Infrastructure Security Framework - Big Hammer Implementation Guide

Executive Summary

Infrastructure security forms the bedrock of Big Hammer’s comprehensive security strategy. As AI platforms handle increasingly sensitive data and critical business processes, robust infrastructure security becomes paramount to protecting against sophisticated threats, ensuring business continuity, and maintaining client trust.

This guide provides a comprehensive framework for securing Big Hammer’s infrastructure across five critical domains: Cloud Server Security, Data Backup & Disaster Recovery, High Availability & Reliability, Logging & Monitoring, and Access Control. Each domain includes detailed implementation guidelines, assessment criteria, and actionable recommendations.

Why Infrastructure Security Matters
Domain 1: Cloud Server Hosting & Security
Domain 2: Data Backup & Disaster Recovery
Domain 3: High Availability & Reliability
Domain 4: Logging, Monitoring & Observability
Domain 5: Authentication, Authorization & Access Control
Implementation Assessment Matrix
Priority Implementation Roadmap
Security Metrics & KPIs
Continuous Improvement Framework

Why Infrastructure Security Matters

Business Impact

Risk Mitigation: Protect against data breaches, service disruptions, and financial losses
Compliance Requirements: Meet SOC 2, ISO 27001, and industry-specific security standards
Client Trust: Demonstrate enterprise-grade security capabilities to potential clients
Competitive Advantage: Differentiate through superior security posture
Business Continuity: Ensure uninterrupted service delivery and rapid recovery

Threat Landscape

Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs): Nation-state and criminal organizations targeting AI platforms
DDoS Attacks: Increasing frequency and sophistication of denial-of-service attacks
Data Breaches: Growing regulatory penalties and reputational damage
Insider Threats: Malicious or negligent actions by authorized users
Supply Chain Attacks: Compromised third-party services and dependencies

Domain 1: Cloud Server Hosting & Security

🌩️ What: Secure Cloud Infrastructure Foundation

Cloud server security encompasses the fundamental security controls for hosting infrastructure, including platform selection, network protection, access controls, and security hardening.

🎯 Why: Critical Security Foundation

Attack Surface Reduction: Minimize exposure to external threats
Regulatory Compliance: Meet baseline security requirements for enterprise clients
Data Protection: Secure the underlying infrastructure hosting sensitive AI workloads
Business Continuity: Prevent service disruptions from security incidents

🔧 How: Implementation Strategy

Current Status Analysis

Control	Status	Priority	Impact
Secure Cloud Platform (AWS)	✅ Implemented	✅ Complete	High
DDoS Protection	❌ Missing	🔴 Critical	High
Security Audits & Pen Tests	❌ Missing	🔴 Critical	High
Least Privilege Access	❌ Missing	🟡 High	Medium
SSH Key-Based Authentication	❌ Missing	🟡 High	Medium

Implementation Plan

1. DDoS Protection Implementation

Service: AWS Shield Advanced + CloudFlare
Components:
  - AWS Shield Advanced: $3,000/month + data transfer costs
  - CloudFlare Pro: $20/month per domain
  - AWS WAF: $1/web ACL + $0.60/million requests
Features:
  - 24/7 DDoS response team
  - Advanced attack diagnostics
  - Cost protection against scaling charges
  - Global anycast network protection

2. Security Audits & Penetration Testing

Frequency: Quarterly internal, Annual external
Internal Audits:
  - Tools: Nessus, OpenVAS, Qualys VMDR
  - Scope: Infrastructure, applications, configurations
  - Duration: 1 week per quarter
External Penetration Testing:
  - Vendor: Certified ethical hackers (CEH/OSCP)
  - Scope: Full infrastructure assessment
  - Duration: 2-3 weeks annually
  - Cost: $15,000-25,000 per assessment

3. Least Privilege Access Model

Implementation:
  - IAM Policy Review: Audit all existing permissions
  - Role Definition: Create minimal permission sets
  - Just-In-Time Access: Temporary elevated permissions
  - Regular Reviews: Monthly access certification
Tools:
  - AWS IAM Access Analyzer
  - CloudTrail for access monitoring
  - Custom RBAC implementation

