Remote SupportA typical secure
Australian enterprise site.
This is the operational picture we run for our mid-market and enterprise clients. Edge security, core network, identity, and cloud, deployed as one integrated stack and accountable under a single managed service agreement.
The diagrams below are illustrative. Every real client deployment is sized to their site, users, regulatory exposure, and existing licensing.
Edge & Perimeter
What faces the internet
Core Network
How the site moves data
Identity & Endpoints
Who can access what
Cloud & SaaS
Where the workloads live
Four layers,
one operating model.
Most cyber failures we are called in to clean up are not failures of a single tool. They are failures of integration between layers, a forgotten admin account in identity, an unsegmented camera VLAN, a backup that runs but is not immutable. We engineer the layers to work together and we hold the contract for all of them.
Single console. Every layer is monitored, patched and ticketed from one operating plane, not five separate tools.
Australian data residency. Cloud workloads land in Sydney or Melbourne regions by default. We document where data lives.
No vendor lock-in. The architecture supports interchangeable vendors at each layer. We deploy what fits the client, not what pays us most.
The first filter everything passes through.
Every inbound packet, every email, every DNS lookup, every remote user session passes through the edge before it gets near a client device or server. If this layer is configured by accident, the rest of the stack is doing damage control all day.
What this layer actually does
Drops malicious traffic at the global edge before it consumes your bandwidth or hits your firewall. Filters DNS lookups against known command and control infrastructure. Authenticates inbound mail against SPF, DKIM and DMARC. Provides Zero Trust remote access for staff and engineers without exposing internal services to the internet.
What happens when it is wrong
A misconfigured DMARC record lets attackers spoof your domain. Open inbound services get scanned within hours of going live. Remote access on a flat VPN means one stolen credential gives an attacker the entire network.
Operational outcomes we engineer for
- Phishing and impersonation blocked before staff ever see the email
- DDoS absorbed at the edge, never reaching your circuits
- Remote access tied to identity and device health, not just a username and password
- Domain spoofing locked down through DMARC enforcement
Components typically deployed
How the site actually moves data, safely.
The core network is where staff devices, servers, IoT, cameras, building management, and guest WiFi all meet. Get the segmentation right and a compromised tablet stays a compromised tablet. Get it wrong and the same tablet becomes the foothold for everything else.
What this layer actually does
Terminates the internet circuit on a firewall with inspection. Carries traffic over enterprise switching, with WiFi delivered through a managed controller. Segments staff, guest, IoT, OT, server, and management traffic onto separate VLANs with access control lists enforced at Layer 3.
What happens when it is wrong
A flat network is the single most common finding in our incident response work. Cameras, printers, building automation and guest WiFi share the same broadcast domain as the finance team. Once one device is compromised, lateral movement is trivial.
Operational outcomes we engineer for
- Hard segmentation between staff, IoT, OT, guest, and management traffic
- Carrier diversity with automatic 4G or 5G failover for business continuity
- WiFi capacity sized to actual user density, not vendor brochure numbers
- Centralised dashboard for switching, WiFi, firewall and SD-WAN in one console
Components typically deployed
Identity is the new perimeter, endpoints are the new battleground.
The firewall used to be the boundary. Today, with staff working from cafes, home offices and client sites, the identity tier is what actually decides who can do what. Endpoints are where attackers land first, and where they need to be detected fastest.
What this layer actually does
Entra ID holds the single source of truth for who exists, what they can do, and on which device. Conditional Access policies enforce risk-based decisions at every sign-in. Intune manages device configuration, patching and compliance. EDR and MDR provide 24/7 detection and response across every endpoint.
What happens when it is wrong
Local admin rights left on every laptop. Shared service accounts with passwords from 2019. MFA enabled but not enforced. No EDR, just antivirus from a decade ago. These are the conditions that turn a routine phishing click into a ransomware event.
Operational outcomes we engineer for
- Every access decision risk-scored at sign-in against device, location and identity signals
- Just-in-time admin access, not standing privilege
- Phishing-resistant MFA on every privileged account and rolling out to staff
- 24/7 SOC eyes on every endpoint with a managed detection and response service
Components typically deployed
Where the data and the business actually live.
For most Australian businesses the operating workload sits across Microsoft 365, an Azure landing zone, and a small set of line-of-business SaaS platforms. The architecture question is not where to host it, it is how to protect it, back it up, and prove where the data lives.
What this layer actually does
Microsoft 365 carries email, files, meetings and identity. Azure regions in Sydney and Melbourne host line-of-business workloads. Backup runs to an off-tenant, immutable, verified copy. Data loss prevention and information classification protect sensitive content in motion. Line-of-business SaaS apps sit behind the same identity boundary.
What happens when it is wrong
A common assumption is that Microsoft backs up your data. They protect their service, you are responsible for your data. Tenants get encrypted in ransomware events. Inadvertent deletions go past the recycle bin window. Without an independent backup, recovery is not possible.
Operational outcomes we engineer for
- Microsoft 365 protected by immutable, off-tenant backup with tested restore
- Workloads land in Australian regions by default with documented data residency
- Information classification and DLP applied to sensitive document types
- Single identity boundary across M365, Azure and line-of-business SaaS
Components typically deployed
Architecture is the conversation we wish more clients walked in with.
Most cybersecurity buying decisions get made one tool at a time. A point EDR, a standalone backup, a separate email security trial. The result is a stack that looks busy but has gaps between the layers, and nobody is accountable for what falls between them.
This reference architecture is what we deploy and operate as a single accountable stack. When something breaks, there is one phone number. When the board asks how the controls map to Essential Eight, there is one document.
Want this for your site?
We map your current stack against this reference, then show you the gaps.
A two-hour architecture review with one of our senior engineers, scoped to your site, users, and existing licensing. No obligation, no theatrics.
Reviews are run by senior engineers, not sales. You leave with a written architecture map of where you are now and what we would change first.