Enterprise Reference Architecture Research Articles

Risk-based safety scoping of adversary-centric security testing on Operational Technology

Due to the recent increase in cyber attacks targeting Critical National Infrastructure, governments and organisations alike have invested considerably into improving the security of their underlying infrastructure, commonly known as Operational Technology (OT). The use of adversary-centric security tests such as vulnerability assessments, penetration tests and red team engagements has gained significant traction due to these engagements’ goal to emulate threat actors in preparation for genuine cyber attacks. Challenges arise, however, when performing security tests on these as the nature of OT requires additional safety and operation risks to be considered. This paper proposes a framework for incorporating the assessment of safety and operational risks within an overall scoping methodology for adversary-centric security testing in OT environments. Within this framework, we also propose a hybrid testing model derived from the Purdue Enterprise Reference Architecture and the Defense in Depth model to identify and quantify safety and operational risk at a per-layer level, separating high and low-risk layers and being subsequently used for defining the rules of engagement. As a result, this framework can aid vendors and clients in appropriately scoping adversary-centric security tests so that depth-of-testing is maximised while minimising the risk to safety and to the operational process. The framework is then evaluated through a qualitative study involving industry experts, confirming the framework’s validity for implementation in practice.

Skills for Industry 4.0: a structured repository grounded on a generalized enterprise reference architecture and methodology-based framework

ABSTRACT This paper outlines a conceptual framework and a repository of skills for Industry 4.0 that manufacturing managers and other stakeholders can use for training, hiring and developing human resources. The framework and the repository of Industry 4.0 skills were developed by involving industrial practitioners, technology providers, recruitment agencies, research and education organizations in scenario-based focus groups and semi-structured interviews. The results of this study contribute to improving our current understanding of the skills required for Industry 4.0, and they can be used for the identification and assessment of workers’ skills as well as the design of skill development programs that match the needs of the industry and for the definition of policies that support the development of human capital to improve the employability of individuals and the performance of manufacturing companies.

Investigation the Place of BIAN Standard in Digital Banking Enterprise Architecture

Today organizations encounter many issues such as newfound technologies, new business models, and rapid variations. Nowadays, following evolutions in the global context, caused by information and communication technology in the field of trade, industry, and specifically information technology, has impelled organizations, companies, and particularly banks to undergo changes and alter their reaction method to the market. In this way, the role of enterprise architecture and using standards and reference models are crucial to the organizations. Accordingly, the organization that wants to be active in the digital transformation and move towards digital banking should be able to implement an agile enterprise architecture and use reference models such as BIAN. The objective of this article is to investigate the role of Business Architecture Industry Network (BIAN) Standard in moving towards digital banking.

Production System Modelling Methodologies of an Open Pit Mine

Open pit mines experience several challenges and constraints in the management of mining operations and processes. The heterogeneity of the infrastructures and the complexity of the physical and managerial systems highlight these various challenges. The creation of a generic system that can drive but at the same time models in a dynamic logic all these constraints and elements assume a major complexity. In addition, the modelling allows the implementation of real-time decision-making components and increases the responsiveness of the system. This paper presents six modelling methodologies of the production system, namely Open System Architecture for Computer Integrated Manufacturing, GRAI Integrated Methodology, Purdue Enterprise Reference Architecture, Generalized Enterprise Reference Architecture and Methodology, Zachman and Model Based System Engineering. Based on the multi-criteria analysis, we have shown that the Modelling Based System Engineering is the most adapted methodology in the case of open pit mines but this method knows a lack of agility in the system. Our system will use a methodology based on Model Based System Engineering and will consider the agility of the system.

Factors that influence the dominance of an enterprise reference architecture

Reference architectures provide template solutions for particular domains and can therefore be considered as standards. This study investigates whether diversity in enterprise reference architectures is likely to continue or if one reference architecture will gain dominance in the market. More specifically, we examine factors that lead to market dominance. We use the literature on standards battles, the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), and the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework to analyse factors for dominance. In this field, network effects apply and provide a force towards the dominance of a single architecture. However, factors contributing to multiple standards are more relevant, as well as those from TAM and TOE, since reference architectures differ slightly in their added value for various categories of stakeholders. Empirical data from 19 expert interviews provide further insights into the factors that influence the dominance of an enterprise reference architecture. Our results show that it is important that the content and value of reference architectures are straightforward and understandable, not only for architects but for all stakeholders. We extend current standards battles literature by applying it to a new area and combining it with TAM and TOE. We provide an innovative and extensive list of factors that influence the dominance of one standard and the continued coexistence of multiple standards and relate these to phases of technology development. This list can form a framework for future standards battle research. From the practical perspective, the annex may help parties involved in standard battles to position themselves in the technology development phase, better predict the outcome of the battle, and enhance the possibility to influence that outcome. More specifically, our paper will help adopters of enterprise reference architectures to make better-informed choices. Suppliers of reference architectures can use the findings to stimulate market adoption of their model.

