Security Architecture - High Level View

Defense-in-Depth Multi-Layer Protection Model

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INTERNET

External Users & Threats

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LAYER 1: Perimeter Defense
Purpose:
First line of defense - Blocks external threats and validates access requests
Key Components:
Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW) - Network-level threat blocking
Web Application Firewall (WAF) - Application-layer attack prevention
API Gateway - Request validation and rate limiting
Identity & Access Management (IAM) - Authentication and authorization
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) & Single Sign-On (SSO)
Technologies:
Palo Alto NGFW, Fortinet FortiGate, Cloudflare WAF, AWS WAF, Kong Gateway, Apigee, Okta IAM, Azure AD, Auth0, Duo MFA, Google Authenticator
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LAYER 2: Infrastructure & Application Security
Purpose:
Runtime protection - Secures application execution and infrastructure endpoints
Key Components:
Zero Trust Architecture - Continuous verification, never implicit trust
Network Segmentation - Environment isolation (Dev/Test/Prod)
Runtime Application Self-Protection (RASP) - In-app threat blocking
Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR) - Endpoint monitoring and response
Vulnerability & Patch Management - Continuous scanning and remediation
Technologies:
Cisco Zero Trust, Zscaler, VMware NSX, Contrast Security RASP, Sqreen, CrowdStrike Falcon EDR, SentinelOne, Microsoft Defender, Qualys VMDR, Tenable Nessus, Rapid7 InsightVM
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LAYER 3: Data Protection & Privileged Access
Purpose:
Core protection - Secures sensitive data and controls privileged access
Key Components:
Data Encryption - In-transit (TLS/SSL) and at-rest (AES-256) protection
Data Loss Prevention (DLP) - Monitors and blocks unauthorized data egress
Privileged Access Management (PAM) - Controls admin/root access
Database Activity Monitoring - Tracks sensitive data access
Key Management Service (KMS) - Cryptographic key lifecycle management
Technologies:
HashiCorp Vault, AWS KMS, Azure Key Vault, Symantec DLP, Digital Guardian, Forcepoint DLP, CyberArk PAM, BeyondTrust, Thycotic, Imperva DAM, IBM Guardium
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LAYER 4: Security Operations & Monitoring
Purpose:
Continuous monitoring - Detects threats, correlates events, and automates response
Key Components:
Security Information & Event Management (SIEM) - Central log aggregation & correlation
Security Orchestration, Automation & Response (SOAR) - Automated incident response
Threat Intelligence Platform - Real-time threat data feeds
Security Operations Center (SOC) - 24/7 monitoring and incident management
Extended Detection & Response (XDR) - Unified threat detection across layers
Technologies:
Splunk Enterprise Security, IBM QRadar, Microsoft Sentinel, Palo Alto Cortex XSOAR, Splunk Phantom, ServiceNow SOAR, Anomali TIP, ThreatConnect, Palo Alto Cortex XDR, Microsoft 365 Defender
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Primary Traffic Flow
Internet → Layer 1 → Layer 2 → Layer 3 → Layer 4
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Security Monitoring
All layers send logs to SIEM/SOAR
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Automated Response
SOAR sends actions back to security controls
Data Flow Legend
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Primary Traffic Flow (Internet → Core Systems)
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Security Monitoring (Logs to SIEM/SOAR)
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Automated Response Actions (SOAR → Security Controls)

Defense-in-Depth Strategy: Multiple security layers provide redundancy and comprehensive protection from perimeter to core. Each layer adds defense mechanisms, ensuring that if one layer is compromised, others continue to protect critical assets.