Security architecture review
Security Architecture Review
EmberKat provides independent security architecture review consulting for teams that need to test how security assumptions are implemented across systems, trust boundaries, identity, data flows and operational ownership before risk becomes delivery cost.
Discuss the scope↗Service definition
Review the design before remediating the symptoms
The review produces a defensible model of where trust is placed, where controls should sit, what the design currently permits and which changes reduce material risk first.
Scope
Work included in the scope
- 01
System boundaries, trust zones and data-flow review
- 02
Identity, access and privilege-path assessment
- 03
Control placement across application, platform and infrastructure layers
- 04
External exposure, integration and dependency analysis
- 05
Architecture assumptions, exceptions and ownership review
- 06
Security improvement options and remediation sequence
Client problems
Use this service when
- 01
A penetration test returns symptoms but not a design-level explanation.
- 02
Security controls are present but their placement and ownership are unclear.
- 03
A platform or product change will move trust boundaries and nobody has reviewed the impact.
- 04
Legacy exceptions have become permanent architecture.
Deliverables
Documents and decisions provided
- 01
Current security architecture and trust-boundary model
- 02
Control-placement and ownership findings
- 03
Dependency, exposure and exception register
- 04
Security architecture decision record
- 05
Prioritised remediation and verification plan
Common questions
Questions to settle before the work starts
Short answers to the questions that usually determine whether this is the right engagement.
- What is included in a security architecture review?
- The review examines trust boundaries, identity and privilege paths, data flows, control placement, external exposure, dependencies, exceptions and the ownership needed to operate the design.
- Is this the same as a penetration test?
- No. A penetration test is one input. A security architecture review explains design assumptions, control placement and root causes so remediation addresses the system rather than only individual symptoms.
- When should a security architecture review happen?
- It is useful before a major product or platform change, after recurring findings, during modernisation or when security ownership and trust boundaries are unclear.
From the glossary
- remediation
- Actually fixing what an assessment found — as opposed to recording it.
Related engagement
Cybersecurity & Compliance Engineering
Connect the architecture review to NIS2, ISO 27001, product-security and remediation evidence.
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