Situation awareness framework for industrial control system based on cyber kill chain

Information and cyber security of Industrial Control Systems (ICS) has gained considerable importance. Situation Awareness (SA) is an exciting mechanism to achieve the perception, comprehension and projection of the ICS information security status. Based on the Purdue Enterprise Reference Architecture (PERA), a situation awareness framework for ICS is presented considering the ICS cyber kill chain. The proposed framework consists of IT SA Centre, OT SA Centre, and Comprehensive SA Centre. Comprehensive SA Centre is responsible for creating and maintaining an integrated and high level of security visibility into the whole environments. The introduced framework can be used to guide the development of the situation awareness infrastructure in organization with industrial control systems.

Development of Transportation Management System with the Use of Ontological and Architectural Approaches to Ensure Trucking Reliability

With the wide variety of information systems and applications for motor transport and transport logistics control we have today, one may think we are already living in the digital era of general welfare, and digital tools would easily ensure sustainable development and prosperity of businesses. However, the experience of deployment and introduction of such solutions shows that their value for transport business is significantly lower than expected. Moreover, in some projects, business performance of transport companies had no correlation with introduction of information systems. In the best-case scenario, they provided for a slight decrease in document flow transaction costs. The change of the strategic status of a company in the transportation service market is a fairly complicated task, which, as analysis of literary sources shows, is achievable for few enterprises, primarily small and medium-sized businesses. Such situations show that information solutions were introduced without analyzing or assessing the business models of certain companies which could be used a basis for digital landscape of business as a whole. In recent years, the basic concept of forming a single information space of an enterprise has been the enterprise architecture. It provided for coordination between all the business processes in order to achieve a company’s strategic goals. The fundamentals of the concept were developed by J. Zachman in his famous Zachman Framework, and it was later developed with numerous models of enterprise architecture (e.g., TOGAF (Department of Defense Architecture Framework), GERAM (Generalised Enterprise Reference Architecture and Methodology), DoDAF (Department of Defense Architecture Framework)). However, currently some researchers note that sustainable corporate development should stem not only from a “correct assembly” of all its business elements, which was the purpose of enterprise architecture, but also from the interaction of these elements when reaching the emergence effect. In this context, one should pay attention to comprehensive activity analysis of a transport and logistics business using ontological and architecture approaches.

Life Cycle Engineering 4.0: A Proposal to Conceive Manufacturing Systems for Industry 4.0 Centred on the Human Factor (DfHFinI4.0)

Engineering 4.0 environments are characterised by the digitisation, virtualisation, and connectivity of products, processes, and facilities composed of reconfigurable and adaptive socio-technical cyber-physical manufacturing systems (SCMS), in which Operator 4.0 works in real time in VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) contexts and markets. This situation gives rise to the interest in developing a framework for the conception of SCMS that allows the integration of the human factor, management, training, and development of the competencies of Operator 4.0 as fundamental aspects of the aforementioned system. The present paper is focused on answering how to conceive the adaptive manufacturing systems of Industry 4.0 through the operation, growth, and development of human talent in VUCA contexts. With this objective, exploratory research is carried, out whose contribution is specified in a framework called Design for the Human Factor in Industry 4.0 (DfHFinI4.0). From among the conceptual frameworks employed therein, the connectivist paradigm, Ashby’s law of requisite variety and Vigotsky’s activity theory are taken into consideration, in order to enable the affective-cognitive and timeless integration of the human factor within the SCMS. DfHFinI4.0 can be integrated into the life cycle engineering of the enterprise reference architectures, thereby obtaining manufacturing systems for Industry 4.0 focused on the human factor. The suggested framework is illustrated as a case study for the Purdue Enterprise Reference Architecture (PERA) methodology, which transforms it into PERA 4.0.

Industrial IoT cross‐layer forensic investigation

Cross‐layer forensic investigation is addressed for Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) device attacks in Critical Infrastructure (CI) applications. The operational motivation for cross‐layer investigation is provided by the desire to directly correlate bit‐level network anomaly detection with physical layer (PHY) device connectivity and/or status (normal, defective, attacked, etc.) at the time of attack. The technical motivation for developing cross‐layer techniques is motivated by (a) having considerable capability in place for Higher‐Layer Digital Forensic Information exploitation—real‐time network cyberattack and postattack analysis, (b) having considerably less capability in place for Lowest‐Layer PHY Forensic Information exploitation—the PHY domain remains largely under exploited, and (c) considering cyber‐physical integration as a means to jointly exploit higher‐layer digital and lowest‐layer PHY forensic information to maximize investigative benefit in IIoT cyber forensics. A delineation of higher‐layer digital and lowest‐layer PHY elements is provided for the standard network Open Systems Interconnection model and the specific Perdue Enterprise Reference Architecture commonly used in IIoT Industrial Control System/Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition applications. A forensics work summary is provided for each delineated area based on selected representative publications and provides the basis for presenting the envisioned cross‐layer forensic investigation.This article is categorized under: Digital and Multimedia Science > Cyber Threat Intelligence Digital and Multimedia Science > IoT Forensics

