Building Domain-Specific Architecture Framework for Critical Information Infrastructure

Abstract

Critical Infrastructures (CI) are large and complex enterprises, often composed of multiple systems. Organizations seek to establish common frameworks that will allow them to manage the development and evolution of CIs. The enterprise architecture frameworks are templates for the development of enterprise architectures that aim to describe the enterprise structure, goals, processes, resources and organization. We argue that an architecture framework is required for critical infrastructures and that it will facilitate the critical infrastructure protection. In this article we show an approach to the task of deriving an abstracted, domain-specific Enterprise Architecture Framework for Critical Infrastructures from generic Architecture Frameworks and from the emerging standards for security management. We call it CrAF. In CrAF, the emphasis is put on Critical Information Infrastructure that is inherently coupled with Critical Infrastructure. We provide both a review of recent advances in the area of enterprise architectures and the new material resulting from our own research. The work involved in the development of such an AF is underway within the EU FP7 NI2S3 Project and National Research Grant for Polish Ministry of Science and Education.