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2, Architectural Constraints

Architectural Goals

Integration Goals for Knight Frank’s Systems with UK GOV Land Registry:

  • Secure transfer of property information with Land Registry.
  • Ability to receive documentary property information.

Architectural Principles

The proposed pattern architecture aligns to our current Group Technology Principles as follows:

# Principle Description RAG
1 Cloud-First and Microsoft-Considered Strategy This service, like all services defined are written to take advantages of cloud-first design, and are only cloud vendor specific where they need to be. Green
2 Design in a modular way and think of re-use The service integration pattern follows previously defined services, and shares many components. Green
3 High Cohesion and Low Coupling – Favour Asynchronous Communication​ This service utilises a service-bus architecture, decoupling it from specific client applications, enabling it to be used by all. Green
4 Software Should be Verifiable This service has been designed with the view that all components will be highly testable, and fully meet the requirements of a CI/CD strategy. Green
5 Think Global, Build Local This service has been specified to be location agnostic. Green
6 Configuration over Customisation Any cloud service must facilitate run-time behaviour (configuration) changes via a self-serve administrator portal. This SAD includes the resources to enable this capability by default Green
7 Build with Privacy-as-Default with a risk-based approach to security The pattern architecture will mandate a standards-based approach to resource authentication (Managed Identity), user authorisation (role-based access control) and both user and system activity auditing Green

Architecture Constraints

  • External generation of property inspection material should follow Knight Franks security and access rules concerning all clients, and especially clients with restricted access, such as high net worth and clients with NDA's
  • Tenancy, Occupier Details and Property Inspection material should not persist on external sites longer than is necessary to complete the task.
  • This is to avoid possible security leaks
  • Minimize storage costs
  • Access to the service will follow current approved security and access rules.
  • Managed Identity to provide resource access.
  • User Identity optional, as calling systems will have already authenticated the user.
    • If User Identity is passed then it should be validated.
  • User Identity to satisfy audit.

Technical Constraints

Constraint Background and / or motivation Software and programming constraints
Code Constraints
TC1 Implementation in C# The application will be written/maintained in the current version of C#
TC2 .Net Framework The application will use the current LTS version of .Net
TC3 This Party Libraries Any third party library needs to be approved by Knight Frank, and have the appropriate Open Source license.
Operating System Constraints
TC4 Cloud Provider The application will be deployed to the Microsoft Azure Cloud
TC5 OS Development The application developed for the windows platform