CITATION.cff

cff-version: 1.2.0
title: "Enterprise Network Security Architecture and Security Monitoring Design with SOC-Readiness for VECTORFIELD"
message: "If you use this work, please cite it as below."
type: report

authors:
  - name: "ESKme"

url: "https://ESKme.net"

repository-code: "https://github.com/ESKme/vectorfield-network-security-archlab"

license: "CC-BY-SA-4.0"

abstract: >
  This work develops a conceptual enterprise network security architecture and a security monitoring
  design with SOC-Readiness for the fictional company VECTORFIELD, with the objective of designing a
  traceable, auditable, and operationally realistic security architecture for medium-sized organizations.
  The starting point of the investigation is a structured stakeholder interview conducted under realistic
  organizational tension conditions. This interview forms the binding Single Source of Truth from which
  all technical requirements, security decisions, and architectural principles are derived.

  On this basis, testable security and operational requirements are first formulated and compared with
  established cybersecurity frameworks. The primary methodological reference framework is the NIST
  Cybersecurity Framework (CSF), supplemented by practical security principles of modern enterprise
  networks such as segmentation, least-privilege access, and default-deny communication models.

  Building upon this, a logical network architecture is developed that defines clearly separated trust
  zones in the form of separate VLAN segments. A central enforcement point (firewall gateway) controls
  all inter-zone communication. Security-relevant functions such as access controls, logging, monitoring
  preparation, and audit traceability are systematically integrated into the architecture design.
  Particular emphasis is placed on the SOC-Readiness of the architecture, especially with regard to
  centralized logging, time synchronization, event traceability, and organizational role responsibility.

  In addition to technical aspects, the work explicitly considers economic and organizational boundary
  conditions, including limited investment budgets, the absence of a 24/7-SOC operation, and operational
  maintenance realities. The architecture therefore follows a pragmatic approach that reconciles security
  requirements with realistic operating conditions.

  The result of the work is a fully documented architecture concept that transparently links requirements,
  design decisions, risks, and validation criteria. Through systematic traceability between stakeholder
  requirements, architecture design, and security controls, a model emerges that can serve both as a
  planning foundation for real enterprise networks and as a methodological reference framework for
  security-oriented architecture work.

  The work demonstrates that a methodically structured architecture development oriented toward
  governance and auditability can make a significant contribution to the sustainable improvement of
  network security, even under realistic organizational and economic constraints.

keywords:
  - cybersecurity
  - enterprise-security
  - network-security
  - security-architecture
  - network-segmentation
  - zero-trust
  - pfsense
  - vlan
  - nist-csf
  - soc-readiness
  - threat-modeling
  - technical-documentation

date-released: 2026-03-22
version: "1.0"

preferred-citation:
  type: report
  title: "Enterprise Network Security Architecture and Security Monitoring Design with SOC-Readiness for VECTORFIELD"
  authors:
    - name: "ESKme"
  year: 2026
  url: "https://files.eskme.net/levelup/labs/netarch/vectorfield/ESKme-VECTORFIELD-ENSAS-EN-v1.0.pdf"