4. SSH Security Hardening

Configuration:
  - Disable password authentication
  - Implement key-based authentication only
  - Use SSH certificates for scalable key management
  - Enable SSH session recording
  - Implement fail2ban for brute force protection
Key Management:
  - Centralized SSH CA (Certificate Authority)
  - Automated key rotation every 90 days
  - Hardware security modules for key storage

Assessment Checklist

DDoS Protection: Multi-layer DDoS mitigation deployed and tested
Security Auditing: Quarterly internal and annual external assessments scheduled
Access Controls: All users operating under least privilege principles
SSH Security: Key-based authentication enforced, passwords disabled
Network Segmentation: Proper VPC configuration with security groups
Patch Management: Automated security updates and vulnerability remediation
Configuration Hardening: CIS benchmarks applied to all systems

Domain 2: Data Backup & Disaster Recovery

💾 What: Comprehensive Data Protection & Recovery Strategy

Robust backup and disaster recovery capabilities ensuring data integrity, availability, and rapid recovery from various failure scenarios.

🎯 Why: Business Continuity Imperative

Data Protection: Safeguard against data loss from hardware failures, corruption, or attacks
Compliance Requirements: Meet regulatory data retention and recovery mandates
Business Continuity: Minimize downtime and revenue impact from disasters
Client Confidence: Demonstrate reliable data protection capabilities

🔧 How: Implementation Strategy

Current Status Analysis

Control	Status	Priority	Impact
Encrypted Regional Backups	❌ Missing	🔴 Critical	High
Automated Backup Routines	❌ Missing	🔴 Critical	High
Backup Testing Program	❌ Missing	🔴 Critical	High
Disaster Recovery Plan	❌ Missing	🔴 Critical	High
RTO/RPO Definition	❌ Missing	🟡 High	Medium

Implementation Plan

1. Encrypted Multi-Region Backup Strategy

Architecture:
  Primary Region: us-east-1 (Production)
  Backup Regions: us-west-2, eu-west-1
  Encryption: AES-256 with customer-managed keys
Storage Tiers:
  - Hot: Recent 30 days (immediate access)
  - Warm: 31-365 days (minutes to hours access)
  - Cold: 1+ years (hours access)
  - Archive: Long-term retention (12+ hours access)

2. Automated Backup Implementation

Database Backups:
  - Full backup: Daily at 2 AM UTC
  - Incremental: Every 4 hours
  - Transaction log: Every 15 minutes
  - Cross-region replication: Real-time
Application Data:
  - File system snapshots: Every 6 hours
  - Configuration backup: Daily
  - Container images: Version-controlled
Tools:
  - AWS Backup for centralized management
  - Custom scripts for application-specific data
  - Monitoring and alerting for backup failures

3. Backup Testing Program

Testing Schedule:
  - Weekly: Automated restoration tests (sample data)
  - Monthly: Full database restoration test
  - Quarterly: Complete disaster recovery simulation
  - Annually: Multi-region failover exercise
Validation:
  - Data integrity verification
  - Application functionality confirmation
  - Performance benchmark comparison
  - Documentation updates based on results

4. Disaster Recovery Plan

Scenarios Covered:
  - Regional outage (natural disaster, provider issues)
  - Data center failure
  - Cyber attack (ransomware, data corruption)
  - Human error (accidental deletion)
Recovery Procedures:
  - Incident detection and classification
  - Decision tree for recovery approach
  - Step-by-step restoration procedures
  - Communication protocols
  - Post-incident review process

5. RTO/RPO Definitions

Service Tiers:
  Critical Systems (AI Models, APIs):
    - RTO: 4 hours
    - RPO: 15 minutes
  Important Systems (Dashboards, Reporting):
    - RTO: 24 hours
    - RPO: 4 hours
  Standard Systems (Development, Testing):
    - RTO: 72 hours
    - RPO: 24 hours

Assessment Checklist

Multi-Region Backups: Encrypted backups stored in geographically separate regions
Automation: Fully automated backup processes with monitoring and alerting
Regular Testing: Monthly restoration tests and quarterly DR simulations
Documentation: Current, detailed disaster recovery procedures
RTO/RPO Compliance: Meeting defined recovery objectives consistently
Security: Backup data encrypted and access-controlled
Retention: Compliant data retention policies implemented

Domain 3: High Availability & Reliability

⚡ What: Resilient, Self-Healing Infrastructure Architecture

High availability infrastructure designed to minimize downtime, automatically handle failures, and scale dynamically with demand.