First in-depth analysis of enterprise architectures and models for higher education institutions

Enterprise Reference Architectures (ERAs) and Reference Models (RMs) have emerged over the last years as relevant instruments for improving the quality and effectiveness of enterprise architecture (EA) practice. Whilst a wide variety of different ERAs and RMs have been proposed for different industries and types of business, only few of them have been devoted to the Higher Education (HE) sector. In this paper, we propose an in-depth analysis process which we then critically apply to review, compare and classify 20 existing ERAs and RMs targeted to the HE domain. Our process uses a common set of 12 definitional attributes. In so doing, we contribute to the existing body of knowledge by providing a unified, structured and comprehensive analysis process and catalog of these abstract EA artifacts. With this we aim to create awareness on their potential practical utility and to increase their visibility, transparency and opportunity for their reusability by different HE stakeholders. Hence, the proposed process and catalog is expected to be useful both for practitioners and researchers by providing a panoramic view of more or less ready-to-use existing ERAs and RMs for HE, as well as a structure way to regard them. Moreover, and by specifying their main scope, coverage and extend of knowledge captured, the process and catalog might become a valuable tool for providing guidance to HE stakeholders on making better-informed decisions on the selection of suitable architectural artifacts for being conveniently adapted or applied in different EA practices conducted at their respective institutions.

Enterprise Architecture: Twenty Years of the GERAM Framework

Apart from the 20-year anniversary in 2014 of the first publication of the GERAM ('Generalised Enterprise Reference Architecture and Methodology') Enterprise Architecture Framework, the timeliness of this paper lies in the new interest in the use of systems theory in Enterprise Architecture (EA), and consequently, 'light-weight' architecture frameworks (AFs). Thus, this paper is about the use of systems thinking and systems theory in EA and about how it is possible to reconcile and understand, based on a single overarching framework, the interplay of two major enterprise change endeavours: on the one hand enterprise engineering (i.e. deliberate change) and on the other hand evolutionary, organic change. The paper also attempts to show how such change processes can be illustrated by employing systems thinking to construct dynamic business models: the evolution of these concepts is exemplified with some past applications in networked enterprise building and more recent proposals in environmental, disaster and healthcare management. Finally, the paper attempts to plot the way GERAM will continue to contribute to society in the context of future challenges and emerging opportunities.

Developing life-cycle phases for the DoDAF using ISO15704 Annex A (GERAM)

This paper presents a development of the US Department of Defense Architecture Framework (DoDAF) based on life-cycle concept of the Generalized Enterprise Reference Architecture and Methodology (GERAM) framework/ISO 15704:2000 requirements. Previous research has identified areas of concern within DoDAF by analyzing and evaluating DoDAF against GERAM and potentially assisting in its future development. This paper aims to extend existing architecture description process and artifacts within DoDAF that match the scope of the GERAM life-cycle phases. For this development we use life-cycle aspect of three well-known reference architectures (including PERA, CIMOSA, and GRAI-GIM) that were the basis in formation of GERAM.

Modelling a Global EPCM (Engineering, Procurement and Construction Management) Enterprise

This paper investigates the applicability of enterprise architectures in the context of current business environment by examining the application of Purdue Enterprise Reference Architecture to WorleyParsons, a global engineering, procurement and construction management enterprise, under the backdrop of a similar study carried out on Fluor Daniel during mid-nineties of the last century. The outcome of this study recommends the need for new enterprise architecture, the People-Centric Enterprise Architecture that not only focuses on human dimension in modern enterprises as the central thread, but also includes more business characteristics of the enterprise other than engineerings.

An interorganizational knowledge-sharing security model with breach propagation detection

The increasing adoption of Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) is allowing more and more companies to integrate themselves in interorganizational netchain environments wherein knowledge assets can be electronically shared with selected business partners. The dynamic nature of these environments implies a need for organizations to protect and monitor the flow of their valuable knowledge assets throughout the netchain if they hope to maintain their long-term competitive positions. In this paper, we propose an interorganizational knowledge-sharing security model that integrates the value chain reference model (VCOR), the federated enterprise reference architecture model (FERA), and multidimensional data warehouse technologies to allow for the proactive monitoring of shared knowledge assets across an SOA-based netchain. The proposed architecture is novel In that it supports dynamic policy revision through the automated detection of knowledge-sharing breaches within a netchain--a process whose viability is demonstrated using network flow theory and a series of simulations. Existing business intelligence infrastructures can be readily modified to support the proposed model, as multidimensional data warehousing has already been adopted in many organizations.

