ABSTRACT
As this passage illustrates, a strong foundation has been akin to protection from adversity since the
beginning of time. It should not be surprising then that information security professionals must have a
good foundation to implement successful security architecture. Following are the areas designated as the
cement for our “virtual foundation.” A commitment to successful security architecture requires a clear
understanding of issues involving:
† Technology
† Environment
† Software
What follows is initially a brief description of the components to this “tripartite” conceptualization of the
virtual foundation. This in turn is followed by a more detailed discussion of exactly what the information
security professional must know about each component, as well as the interactive effects of each.
