-systems, and
eventually a very large number of components. Designing and building a car needs a ‘systems-engineering’
approach. Some of the key questions not addressed by the checklist approach to car construction are:
• Do you understand the requirements?
• Do you have a design philosophy?

Revised 7 February 2005 (A4) Page 6 of 17

Copyright © 1995 - 2005 SABSA Limited. All Rights Reserved
 • Do you have all of the components?
• Do these components work together?
• Do they form an integrated system?
• Does the system run smoothly
• Are you assured that it is properly assembled?
• Is the system properly tuned?
• Do you operate the system correctly
• Do you maintain the system?
The analogy of the car as a complex machine that needs a holistic architectural design is much more powerful
than the idea of a chain. Security architecture is more like the car, not the chain.

The SABSA® Model

A Layered Model of Architecture
To establish a layered model of how a security architecture is created, it is useful to return for a moment to the
use of the word in its conventional sense: the construction of buildings.
The SABSA® Model comprises six layers, the summary of which is in Table 1. It follows closely the work done
by John A. Zachman4 in developing a model for enterprise architecture, although it has been adapted somewhat
to a security view of the world. Each layer represents the view of a different player in the process of
specifying, designing, constructing and using the building.

Table 1: Layered Architecture Views

The Business View Contextual Security Architecture

The Architect’s View Conceptual Security Architecture

The Designer’s View Logical Security Architecture

The Builder’s View Physical Security Architecture

The Tradesman’s View Component Security Architecture

The Facilities Manager’s View Operational Security Architecture

There is another configuration of these six layers which is perhaps more helpful, shown in Figure 1. In this
diagram the ‘operational security architecture’ has been placed vertically across the other five layers. This is
because operational security issues arise at each and every one of the other five layers. Operational security has
a meaning in the context of each of these other layers.

4 Published through the Zachman Institute for Framework Advancement. Reference: http://www.zifa.com

Revised 7 February 2005 (A4) Page 7 of 17

Copyright © 1995 - 2005 SABSA Limited. All Rights Reserved
 Operational Security Architecture
Contextual Security Architecture

Conceptual Security Architecture

Logical Security Architecture

Physical Security Architecture

Component Security Architecture

Figure 1: The SABSA® Model for Security Architecture

The Business View

When a new building is commissioned, the owner has a set of business requirements that must be met by the
architecture. At the highest level this is expressed by the descriptive name of the building: it is a domestic
house; a factory; an office block; a sports centre; a school; a hospital; a warehouse; a theatre; a shopping centre;
an airport terminal; a railway station; or whatever. Each one of these business uses immediately implies an
architecture that will be different from all the others, an architecture that will fulfil expectations for the function
of the building in business terms.
Having stated what sort of building is needed the owner must then decide some more detail about its use:
• Why do you want this building? The goals that you want to achieve.
• How will it be used? The detailed functional description.
• Who will use the building, including the types of people, their physical mobility, the numbers of them
expected, and so on?
• Where should it be located, and what is its geographical relationship to other buildings and to the
infrastructure (such as roads, railways etc)?
• When will it be used? The times of day / week / year, and the pattern of usage over time.
This type of analysis is essential before any type of design work is done. It is through this process that the
requirements of the building are established, and understanding the requirements is a pre-requisite to designing a
building that will meet those requirements.
When you design a secure business system, the same applies. There are many possible architectural approaches
that you could take, but the one that will be the most suitable will be driven from a clear understanding of the
business requirements for the system.
• What type of system is it and what will it be used for?
• Why will it be used?
• How will it be used?
• Who will use it?
• Where will it be used?
• When will it be used?