🎯 Why: Service Excellence & Client Satisfaction

Service Level Agreements: Meet aggressive uptime commitments (99.9%+)
User Experience: Ensure consistent, reliable access to AI services
Revenue Protection: Minimize financial impact from service disruptions
Competitive Advantage: Superior reliability compared to competitors

🔧 How: Implementation Strategy

Current Status Analysis

Control	Status	Priority	Impact
Auto-scaling & Health Checks	❌ Missing	🔴 Critical	High
Multi-AZ Deployment	❌ Missing	🔴 Critical	High
Failover Mechanisms	❌ Missing	🔴 Critical	High
Load Balancing	❌ Missing	🟡 High	High
SLA Monitoring	❌ Missing	🟡 High	Medium
Incident Response Plan	❌ Missing	🟡 High	Medium

Implementation Plan

1. Auto-scaling & Health Check System

Auto-scaling Configuration:
  Metrics:
    - CPU utilization: Scale out at >70%, scale in at <30%
    - Memory utilization: Scale out at >80%
    - Request latency: Scale out if >500ms average
    - Queue depth: Scale out if >100 pending requests
  Policies:
    - Min instances: 2 per AZ
    - Max instances: 20 per AZ
    - Scale out: Add 2 instances, cooldown 300s
    - Scale in: Remove 1 instance, cooldown 600s
Health Checks:
  - HTTP health endpoint: /health
  - Check interval: 30 seconds
  - Failure threshold: 3 consecutive failures
  - Success threshold: 2 consecutive successes

2. Multi-AZ Deployment Architecture

Regional Strategy:
  Primary Region: us-east-1
    - AZ-1a: Production cluster (active)
    - AZ-1b: Production cluster (active)
    - AZ-1c: Production cluster (standby)
  Secondary Region: us-west-2
    - Warm standby for disaster recovery
    - Data replication lag: <5 minutes
Database Configuration:
  - Multi-AZ RDS deployment
  - Read replicas in each AZ
  - Automated failover capability
Load Distribution:
  - Traffic split: 40% AZ-1a, 40% AZ-1b, 20% AZ-1c
  - Automatic rebalancing on failure

3. Comprehensive Failover Strategy

Failover Types:
  Application Level:
    - Health check failures trigger instance replacement
    - Circuit breakers prevent cascade failures
    - Graceful degradation for non-critical features
  Database Level:
    - Automatic RDS failover (1-2 minutes)
    - Read replica promotion for extended outages
    - Point-in-time recovery capability
  Regional Level:
    - DNS failover to secondary region
    - Data synchronization before traffic switch
    - Manual approval for regional failover

4. Advanced Load Balancing

Load Balancer Configuration:
  Application Load Balancer (ALB):
    - SSL termination with modern cipher suites
    - Path-based routing for different services
    - Health check integration
    - Sticky sessions for stateful applications
  Network Load Balancer (NLB):
    - Ultra-low latency for real-time AI inference
    - Static IP addresses for client whitelisting
    - TCP/UDP load balancing
Algorithms:
  - Round robin for general web traffic
  - Least connections for AI inference requests
  - IP hash for session-dependent services

5. SLA Monitoring & Management

Service Level Objectives:
  Availability:
    - Target: 99.95% uptime
    - Measurement: Monthly basis
    - Exclusions: Planned maintenance windows
  Performance:
    - API response time: <200ms (95th percentile)
    - AI inference latency: <500ms (90th percentile)
    - Error rate: <0.1%
Monitoring Tools:
  - AWS CloudWatch for infrastructure metrics
  - Application Performance Monitoring (APM)
  - Synthetic transaction monitoring
  - Real user monitoring (RUM)

6. Incident Response Framework

Severity Levels:
  Severity 1 (Critical):
    - Complete service outage
    - Data breach or security incident
    - Response time: 15 minutes
    - Resolution target: 4 hours
  Severity 2 (High):
    - Significant performance degradation
    - Partial service outage
    - Response time: 1 hour
    - Resolution target: 24 hours
  Severity 3 (Medium):
    - Minor performance issues
    - Non-critical feature failures
    - Response time: 4 hours
    - Resolution target: 72 hours

