Foundations
Core concepts, principles, and frameworks that underpin Open Security Architecture. These foundational elements provide the context for understanding and applying OSA patterns.
OSA Landscape
The security architecture landscape that defines OSA's topic coverage and priorities.
OSA Actors
Generic roles used across OSA patterns to ensure consistency and clarity.
OSA Life Cycle
Evaluating SDLC models to adopt as our primary reference framework.
OSA Design Principles
The core principles that guide OSA pattern development and architecture.
How to use OSA
A guide to getting the most value from OSA patterns, controls, and resources.
Writing a Pattern
A three-step guide to contributing security architecture patterns to OSA.
OSA Taxonomy
How OSA entities and relationships connect to broader security concepts.
Links to Related Material
Curated collection of IT security architecture resources from the community.
Definitions
Key terms and concepts used throughout OSA.
IT Architecture
Why do we need IT Architecture? Abstract system descriptions are essential to achieve qualities like sustainability, dependability, scalability, and performance - these don't emerge naturally from simply combining functional components.
IT Risk
Most IT risk discussions focus narrowly on IT Security, yet modern business processes depend heavily on IT and risk management is a critical corporate governance concern that extends much further.
IT Security
Security provided by IT systems can be defined as the system's ability to protect confidentiality and integrity of processed data, provide availability of the system and data. Together these are referred to as the CIA characteristics (qualities).
IT Security Architecture
Combining our definitions of IT Security and IT Architecture gives us a comprehensive definition of IT Security Architecture.
IT Security Patterns
Design patterns have significantly influenced security pattern development. Our OSA approach combines structured control catalogues with visual design patterns.
IT Security Requirements
IT Security Requirements describe functional and non-functional requirements that need to be satisfied in order to achieve the security attributes of an IT system.
Glossary
Key terms used throughout OSA.