Revised 7 February 2005 (A4) Page 8 of 17

Copyright © 1995 - 2005 SABSA Limited. All Rights Reserved
These are the characteristic questions that you must ask. From the analysis of the replies you receive, you
should be able to gain an understanding of the business requirements for the secure system. From those you
should be able to synthesise a systems architecture and a security architecture that meets those requirements.
In the SABSA® Model this business view is called the contextual security architecture. It is a description of the
business context in which your secure systems must be designed, built and operated.
Any attempt to define an architecture that takes a short cut and avoids this essential step is very unlikely to be
successful. Even so, simple observation reveals that many enterprises undertaking architectural work do not
take this stage seriously. It is very common for systems architecture work to begin from a technical perspective,
looking at technologies and solutions whilst ignoring the requirements.
It seems to be such obvious common sense that one must first understand the requirements, and yet so few
people seem to know how to approach architecture development in the information systems arena.
Unfortunately many technologists and technicians believe that they already know the requirements, even though
they have a poor relationship with those who might express these requirements.
The results of taking a short cut in the requirements definition stages of an architecture development are
abundantly clear. When one looks around at many large corporate enterprises and at their information systems
infrastructure managers or applications teams, the relationship with the business community is often strained.
For many years the ‘business people’ have been complaining that the ‘information systems people’ are unable to
deliver what the business needs, and that ICT is a serious source of cost with very little tangible benefit to show
for it. The reason is simple: the business people are right. ICT vendor interests and technical innovations often
drive business systems development strategy, rather than it being driven by business needs. Those with
responsibility for architecture and technical strategy often fail to understand the business requirements because
they do not know how to do otherwise. Ignorance of architectural principles is commonplace.
We describe here how to take a layered approach to security architecture development. Many of you will be
tempted to flip the pages to get to the end sections where some of the solutions can be found. You are in a hurry,
and whilst you know that this step-wise approach is correct, you simply do not have the time to linger on the
appetisers and starters – you need to get to the meat course. Well, be warned. There simply is no substitute for
doing architecture work the proper way. You may try to take short cuts, but your efforts will most likely result
in failure, which costs the business more money, delivers less benefit, and destroys the confidence that business
people may have in information and communications technology as the means to enable business development.
In the model presented here, the contextual architecture is concerned with:
• What? The business, its assets to be protected (brand, reputation, etc.) and the business needs for
information security (security as a business enabler, secure electronic business, operational continuity
and stability, compliance with the law, etc.).
• Why? The business risks expressed in terms of assets, goals, success factors and the threats, impacts
and vulnerabilities that put these at risk, driving the need for business security (brand protection, fraud
prevention, loss prevention, legal obligations, business continuity, etc.).
• How? The business processes that require security (business interactions and transactions, business
communications, etc.).
• Who? The organisational aspects of business security (management structures, supply chain structures,
out-sourcing relationships, strategic partnerships).
• Where? The business geography and location-related aspects of business security (the global village
market place, distributed corporate sites, remote working, etc.).
• When? The business time-dependencies and time-related aspects of business security in terms of both
performance and sequence (business transaction throughput, lifetimes and deadlines, just-in-time
operations, time-to-market, etc.).

The Architect’s View

An architect is a creative person with a grand vision. Architects thrive on challenging business requirements.
They marshal their skill, experience and expertise to create an inspired picture of what the building will look
like. They create impressionistic drawings and high-level descriptions. The pictures are painted with broad
brushes and sweeping strokes. They prepare the way for more detailed work later on, when other people with
different types of expertise and skill will fill in the gaps with fine brush strokes.

Revised 7 February 2005 (A4) Page 9 of 17

Copyright © 1995 - 2005 SABSA Limited. All Rights Reserved
The architect’s view is the overall concept by which the business requirements of the enterprise may be met.
Thus, this layer of the SABSA® Model is referred to as the conceptual architecture. It defines principles and
fundamental concepts that guide the selection and organisation of the logical and physical elements at the lower
layers of abstraction.
When describing the enterprise security architecture, this is the place to describe the security concepts and
principles that will be used. These include:
• What you want to protect, expressed in the SABSA® Model in terms of Business Attributes.
SABSA® Business Attributes are explained later in this paper. They provide the primary tool by which
business requirements can be captured in a normalised form.
• Why the protection is important, in terms of control objectives.
Control objectives are derived directly from an analysis of business operational risks and are a
conceptualisation of business motivation for security.
• How you want to achieve the protection, in terms of high-level technical and management security
strategies.
These strategies set out the conceptual layered framework for integrating individual tactical elements at
the lower levels, ensuring that these fit together in a meaningful way to fulfil the overall strategic goals
of the business. Such strategies include: the strategy for applications security; the network security
strategy; the public key infrastructure (PKI) strategy; the role-based access control (RBAC) strategy;
and so on. For every major area of the business requirements identified in the contextual security
architecture, there will be a security strategy (or group of strategies) that supports it.
• Who is involved in security management, in terms of entity relationship models, and the trust
framework within which entities interact with one another.
The important trust concepts are concerned with the various policy authorities that govern trust within a
domain, the policies that set to govern behaviour of entities in each of those domains, and the inter-
domain trust relationships.
• Where you want to achieve the protection conceptualised in terms of security domains.
The important concepts here are security domains (both logical and physical), domain boundaries and
security associations.
• When is the protection relevant, in terms of both points in time and periods of time.
The important concepts are lifetimes and expiry deadlines (of keys, certificates, passwords, sessions,
etc.), and the use of trusted time for time-stamping and time-sensitive business transactions. Also
important are time-related performance criteria – how quickly things must happen.