Assessment Checklist

Auto-scaling: Dynamic scaling based on multiple metrics implemented
Multi-AZ: Resources distributed across multiple availability zones
Failover: Automated failover mechanisms tested and verified
Load Balancing: Optimized load distribution with health check integration
SLA Monitoring: Real-time tracking of availability and performance metrics
Incident Response: Documented procedures with defined response times
Capacity Planning: Proactive monitoring and scaling based on growth projections

Domain 4: Logging, Monitoring & Observability

📊 What: Comprehensive Visibility & Security Intelligence Platform

Advanced logging, monitoring, and observability infrastructure providing real-time insights into system behavior, security events, and performance metrics.

🎯 Why: Proactive Security & Operational Excellence

Threat Detection: Early identification of security incidents and attacks
Compliance: Meet audit and regulatory logging requirements
Performance Optimization: Data-driven insights for system improvements
Root Cause Analysis: Rapid diagnosis and resolution of issues

🔧 How: Implementation Strategy

Current Status Analysis

Control	Status	Priority	Impact
Centralized Logging System	❌ Missing	🔴 Critical	High
Intrusion Detection & Alerts	❌ Missing	🔴 Critical	High
Role-based Log Access	❌ Missing	🟡 High	Medium
Compliant Log Retention	❌ Missing	🟡 High	High

Implementation Plan

1. Centralized Logging Architecture

ELK Stack Deployment:
  Elasticsearch:
    - 3-node cluster for high availability
    - 1TB storage per node with auto-scaling
    - Index lifecycle management for cost optimization
  Logstash:
    - Multiple pipelines for different log types
    - Data enrichment and parsing rules
    - Output buffering and retry mechanisms
  Kibana:
    - Custom dashboards for different teams
    - Saved searches and visualizations
    - Alert management interface
Data Sources:
  - Application logs (JSON structured)
  - System logs (syslog, audit logs)
  - Security logs (firewall, IDS/IPS)
  - Cloud service logs (CloudTrail, VPC Flow)
  - Container logs (Docker, Kubernetes)

2. Real-time Intrusion Detection System

Detection Capabilities:
  Network-based (NIDS):
    - AWS GuardDuty for threat intelligence
    - Suricata for signature-based detection
    - Custom rules for AI-specific threats
  Host-based (HIDS):
    - OSSEC for file integrity monitoring
    - Falco for container runtime security
    - Custom behavioral analysis
Machine Learning Detection:
  - Anomaly detection for user behavior
  - Network traffic pattern analysis
  - Log pattern recognition for APTs
Alert Configuration:
  - Real-time notifications for critical events
  - Escalation procedures based on severity
  - Integration with incident response system

3. Role-based Access Control for Logs

Access Levels:
  Security Team:
    - Full access to all logs and indices
    - Administrative privileges
    - Real-time alerting
  DevOps Team:
    - Application and infrastructure logs
    - Performance metrics
    - Deployment-related events
  Development Team:
    - Application logs (non-sensitive)
    - Debug information
    - Performance metrics
  Compliance Team:
    - Audit logs
    - Access logs
    - Compliance-related events
Implementation:
  - LDAP/Active Directory integration
  - Fine-grained field-level permissions
  - Audit logging for log access

4. Compliant Log Retention Strategy

Retention Policies:
  Security Logs: 7 years (regulatory requirement)
  Audit Logs: 7 years (compliance requirement)
  Application Logs: 2 years (operational need)
  Performance Logs: 1 year (optimization analysis)
  Debug Logs: 90 days (troubleshooting)
Storage Tiers:
  Hot (0-30 days): SSD storage, immediate search
  Warm (31-365 days): Standard storage, slower search
  Cold (1-7 years): Archive storage, restore required
Data Management:
  - Automated lifecycle transitions
  - Compression for long-term storage
  - Encrypted storage at all tiers
  - Regular backup verification

Assessment Checklist

Centralized Logging: All systems feeding into centralized log management
Real-time Monitoring: Automated threat detection and alerting
Access Controls: Role-based access to logs with audit trails
Retention Compliance: Automated retention policies meeting regulatory requirements
Performance Monitoring: Comprehensive application and infrastructure visibility
Security Analytics: Advanced threat detection and incident response integration
Compliance Reporting: Automated generation of audit and compliance reports

Domain 5: Authentication, Authorization & Access Control

🔐 What: Comprehensive Identity & Access Management Framework

Multi-layered access control system ensuring secure authentication, fine-grained authorization, and comprehensive audit capabilities across all Big Hammer systems and data.