An enterprise modeling and integration framework based on knowledge discovery and data mining

This paper deals with the conceptual design and development of an enterprise modeling and integration framework using knowledge discovery and data mining. First, the paper briefly presents the background and current state-of-the-art of knowledge discovery in databases and data mining systems and projects. Next, enterprise knowledge engineering is dealt with. The paper suggests a novel approach of utilizing existing enterprise reference architectures, integration and modeling frameworks by the introduction of new enterprise views such as mining and knowledge views. An extension and a generic exploration of the information view that already exists within some enterprise models are also proposed. The Zachman Framework for Enterprise Architecture is also outlined versus the existing architectures and the proposed enterprise framework. The main contribution of this paper is the identification and definition of a common knowledge enterprise model which represents an original combination between the previous projects on enterprise architectures and the Object Management Group (OMG) models and standards. The identified common knowledge enterprise model has therefore been designed using the OMG's Model-Driven Architecture (MDA) and Common Warehouse MetaModel (CWM), and it also follows the RM-ODP (ISO/OSI). It has been partially implemented in Java™, Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB) and Corba/IDL. Finally, the advantages and limitations of the proposed enterprise model are outlined.

A systematic evaluation of the C4ISR AF using ISO15704 Annex A (GERAM)

This paper presents an analytical mapping of the US Department of Defence (DoD) Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) AF onto the Generalised Enterprise Reference Architecture and Methodology (GERAM) framework. The analysis aims to find artefacts within C4ISR that match the scope of the GERAM components. The scope of the study covers reference architectures (including life cycle/life history concepts and modelling framework) and associated modelling methodologies, languages and reference models, modelling tools and generic modelling concepts. The analysis identifies areas of concern within C4ISR and proposes some solutions as necessary, thus demonstrating the use of GERAM in evaluating AFs and potentially assisting in their future development.

Interface design for the Purdue enterprise reference architecture (PERA) and methodology in e-Work

One of the primary concerns of enterprise integration is the establishment of the necessary interconnections or interfaces between the components and/or subsystems of the enterprise system. Such integration is considered a fundamental requirement for effective e-Work environment. As a Type 2 Enterprise Reference Architecture, PERA presents under its framework two major types of interfaces, the Internal System Interfaces and the Programme Interfaces. The former interface type provides the necessary interconnections between the components of the enterprise implementation or operational systems. The latter provides the necessary interconnections between the different phases of an enterprise development programme. The concepts of interfaces as illustrated in PERA indicate that the design of the system interfaces should be included in the design of the overall methodology together with the design of implementation architectures. A phased development programme for any enterprise integration project needs such well-designed communication interfaces between the project phases to assure that the desired information exchange occurs between the parties involved.

Reference models supporting enterprise networks and virtual enterprises

This article analyses different types of reference models applicable to support the set up and (re)configuration of Virtual Enterprises (VEs). Reference models are models capturing concepts common to VEs aiming to convert the task of setting up a VE into a configuration task, and hence reducing the time needed for VE creation. The reference models are analysed through a mapping onto the Virtual Enterprise Reference Architecture (VERA) based upon GERAM and created in the IMS GLOBEMEN project.

An analysis of the Zachman framework for enterprise architecture from the GERAM perspective

This article presents an analysis of the Zachman framework for enterprise architecture and its mapping onto the Generalised Enterprise Reference Architecture and Methodology (GERAM) framework/ISO IS15704:2000 requirements. Aspects covered concern the ability of the Zachman framework to cover the complete scope of the GERAM metamodel, such as life cycle/life history concepts, modelling framework, enterprise entities and entity recursion, associated enterprise engineering methodologies, modelling languages and reference models.

DESIGNING MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS: CONTRIBUTION TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN ENTERPRISE ENGINEERING METHODOLOGY (EEM) WITHIN THE FRAME OF GERAM

Within the frame of the GERAM (Generalised Enterprise Reference Architecture and Methodology) developed by the IFAC/IFIP Task on Architecture for Enterprise integration, this paper presents a preliminary approach for the development of an Enterprise Engineering Methodology (EEM). The approach is currently limited to Entity requirements and Entity design phases of the GERA (Generic Enterprise Reference Architecture) system life cycle. It tentatively proposes a process to follow to identify user's requirements and to perform system design. The approach of the proposal is based on the GRAI methodology. Relevant concepts and principles from CIMOSA and PERA also take part in the approach.