The Designer’s View

The designer takes over from the architect. The designer has to interpret the architect’s conceptual vision and
turn it into a logical structure that can be engineered to create a real building. The architect is an artist and
visionary, but the designer is an engineer.
In the world of business computing and data communications, this design process is often called systems
engineering. It involves the identification and specification of the logical architectural elements of an overall
system. This view models the business as a system, with system components that are themselves sub-systems. It
shows the major architectural security elements in terms of logical security services, and describes the logical
flow of control and the relationships between these logical elements. It is therefore also known as the logical
security architecture.
In terms of architectural decomposition down through the layers, the logical security architecture should reflect
and represent all of the major security strategies in the conceptual security architecture. At this logical level,
everything from the higher layers is transformed into a series of logical abstractions.
The logical security architecture is concerned with:
• What? Business information is a logical representation of the real business. It is this business
information that needs to be secured.

Revised 7 February 2005 (A4) Page 10 of 17

Copyright © 1995 - 2005 SABSA Limited. All Rights Reserved
 • Why? Specifying the security policy requirements (high-level security policy, registration authority
policy, certification authority policy, physical domain policies, logical domain policies, etc.) for
securing business information.
• How? Specifying the logical security services (entity authentication, confidentiality protection,
integrity protection, non-repudiation, system assurance, etc.) and how they fit together as common re-
usable building blocks into a complex security system that meets the overall business requirements.
• Who? Specifying the entities (users, security administrators, auditors, etc.) and their inter-relationships,
attributes, authorised roles and privilege profiles in the form of a ‘schema’.
• Where? Specifying the security domains and inter-domain relationships (logical security domains,
physical security domains, security associations).
• When? Specifying the security processing cycle (registration, certification, login, session management,
etc.).

The Builder’s View

The designer of the building hands over the work process to the builder. The builder is someone who can take
the logical descriptions and drawings and turn these into a technology model that can be used to construct the
building. It is the builder’s job to choose and assemble the physical elements that will make the logical design
come to life as a real construction. This view is therefore also referred to as the physical security architecture.
In the world of business information systems, the designer produces a set of logical abstractions that describe
the system to be built. These need to be turned into a physical security architecture model that describes the
actual technology model and specifies the functional requirements of the various system components. The
logical security services are now expressed in terms of the physical security mechanisms and servers that will be
used to deliver these services.
In total, the physical security architecture is concerned with:
• What? Specifying the business data model and the security-related data structures (tables, messages,
pointers, certificates, signatures, etc.)
• Why? Specifying rules that drive logical decision-making within the system (conditions, practices,
procedures and actions).
• How? Specifying security mechanisms (encryption, access control, digital signatures, virus scanning,
etc.) and the physical servers upon which these mechanisms will be hosted.
• Who? Specifying the people dependency in the form of the users, the applications that they use and the
security user interface (screen formats and user interactions).
• Where? Specifying security technology infrastructure (physical layout of the hardware, software and
communications lines).
• When? Specifying the time-dependency in the form of execution control structures (sequences, events,
lifetimes and time intervals).