🎯 Why: Zero Trust Security Foundation

Data Protection: Prevent unauthorized access to sensitive AI models and client data
Compliance: Meet regulatory requirements for access controls and audit trails
Risk Mitigation: Reduce insider threat risks and credential-based attacks
Operational Security: Enable secure collaboration while maintaining security boundaries

🔧 How: Implementation Strategy

Current Status Analysis

Control	Status	Priority	Impact
IAM Role Management	❌ Missing	🔴 Critical	High
MFA Enforcement	✅ Implemented	✅ Complete	High
Access Reviews	❌ Missing	🟡 High	Medium
Secure API Tokens	✅ Implemented	✅ Complete	High
Role-Based Access Control	❌ Missing	🔴 Critical	High
IP Whitelisting	✅ Implemented	✅ Complete	Medium
Session Management	✅ Implemented	✅ Complete	Medium
Audit Logging	✅ Implemented	✅ Complete	High

Implementation Plan

1. Comprehensive IAM Role Management

Role Categories:
  Administrative Roles:
    - Platform Administrator: Full system access
    - Security Administrator: Security tools and policies
    - Data Administrator: Data access and classification
  Operational Roles:
    - DevOps Engineer: Infrastructure and deployment
    - ML Engineer: Model development and training
    - Data Scientist: Dataset access and analysis
  User Roles:
    - Enterprise Client: Tenant-specific AI services
    - End User: Limited AI service consumption
    - Guest User: Demo and trial access
Permission Matrix:
  Resource Types: Compute, Storage, AI Models, APIs, Data
  Actions: Create, Read, Update, Delete, Execute, Manage
  Conditions: Time-based, IP-based, MFA-required
Implementation:
  - AWS IAM for cloud resources
  - Custom RBAC for application-level permissions
  - Integration with enterprise identity providers

2. Enhanced Access Review Program

Review Schedule:
  Critical Access: Monthly review
  Privileged Access: Quarterly review
  Standard Access: Semi-annual review
  Dormant Accounts: Weekly automated review
Review Process:
  Automated Reports:
    - Access summary by user and role
    - Recent access activity analysis
    - Privilege escalation detection
    - Anomalous access patterns
  Manager Certification:
    - Email-based approval workflow
    - Risk-based prioritization
    - Escalation for non-response
  Remediation:
    - Automated removal of expired access
    - Risk-based access reduction
    - Account deactivation for dormant users
Tools:
  - Custom access review dashboard
  - Integration with HR systems
  - Automated workflow engine

3. Advanced Role-Based Access Control

RBAC Architecture:
  Hierarchical Roles:
    - Inheritance of permissions from parent roles
    - Role composition for complex scenarios
    - Dynamic role assignment based on context
  Attributes:
    - User attributes (department, clearance, location)
    - Resource attributes (classification, owner, project)
    - Environmental attributes (time, network, device)
  Policies:
    - Declarative policy language (XACML-based)
    - Policy versioning and approval workflow
    - Real-time policy evaluation
Fine-grained Permissions:
  Data Access:
    - Column-level database permissions
    - Row-level security based on user context
    - Data masking for sensitive fields
  API Access:
    - Method-level permissions
    - Rate limiting per user/role
    - Payload filtering and validation
  AI Model Access:
    - Model-specific permissions
    - Inference quota management
    - Training data access controls

