IT Security Patterns
Design patterns have significantly influenced security pattern development. Our OSA approach combines structured control catalogues with visual design patterns.
Design patterns have significantly influenced security pattern development. Best practices in security extend beyond design patterns to include standards, principles, and control catalogues. Our OSA approach combines structured control catalogues with visual design patterns.
Definitions
- Common Problem Solutions
- Patterns are optimal solutions to common problems. As common problems are tossed around a community and are resolved, common solutions often spontaneously emerge.
- Design Pattern
- In software engineering, a design pattern is a general reusable solution to a commonly occurring problem in software design.
- Security Pattern
- A security pattern addresses recurring problems in creating and maintaining secure information systems. While NIST 800-53 and ISO 27001 offer comprehensive controls, neither leverages visually illustrated design patterns. OSA bridges this gap by combining control standards with visual pattern representation.
History
Design patterns originated with Christopher Alexander's 1977 architectural work 'A Pattern Language.' Software developers including Kent Beck, Ward Cunningham, and Erich Gamma adapted these concepts for software engineering.
Current Applications
Today, patterns apply across IT domains: design patterns, architectural patterns, interaction design, and security patterns, all using similar pattern languages rooted in Alexander's original framework.