The Tradesman’s View

When the builder plans the construction process, s/he needs to assemble a team of experts in each of the
building trades that will be needed: the bricklayer, the plasterer, the electrician, the plumber, the carpenter, and
so on. Each one of these brings some very specific production skills and some very specific products to the
overall construction process.
So it is in the construction of information systems. The builder needs to assemble a series of products from
specialist vendors, and a team with the integration skills to join these products together during an
implementation of the design.
Each of the integrators is the equivalent of a tradesman, working with specialist products and system
components that are the equivalent of building materials and components. Some of these ‘trades’ are hardware-
related, some are software-related, and some are service oriented. The ‘tradesmen’ work with a series of
components that are hardware items, software items, and interface specifications and standards. Hence this
layer of the architectural model is also called the component security architecture.
The component architecture is concerned with:

Revised 7 February 2005 (A4) Page 11 of 17

Copyright © 1995 - 2005 SABSA Limited. All Rights Reserved
 • What? Data field specifications, address specifications and other detailed data structure specifications.
• Why? Security standards.
• How? Products and tools (both hardware and software).
• Who? User identities, privileges, functions, actions and access control lists (ACLs).
• Where? Computer processes, node addresses, and inter-process protocols.
• When? Security step timings and sequencing.

The Facilities Manager’s View

When the building is finished, those who architected, designed and constructed it move out, but someone has to
run the building during its lifetime. Such a person is often called the facilities manager. The job of the facilities
manager is to deal with the operation of the building and its various services, maintaining it in good working
order, and monitoring how well it is performing in meeting the requirements. The framework for doing this is
called the operational security architecture.
In the realm of business information systems the operational architecture is concerned with classical systems
operations work. Here the focus of attention is only on the security-related parts of that work. The operational
security architecture is concerned with the following:
• What? Assuring the operational continuity of the business systems and information processing, and
maintaining the security of operational business data and information (confidentiality, integrity,
availability, auditability and accountability).
• Why? To manage operational risks and hence to minimise operational failures and disruptions.
• How? Performing specialised security-related operations (user security administration, system security
administration, data back-ups, security monitoring, emergency response procedures, etc.).
• Who? Providing operational support for the security-related needs of all users and their applications
(business users, operators, administrators, etc.).
• Where? Maintaining the system integrity and security of all operational platforms and networks (by
applying operational security standards and auditing the configuration against these standards).
• When? Scheduling and executing a timetable of security-related operations.
However, referring back to Figure 1, there is another dimension to the operational security architecture – its
vertical relationship with the other five layers of the model. Thus the operational security architecture needs to
be interpreted in detail at each and every one of the other five layers. This is shown in Table 2, with some
examples of the type of operational activity that is implied with regard to each of the layers.

Table 2: The Operational Security Architecture

Contextual Security policy making, information classification, risk analysis process, business requirements
Layer collection and specification, organisational and cultural development, etc.

Conceptual Major programmes for training and awareness, business continuity management, audit and
Layer review, process development for registration, authorisation, administration and incident handling,
development of standards and procedures, etc.

Logical Management of security services, security of service management, negotiation of inter-operable

Layer standards for security services, audit trail monitoring and invocation of actions, etc.

Physical Cryptographic key management, communication of security parameters between parties,

Layer synchronisation between parties, access control list maintenance and distribution of access control
entries, back-up management (storing, labelling, indexing, etc), virus pattern search maintenance,
event log file management and archiving, etc.

Component Products, technology, standards and tools evaluation and selection, project management,
Layer implementation management, operation and administration of individual components, etc.

Revised 7 February 2005 (A4) Page 12 of 17

Copyright © 1995 - 2005 SABSA Limited. All Rights Reserved
The Inspector’s View
There is another view of security in business information systems, the Inspector’s View, which is concerned
with providing assurance that the architecture is complete, consistent, robust and ‘fit-for-purpose’ in every way.
In the realm of information systems security this is the process of ‘security auditing’ carried out by ‘computer
auditors’ or ‘systems quality assurance’ personnel.
However, the SABSA® Model does not recognise this as a separate architectural view. The SABSA® approach
to audit and assurance is that the architecture model as a whole supports these needs. The existence of such an
architecture is one of the ways in which the auditors will establish that security is being applied in a systematic
and appropriate way. The framework itself can provide a means by which to structure the audit process. In
addition, security audit and review is addressed as one of the major strategic programmes within the operational
security architecture associated with the conceptual layer (see Table 1 above).