4. Advanced Session Management

Session Security:
  Configuration:
    - Session timeout: 8 hours (standard), 4 hours (privileged)
    - Idle timeout: 30 minutes
    - Concurrent session limit: 3 per user
    - Session invalidation on password change
  Security Features:
    - Session token encryption and signing
    - IP address validation
    - Device fingerprinting
    - Geolocation anomaly detection
  Multi-device Support:
    - Cross-device session synchronization
    - Device registration and trust levels
    - Remote session termination capability
Privileged Session Management:
  Requirements:
    - Step-up authentication for sensitive operations
    - Session recording for audit purposes
    - Breakglass access with approval workflow
    - Real-time monitoring of privileged activities

5. Comprehensive Audit Logging Enhancement

Extended Logging Scope:
  Authentication Events:
    - Login attempts (successful/failed)
    - MFA challenges and responses
    - Password changes and resets
    - Account lockouts and unlocks
  Authorization Events:
    - Permission grants and denials
    - Role assignments and changes
    - Privilege escalations
    - Policy violations
  Data Access Events:
    - File and database access
    - Data exports and downloads
    - Query executions
    - API calls with parameters
  Administrative Events:
    - System configuration changes
    - User account modifications
    - Security policy updates
    - Backup and restore operations
Log Enhancement:
  - Structured logging (JSON format)
  - Correlation IDs for request tracking
  - Geolocation and device information
  - Risk scoring for activities
  - Real-time streaming to SIEM

Advanced Security Features

Zero Trust Architecture Components

Identity Verification:
  - Continuous authentication throughout session
  - Risk-based authentication adjustments
  - Behavioral biometrics integration
  - Device trust scoring
Network Segmentation:
  - Micro-segmentation for AI workloads
  - Software-defined perimeters
  - Encrypted inter-service communication
  - Network access control (NAC)
Data Protection:
  - Data-centric security policies
  - Dynamic data classification
  - Rights management integration
  - Watermarking for sensitive data

Privileged Access Management (PAM)

Features:

Just-in-time (JIT) access provisioning
Privileged session recording and replay
Automated password rotation
Shared account management
Emergency access procedures

Integration:

LDAP/Active Directory synchronization
Cloud provider IAM integration
Service account management
API key lifecycle management

Assessment Checklist

IAM Governance: Comprehensive role definitions with regular reviews
MFA Deployment: Multi-factor authentication enforced for all users
Access Certification: Automated periodic access reviews and remediation
RBAC Implementation: Fine-grained role-based access controls deployed
Session Security: Advanced session management with security features
Audit Completeness: Comprehensive logging of all security-relevant events
Zero Trust Elements: Identity verification and network segmentation implemented
PAM Integration: Privileged access management for administrative accounts

Implementation Assessment Matrix

Current State Analysis

Domain	Controls	Implemented	Missing	Priority Score
Cloud Server Security	5	1 (20%)	4 (80%)	🔴 Critical
Backup & Disaster Recovery	5	0 (0%)	5 (100%)	🔴 Critical
High Availability	6	0 (0%)	6 (100%)	🔴 Critical
Logging & Monitoring	4	0 (0%)	4 (100%)	🔴 Critical
Access Control	8	4 (50%)	4 (50%)	🟡 High

Risk Assessment

Critical Risks (Immediate Action Required)

No DDoS Protection: Vulnerable to service disruption attacks
No Backup Strategy: Risk of complete data loss in disaster scenarios
No High Availability: Single points of failure across infrastructure
No Security Monitoring: Blind to ongoing security threats
Incomplete Access Controls: Potential for privilege escalation

High Risks (Address Within 30 Days)

No Disaster Recovery Plan: Extended downtime in major incidents
No Penetration Testing: Unknown vulnerabilities in production systems
No Log Retention: Compliance violations and forensic limitations
Incomplete IAM: Potential unauthorized access to sensitive resources

Priority Implementation Roadmap

Phase 1: Critical Foundation (Weeks 1-4)

Objective: Address immediate critical security gaps

Week 1-2: DDoS Protection & Basic Monitoring

Deploy AWS Shield Advanced
Configure CloudFlare protection
Set up basic CloudWatch monitoring
Implement emergency incident response procedures

Week 3-4: Backup & Recovery Basics

Configure automated database backups
Set up cross-region backup replication
Create basic disaster recovery procedures
Test initial backup restoration

