Patent ID: 7716716

Claim:
A method for architecting enterprise data security solutions for an enterprise having multiple levels, comprising: identifying by a processor a data element and an associated security requirement; determining by a processor an enterprise workflow for the data element across a plurality of enterprise levels wherein at least two of the plurality of enterprise levels comprise different machines; creating by a processor a reference model for the data element, wherein the reference model associates the data element and the security requirement with the enterprise workflow wherein the reference model includes information about a relationship of the workflow to the security requirement for the data element and of a relationship of the security requirement for the data element to each of the plurality of enterprise levels; determining by a processor a vertical component of the data element using the reference model, the vertical component identifying the security requirement for the data element for each of the plurality of enterprise levels in the enterprise workflow; and identifying by a processor a technical component using the reference model and the vertical component, the technical component configured to provide the security requirement of the data element for at least two of the plurality of levels of the enterprise in the enterprise workflow, wherein at least one other data element remains unaffected by operation of the technical component to implement the security requirement.