The SABSA® Matrix

In the above sections, each of the six horizontal layers of abstraction of the architecture model (contextual,
conceptual, logical, physical, component and operational) has been examined. Each of the sections has also
introduced a series of vertical cuts through each of these horizontal layers, answering the questions:
• What are you trying to do at this layer? – The assets to be protected by your security architecture.
• Why are you doing it? – The motivation for wanting to apply security, expressed in the terms of this
layer.
• How are you trying to do it? – The functions needed to achieve security at this layer.
• Who is involved? – The people and organisational aspects of security at this layer.
• Where are you doing it? – The locations where you apply your security, relevant to this layer.
• When are you doing it? – The time-related aspects of security relevant to this layer.
These six vertical architectural elements are now summarised for all six horizontal layers. This gives a 6 x 6
matrix of cells, which represents the whole model for the enterprise security architecture. It is called the
SABSA® Matrix (see Table 3). If you can address the issues raised by each and every one of these cells, then
you will have covered the entire range of questions to be answered, and you can high a high level of confidence
that your security architecture will be complete5. The process of developing an enterprise security architecture
is a process of populating all of these thirty-six cells.
The SABSA® Matrix also provides two-way traceability:
• Completeness: has every business requirement been met? The layers and matrix allow you to trace
every requirement through to the components that provide a solution.
• Business Justification: is every component of the architecture needed? When someone questions ‘Why
are we doing it this way?’ the rationale is plain by tracing back to the business requirements that drive
the specific solution.

5 There still remains a potential issue regarding consistency and lack of conflict between all the various cells.

Revised 7 February 2005 (A4) Page 13 of 17

Copyright © 1995 - 2005 SABSA Limited. All Rights Reserved
 Assets Motivation Process People Location Time
(What) (Why) (How) (Who) (Where) (When)
Business Business Business
Business Risk Business
Contextual The Business
Model
Process Organization and
Geography
Time
Model Relationships Dependencies
Business Security Strategies Security Entity Security-Related
Control Security Domain
Conceptual Attributes
Objectives
and Architectural Model and
Model
Lifetimes and
Profile Layering Trust Framework Deadlines
Business Entity Schema Security Domain Security
Security Security
Logical Information
Policies Services
and Privilege Definitions and Processing
Model Profiles Associations Cycle
Security Rules, Users, Platform Control
Business Data Security
Physical Model
Practices and
Mechanisms
Applications and and Network Structure
Procedures the User Interface Infrastructure Execution
Security Identities, Processes, Security Step
Detailed Data Security
Component Structures Standards
Products Functions, Actions Nodes, Addresses Timing
and Tools and ACLs and Protocols and Sequencing
Assurance of Operational Security Service Application and Security of Security
Operational Operational Risk Management User Management Sites, Networks Operations
Continuity Management and Support and Support and Platforms Schedule

Table 3: The SABSA® Matrix

The SABSA® Development Process

The SABSA® model provides the basis for an architecture development process, since it is clear that through
understanding the business requirements, the architect can create the initial vision. This is used by the designers
to create the detailed design, which in turn is used by the builder to construct the systems, with components of
various sorts provided by specialists. Finally, the facilities manager operates the finished system, but unless the
earlier phases take account of the operational needs, this phase in the lifetime of the system will be fraught with
difficulty. The development process itself is shown, at a high level, in Figure 2.