Phase 2: High Availability & Security

Objective: Implement resilient infrastructure and security monitoring

Week 5-6: Multi-AZ Deployment

Deploy resources across multiple availability zones
Configure auto-scaling groups
Implement load balancing
Set up health checks and failover

Week 7-8: Security Monitoring

Deploy centralized logging (ELK stack)
Configure intrusion detection system
Set up security alerting
Implement log retention policies

Phase 3: Advanced Controls

Objective: Complete comprehensive security framework

Week 9-10: Access Control Enhancement

Implement comprehensive RBAC system
Deploy privileged access management
Set up automated access reviews
Enhance audit logging

Week 11-12: Testing & Validation

Conduct penetration testing
Perform disaster recovery simulation
Complete security audit
Document all procedures

Phase 4: Continuous Improvement (Ongoing)

Objective: Maintain and enhance security posture

Monthly Activities

Security metrics review
Access certification
Vulnerability assessments
Policy updates

Quarterly Activities

Disaster recovery testing
Penetration testing
Security training
Architecture review

Annual Activities

Comprehensive security audit
Disaster recovery plan update
Security strategy review
Compliance certification

Security Metrics & KPIs

Infrastructure Security Metrics

Availability Metrics

System uptime percentage (Target: 99.95%)
Mean Time To Recovery (MTTR) (Target: <4 hours)
Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) (Target: >720 hours)
Planned vs. unplanned downtime ratio

Security Metrics

Security incidents per month (Target: <2)
Time to detect security incidents (Target: <15 minutes)
Time to respond to security incidents (Target: <1 hour)
Vulnerability remediation time (Target: <72 hours for critical)

Access Control Metrics

Failed authentication attempts (Monitor for anomalies)
Privileged access usage (Monitor for unusual patterns)
Access review completion rate (Target: 100% within SLA)
Dormant account cleanup rate (Target: <5% dormant accounts)

Backup & Recovery Metrics

Backup success rate (Target: 100%)
Recovery point objective compliance (Target: 100%)
Recovery time objective compliance (Target: 100%)
Backup restoration test success rate (Target: 100%)

Compliance Metrics

Audit Readiness

Documentation completeness (Target: 100%)
Policy compliance rate (Target: 100%)
Training completion rate (Target: 100%)
Control effectiveness testing (Target: 100%)

Infrastructure Security Framework - Big Hammer Implementation Guide

Executive Summary

Table of Contents

Why Infrastructure Security Matters

Business Impact

Threat Landscape

Domain 1: Cloud Server Hosting & Security

🌩️ What: Secure Cloud Infrastructure Foundation

🎯 Why: Critical Security Foundation

🔧 How: Implementation Strategy

Current Status Analysis

Implementation Plan

Assessment Checklist

Domain 2: Data Backup & Disaster Recovery

💾 What: Comprehensive Data Protection & Recovery Strategy

🎯 Why: Business Continuity Imperative

🔧 How: Implementation Strategy

Current Status Analysis

Implementation Plan

Assessment Checklist

Domain 3: High Availability & Reliability

⚡ What: Resilient, Self-Healing Infrastructure Architecture

🎯 Why: Service Excellence & Client Satisfaction

🔧 How: Implementation Strategy

Current Status Analysis

Implementation Plan

Assessment Checklist

Domain 4: Logging, Monitoring & Observability

📊 What: Comprehensive Visibility & Security Intelligence Platform

🎯 Why: Proactive Security & Operational Excellence

🔧 How: Implementation Strategy

Current Status Analysis

Implementation Plan

Assessment Checklist

Domain 5: Authentication, Authorization & Access Control

🔐 What: Comprehensive Identity & Access Management Framework

🎯 Why: Zero Trust Security Foundation

🔧 How: Implementation Strategy

Current Status Analysis

Implementation Plan

Advanced Security Features

Assessment Checklist

Implementation Assessment Matrix

Current State Analysis

Risk Assessment

Priority Implementation Roadmap

Phase 1: Critical Foundation (Weeks 1-4)

Phase 2: High Availability & Security

Phase 3: Advanced Controls

Phase 4: Continuous Improvement (Ongoing)

Security Metrics & KPIs

Infrastructure Security Metrics

Compliance Metrics