From standalone security solutions. To a cohesive security architecture

Increased regulation, more threats and growing digitalisation needs all place greater demands on an organisation’s security architecture. At the same time, new systems, cloud platforms, integrations and suppliers also increase complexity, making make it more important than ever to understand how systems, data, users and devices are interconnected.

Do you have a full overview of your business processes, system landscape and the dependencies that underpin the business? Do you know the dependencies on data, who has access to it, and which systems and suppliers the business relies on? And, when the threat landscape changes or new vulnerabilities arise, can you quickly assess where to focus your efforts?

A lack of overview can make it very difficult to prioritise the right security measures. Security requirements that are overly strict can hamper business operations; whilst a lack of governance can create security gaps and increase the likelihood of losing control over IT devices.

A coherent security architecture provides a clear overview and enables new insights into threats, vulnerabilities and regulatory requirements to be translated into concrete security measures. This strengthens the security foundation and creates a robust framework for digitalisation and business development.

We take your business and the results you wish to achieve as our starting point. We examine business processes, technology and interdependencies, and help to identify risks and strengthen security. We do this across infrastructure, the cloud, AI, systems, data and access management. At the same time, we establish the necessary security standards and guardrails so that security becomes an integral part of your security architecture.

With operational experience and an understanding of the strategic, tactical and operational levels, we help you strengthen security so that it supports business growth rather than hindering it.

A robust security architecture has now become a prerequisite for business development, this is especially true when faced with growing regulation, the proliferation of threats and the increased need for digitalisation. However, if security within the system landscape is set too strictly, users find that business initiatives are constantly being held back, and it also increases the risk of shadow IT. When security is built into the architecture, on the other hand, it actually helps to give the organisation freedom within certain clearly defined boundaries.

Once you start scratching beneath the surface, it becomes apparent that many organisations lack a comprehensive overview of how their system landscape is interconnected. New systems, integrations and cloud solutions have been added over time, whilst legacy solutions are either completely or partially forgotten and continue to exist in obscurity. The result is an architecture with unclear dependencies, there are overly broad access rights and a limited insight into which systems support which business processes, where data is located, and who has access to it. If we add a critical incident to that equation – one where the business is under serious pressure regarding its core deliverables – you have a potential crisis situation.

Another challenge in this area is that organisations often try to patch security gaps with new controls and security products without first getting to grips with the underlying causes of problems. As a result, security efforts tend to branch out in different directions, whilst the interdependencies between systems, users and business-critical processes become increasingly difficult to understand and document.

Security departments often have a reputation for saying “no”: no to new technologies, no to new ways of working, no to new business initiatives. At Vaern, we build security on the premise that the security team should be able to say “yes” more often. The aim is a distributed security culture, where the security architecture acts as an enabler for new activities, whilst also ensuring compliance and governance remain under control.

Security projects are often launched through extensive assessment reports detailing a long list of things you can do with your security architecture. But the most interesting approach is to focus on what you need to do to achieve your business objectives. At Vaern, we take a practical approach to security strategy. We do not roll out a generic enterprise architecture that you plainly don’t need. We use our insights and expertise from other architecture projects to build a security foundation that creates progress, a shared direction and control.