Define Define Define Define Define

Contextual Conceptual Logical Physical Component
Security Security Security Security Security
Architecture Architecture Architecture Architecture Architecture
Define
Operational
Security
Architecture

Figure 2: The SABSA® Development Process

The high-level development process in Figure 2 indicates that there is a natural break after the first two phases.
Once the Contextual Architecture and the Conceptual Architecture are agreed and signed off, then work on the
later phases can begin, with considerable parallel working. However, it is difficult to make useful progress on
the later stages until these first two are fairly fully defined. The temptation to go straight to an implementation
of certain products and tools should be avoided, since this is the source of so many severe problems during the
operational phase.
It is also important not to be confused by the positioning of the sub-process ‘Define Operational Security
Architecture’. The Operational Security Architecture itself cuts across all of the other five layers (see Figure 1),

Revised 7 February 2005 (A4) Page 14 of 17

Copyright © 1995 - 2005 SABSA Limited. All Rights Reserved
but the development process for that Operational Security Architecture is best delayed until after the Contextual
and Conceptual Security Architectures have been defined and signed off. There is no conflict between Figure 1
and Figure 2.

The SABSA® Lifecycle

The SABSA® Development Process can be seen in the context of an overall SABSA® Lifecycle for the security
architecture, shown in Figure 3. In this SABSA® Lifecycle, the first two phases of the process are grouped into
an activity called ‘Strategy & Concept’. This is followed by an activity called ‘Design’, which embraces the
design of the logical, physical, component and operational architectures. The third activity is ‘Implement’,
followed by ‘Manage and Measure’. The significance of the ‘Measure’ activity is that early in the process you
set target performance metrics (see the discussion of the SABSA® Business Attributes Profile below). Once the
system is operational, it is essential to measure actual performance against targets, and to manage any deviations
observed. Such management may simply involve the manipulation of operational parameters, but it may also
feed back into a new cycle of development.

Strategy &
Concept

Manage &
Design
Measure

Implement

Figure 3: The SABSA® Lifecycle

The SABSA® Business Attributes Profile

A further refinement is the use of SABSA® Business Attributes. These attributes are compiled from extensive
experience with numerous clients in many countries and industry sectors. Over the course of that work it
became apparent that although every business is unique, there are commonly recurring themes. This experience
has been used to create a taxonomy of SABSA® Business Attributes, shown in Figure 4. These are organised
under seven group headings. Each SABSA® Business Attribute is an abstraction of a real business requirement
previously encountered in client work, most of them encountered many times over. Each SABSA® Business
Attribute has a detailed definition and some suggested guidelines for applying metrics to that attribute, not
included in this overview.
This is a very powerful tool that allows any unique business to be translated and ‘normalised’ into a SABSA®
Business Attributes Profile. This profile selects only those SABSA® Business Attributes that apply to this
specific business (creating new attributes if there are found to be gaps). The taxonomy provides a check-list of
possible attributes and the business analysts can decide whether or not a given attribute should be included in
this specific profile. The SABSA® Business Attributes Profile is an important conceptualisation of the real
business, and forms a core part of the ‘Conceptual Architecture’. It can be seen on row 2, column 1 of the
SABSA® Matrix in Table 3.

Revised 7 February 2005 (A4) Page 15 of 17

Copyright © 1995 - 2005 SABSA Limited. All Rights Reserved
 Business Attributes

User Management Operational Risk Management Legal / Regulatory Technical Strategy Business Strategy
Attributes Attributes Attributes Attributes Attributes Attributes Attributes

Accessible Automated Available Access-controlled Admissible Architecturally Open Brand Enhancing

Accurate Change-managed Detectable Accountable Compliant COTS / GOTS Business-Enabled

Anonymous Continuous Error-Free Assurable Enforceable Extendible Competent

Consistent Controlled Inter-Operable Assuring Honesty Insurable Flexible / Adaptable Confident

Current Cost-Effective Productive Auditable Legal Future-Proof Credible

Duty Segregated Efficient Recoverable Authenticated Liability Managed Legacy-Sensitive Culture-sensitive

Educated & Aware Maintainable Authorised Regulated Migratable Enabling time-to-market

Informed Measured Capturing New Risks Resolvable Multi-Sourced Governable

Motivated Monitored Confidential Time-bound Scalable Providing Good Stewardship

and Custody
Protected Supportable Crime-Free Simple
Providing Investment
Reliable Flexibly Secure Standards Compliant Re-use

Responsive Identified Traceable Providing Return

on Investment
Transparent Independently Secure Upgradeable
Reputable
Supported In our sole possession

