Network Enclaves
The House of Enclaves: Why Segmentation Still Matters in a World of Cyber Woes
By Ron Gula, Gula Tech Adventures
In our latest video from Gula Tech Adventures, we take a light-hearted, medieval-themed look at a very serious cybersecurity topic: segmentation. Inspired by dragons, wooden horses, and siege warfare, “House of Enclaves” makes the case for why network segmentation — specifically enclave-based architectures — remains one of the most effective and underused strategies in cyber defense.
Let me walk you through the thinking behind the satire and the technical truths underneath.
The State of the Realm: Modern Cyber Defenses
The opening skit introduces Lord Foxworth, defending the kingdom from House Hackett’s ever-evolving cyber attacks. It’s fun and whimsical, but it mirrors real-world vulnerabilities we see over and over: shared passwords, social engineering, and software vulnerabilities. Whether it's Winterbane Bastion being tricked by a Trojan horse (literally) or a castle falling due to reused credentials, these tropes reflect real-life breaches caused by weak controls and poor hygiene.
We’ve built modern cyber defenses on shifting sand. Our operating systems are black boxes we don’t fully control. Our phones are constantly connected and remotely configured. Our cloud apps are secure — until they’re not. And our most sensitive business conversations often happen on apps built for convenience, not confidentiality.
What Is an Enclave?
The idea behind an enclave is simple: isolate the most important systems or functions from everything else. In classified environments, this is second nature — each clearance level gets its own network, its own machines, and rigorous controls on what can flow in and out. But most companies don’t operate this way. They use shared networks, devices, and apps for everything — work, browsing, emails, and TikTok.
An enclave breaks this pattern. It carves out a walled garden within your digital infrastructure where critical thinking, communication, and data can occur with minimal risk of leakage. Not everything needs this level of security — but some things absolutely do.
It’s Not Just Tech — It’s Culture
The challenge isn’t building the tech — it already exists. VPNs, isolated servers, encrypted messaging, and segmented networks are all widely available. The challenge is getting people to adopt them.
We don’t want to let go of our phones. We don’t want to use a separate laptop to work on sensitive documents. We want to use Slack, Zoom, and Gmail for everything. So we try to secure everything, everywhere, all the time. That’s expensive. And it doesn’t work.
What if instead we asked: “What’s truly critical to our business?” What conversations are for executives only? What files are internal-only, even from partners and vendors? Start there. Create enclaves for that. Isolate it. And make sure it’s only accessible by trusted people on trusted devices.
The Air Gap and the Myth of the Dragon
In our video, Lord Foxworth dismisses dragons as fictional while arguing for an air-gapped palace enclave — a literal elevated outpost. The lesson here is that the most resilient defenses aren’t always the most convenient. Running critical operations from isolated systems is harder — but it reduces risk. And it puts you in control.
Air gaps sound extreme, but many companies already operate with similar principles: dedicated laptops for secure access, tightly controlled VPNs, restricted admin interfaces, or firewalled SCADA systems. These are all forms of enclave thinking — and they’re often the last line of defense when more “modern” approaches fail.
From Theory to Practice
Let’s go from the medieval metaphor to the real world. Here are a few examples of how enclaves might work in a business:
Private Collaboration: A separate set of devices and networks for board-level communication and M&A work — not your regular Microsoft Teams.
Secure Development: Code that powers your crown jewels (let’s say, an AI engine) lives on an enclave with no internet access and minimal USB/port exposure.
Sensitive Client Data: If you're in law, finance, or healthcare — an enclave for managing client records that doesn’t connect to social media or general web browsing.
Operational Technology: Factory floor systems or energy management networks that never touch the broader internet — like a literal air gap.
You could even do this at home. Imagine two computers: one for personal use (web surfing, email, shopping), and one for private work — only connecting to another known device or server through a secure tunnel. Basic. Powerful.
Blended Enclaves and Selective SaaS
Some might argue it’s impractical to disconnect entirely. That’s fair. Many organizations find value in hybrid models. Maybe your enclave has selective access to ProtonMail or Signal. Maybe it’s allowed to reach one specific third-party analytics platform. That’s fine — as long as it’s intentional and monitored.
Segmentation doesn’t have to mean isolation from the world. It means control. You define what’s allowed in and out. You reduce the risk. You limit the blast radius.
Trust, Transparency, and Today’s SaaS Stack
A lot of our trust in modern SaaS tools is based on assumptions. We assume our files on Google Drive are safe. We assume the software updates on our phones are benign. But how many of us have actually audited those tools? How many companies can guarantee that a sensitive CEO memo won’t leak from Slack, or that a disgruntled employee can’t download a client database?
With enclaves, you control the tools. You control the encryption keys. You decide who gets in. It’s not about paranoia — it’s about planning.
Lessons from the Realms of Cyber
So, what does House of Enclaves teach us?
History Repeats: Most breaches still stem from simple weaknesses — bad passwords, phishing, poor segmentation.
Segmentation Works: Strongholds survive. A layered defense is more than just a firewall.
Culture is Key: The hardest part of building enclaves isn’t tech — it’s changing behavior.
Control is Power: If it matters, put it behind walls you control.
Simplicity Wins: Sometimes, the most elegant solution is just keeping critical things separate.
Investing in Segmentation
At Gula Tech Adventures, we’ve backed technologies that embrace this approach. Our investment in Enclave helps companies segment devices across any network — it’s not a full air-gap, but it gets close with stealth-layer routing. We’ve also looked at companies that do encrypted collaboration, hardened endpoint management, and secure comms.
But the most important investment isn’t the tech — it’s the decision to prioritize segmentation. Whether you're a startup or a national infrastructure provider, make the hard things harder to reach.
Final Thoughts
You don’t need to live in a castle to adopt an enclave mindset. You just need to know which parts of your digital kingdom deserve better walls. Separate. Protect. Simplify. And if you ever get a gift-wrapped wooden horse — maybe scan it before you open the gate.