Supply Chain Security Architecture Design

Global Logistics is a mid-sized logistics and supply chain management company
operating across the UK, Germany, Italy and France. The company offers shipping,
warehousing, real-time cargo tracking and delivery services for retail and
manufacturing clients.
The organisation's network infrastructure currently consists of:
Headquarters: Located in Germany, manages central IT, tracking systems,
ERP and analytics teams.
Distribution centres: The distribution centres are in the UK, Italy and France.
Each centre stores goods, manages local servers and uses automated systems
(barcode scanners, RFID readers and automated forklifts)
Remote Delivery: Over 500 drivers using unmanaged mobile devices to
access delivery routes and collect customer signatures.
Third-party vendors: The company deals with external parties for customs
clearance, manufacturing, procurement and maintenance.
Global Logistics' central operational systems, including the shipment tracking,
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and warehouse management, are hosted
on Microsoft Azure Cloud. All vendor contracts, client records and related
documents are stored in cloud-based databases.
To monitor logistics operations, real-time vehicle tracking is implemented
through IoT-enabled GPS devices. These devices are installed in delivery
vehicles and connected via mobile networks, allowing continuous data
transmission to the central system. Inventory management and shipment updates rely on integration with third
party suppliers and retailers through secure APIs. These APIs facilitate real
time data exchange, ensuring stock levels, order statuses and shipment details
are consistently updated across all platforms.
The company recently faced a supply chain attack where a third-party vendor’s
API transmitted malicious data. This caused incorrect shipment updates,
leading to operational disruptions and potential financial losses.
Delivery drivers using their personal smartphones introduced significant
vulnerabilities. The devices lack security controls, making them susceptible to
malware infections. Currently, there is no enforcement of MFA or device
compliance policies for employees and vendors. IoT devices used for vehicle
tracking have weak authentication mechanisms and outdated firmware.
Undertaking the role of a Security Architect, you have been tasked to design a
solution that protects the organisation's assets and illustrate your findings. Using an appropriate security architecture framework, design a solution for the
implementation and configuration of security controls to protect the
organisation's assets and business operations. Your design should incorporate
a layered security approach and include:
• Separate Security Architecture Diagrams that visually represent the
following areas:
o Network and infrastructure security controls
o User Access and Authentication
o Application and Data Security
o Endpoint controls for employees and vendors and Using secure design principles and frameworks, produce a report that
justifies your suggested solution. At a minimum, it must:
• Briefly evaluate your chosen approach to the design created in Part 1.
• include a critical appraisal of the solution and its associated
components
• reflect on the role of assurance in relation to the framework chosen, its
implementation within the design and how it achieves organisational
requirements.