Timely Integrity-Assured

Usable Non-Repudiable

Owned

Private

Trustworthy

Figure 4: The SABSA® Taxonomy of Business Attributes

It also allows the selection of metrics that are used to set performance targets as an integral part of the SABSA®
Business Attributes Profile that can later be measured (did you hit the target?). This too is at the choice of the
business analysts, using either the suggested metrics in the detailed definitions of the attributes, or creating new
metrics if it seems more appropriate.
Thus the ‘Manage & Measure’ activity in the SABSA® Lifecycle is based upon the SABSA® Business
Attributes Profile that was set out during the ‘Strategy & Concept’ activity, and which has been customised
specifically to conceptualise this unique business.

SABSA® Implementation
The SABSA® Lifecycle contains an activity called ‘Implement’. However, it is unlikely that a major strategic
enterprise-wide security architecture will ever be implemented as a single project. What is more likely is that
the architecture provides a blue-print and a road-map that guides a whole series of separate implementation
projects, each of which is driven by a specific business initiative and funded by a budget associated with that
initiative. Some of these projects may themselves be ‘infrastructure projects’, such as building an integrated,
enterprise wide, unified directory service.
The reality is that implementation will usually be fragmented in this way. Thus the main purpose of the security
architecture is to ensure that this fragmentation does not lead to a piecemeal approach to design. Despite the
fragmented projects, the overall systems environment should maintain its architectural integrity – provided that
the architecture has been created and documented, and provided that project teams refer to it and are guided by
it. Individual projects should therefore be subject to architectural approval by an Architecture Board.

Revised 7 February 2005 (A4) Page 16 of 17

Copyright © 1995 - 2005 SABSA Limited. All Rights Reserved
Architecture Maintenance
A security architecture developed using the SABSA® Methodology is not shelf-ware – it is a living, breathing
thing that needs to be maintained and applied constantly. Certainly it is a reference document that should be
used by project teams as they design and implement their specific business-led projects (see above under
‘Implementation’). However, the world is constantly changing. The business requirements evolve over time.
Sometimes they experience a step change as a major acquisition or divestment occurs, sometimes they evolve
slowly in response to a changing marketplace.
Whatever the case, the front end of the architecture – the contextual architecture – needs to be reviewed and
updated from time to time. The question then arises – at what point do the contextual changes create sufficient
pressure to change the underlying conceptual architecture and other layers? Technology also changes. New
solutions become available. Again this raises a question – at what point should you change decisions in the
component architecture from one strategic technology or product to another? All of this suggests some kind of
continual architecture review process, governed by an Architecture Board.

Summary and Conclusion

Unless the security architecture can address a wide range of operational requirements and provide real business
support and enablement, rather than just focusing upon short-term point solutions, then it will likely fail to
deliver what the business expects. This type of failure is a common phenomenon throughout the information
systems industry, not just in the realm of security architecture. Yet it is not sufficient to compile a set of
business requirements, document them and then put them on the shelf, and proceed to design a security
architecture driven by technical thinking alone. Being a successful security architect means thinking in business
terms at all times, and setting up quantifiable success metrics that are developed in business terms around
business performance parameters, not technical ones.
Another challenge is the sheer number of other people who do not understand strategic architecture, and who
think only in terms of technology. To overcome their objections, you must be a good communicator who can
sell these ideas and these benefits to others in the enterprise.
One of the most important factors for success is gaining buy-in and sponsorship from senior management within
the enterprise. Enterprise security architecture cannot be achieved unless the most senior decision-makers are on
your side. To achieve this level of backing, senior management must feel that their success is directly tied to the
success of the architecture. Creating this environment of acceptance and support is probably one of the most
difficult tasks, since it may force the enterprise as a whole to begin to think and act in a very different way.
However, if a business-driven approach is utilized, the fruits of the architectural work will be enjoyed
throughout the enterprise.

For those who would like greater detail on this subject, there is a book due to be published in the near future
entitled ‘Enterprise Security Architecture: A Business Driven Approach’, which expands these ideas and
explains in detail the methodology outlined here.

Revised 7 February 2005 (A4) Page 17 of 17

Copyright © 1995 - 2005 SABSA Limited. All Rights Reserved