Tutorial 5: Architecture Review and Trade-offs

Unit 6 ยท Enterprise security architecture

Objectives

An architecture review asks whether controls are complete, independently effective, operable, measurable, and aligned with business risk. Review data flows, identities, admin paths, dependencies, failure modes, deployment, observability, and recovery. Security controls can introduce availability or usability costs; make those trade-offs explicit.

requirement -> threat -> control -> owner -> evidence -> residual risk

Use review findings that are specific and actionable: affected asset, condition, impact, recommendation, owner, priority, and verification method. A diagram is a reasoning tool, not proof that the system is secure.

Exercises

  1. Review a fictional payment architecture.
  2. Find three assumptions that need evidence.
  3. Prioritize recommendations by impact and effort.

Self-check

  1. What is a single point of failure?
  2. What makes a recommendation actionable?
  3. Why review operations?

Self-Check Quiz

1. What should a review finding include?

AnswerAsset, condition, threat or impact, evidence, recommendation, owner, priority, and verification.

2. Is a diagram alone assurance?

AnswerNo. Controls must be configured, operated, monitored, and tested in the real environment.

Homework

  1. Perform a security architecture review of a web platform.
  2. Produce a prioritized finding register.
  3. Write residual-risk and verification notes.
Sample answerGood findings identify missing object authorization, broad service identity, untested restore, or unmonitored admin access with concrete evidence. Each recommendation has an accountable owner, a priority justified by risk, and a retest that demonstrates the control works.