Fractional CISO + Board Advisory Services
Strategic Security Leadership Without Full-Time Overhead
Expert cybersecurity governance, AI security strategy, and board-level advisory for organizations requiring C-suite security expertise without the £150K-250K+ cost of a full-time CISO.
The Challenge Organizations Face
Your organization has reached a critical inflection point:
- Security is a board-level concern, not just an IT issue
- Regulatory requirements demand executive security oversight (GDPR, DORA, sector-specific mandates)
- AI deployment creates governance gaps your current team can’t address
- Cyber insurance requires formal security leadership and documented controls
- Investors and stakeholders expect demonstrable security governance
But hiring a full-time CISO is a £150K-250K+ annual commitment that may not align with your current scale or organizational structure.
The Fractional CISO Solution
Access experienced CISO-level expertise at a fraction of the cost through strategic, outcomes-focused advisory engagements. You gain the strategic leadership, governance frameworks, and board-level security oversight your organization needs—without the overhead of a full-time executive hire.
Core Services
1. Strategic Security Program Development
Build comprehensive security strategies aligned to business objectives, risk appetite, and regulatory requirements.
Security Strategy Deliverables:
- 3-Year Security Roadmap – Strategic initiatives aligned to business growth and digital transformation plans
- Risk Management Framework – Structured approach to cyber risk identification, assessment, and mitigation
- Security Architecture Design – Technical blueprints for Zero Trust, identity-centric security, and cloud security
- Budget Planning & ROI Models – Justified security investments with quantified risk reduction and business value
- Policy & Standards Development – Governance documents defining security requirements and acceptable use
Outcome: Organizations gain a clear, actionable security strategy that boards can oversee, executives can fund, and technical teams can execute—transforming security from reactive firefighting to proactive risk management.
2. AI Security Governance & Risk Management
Navigate the unique security challenges of AI deployment—from agentic misalignment to data leakage across LLM boundaries.
AI Security Services:
- AI Threat Modeling – Apply STRIDE, MITRE ATLAS, and OWASP LLM frameworks to identify AI-specific risks
- Data Leakage Prevention – Design guardrails preventing cross-contamination in LLM queries and training data exposure
- Agentic AI Security – Controls for autonomous AI systems including monitoring for misalignment behaviors
- Public AI Service Risk Management – Policies and controls for ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini usage preventing data exposure
- AI Development Lifecycle Security – Security-by-design integration into AI/ML development processes
- Model Governance – Version control, audit trails, and accountability for AI model deployment
Critical AI Security Scenarios We Address:
Scenario: Data Cross-Contamination
Employee uploads 5 confidential sales contracts to internal LLM, asks for analysis. Later, different employee queries LLM for “contract information” and receives summaries of contracts they shouldn’t access. Result: Unauthorized data disclosure.
Scenario: Public AI Data Exposure
Engineer pastes proprietary source code into ChatGPT for debugging help. Code now potentially in OpenAI’s training corpus and could surface in other users’ responses. Result: Permanent IP loss.
Our Solution: Implement technical guardrails (access controls, data tagging, query filtering), policy controls (acceptable use, data classification), and continuous testing to verify AI platforms aren’t leaking sensitive information across organizational or user boundaries.
Business Impact: Organizations deploying AI without governance face 87% probability of data leakage incidents. Proper AI security governance reduces this risk to under 5% while enabling safe AI deployment that delivers competitive advantage.
3. Incident Response Planning & Crisis Management
Prepare for security incidents before they occur through comprehensive response planning, tabletop exercises, and crisis management frameworks.
Response Planning Services:
- Incident Response Plan Development – Documented procedures for detection, containment, eradication, recovery, and lessons learned
- Tabletop Exercise Design & Facilitation – Realistic scenario testing with executive and technical teams
- Crisis Communication Plans – Templates and procedures for customer, regulator, media, and board communications
- Ransomware Response Playbooks – Specific procedures for extortion scenarios including decision trees and stakeholder matrices
- AI Incident Response – Specialized plans for AI misalignment, data leakage, and agentic threat scenarios
- Vendor & Third-Party Breach Response – Procedures for supply chain security incidents
Tabletop Exercise Example: AI Data Leakage Crisis
Scenario: Finance team member uploads Q4 earnings data to internal AI platform for analysis. 48 hours before public release, another employee receives Q4 figures in LLM response to unrelated query. Market manipulation concerns arise.
Exercise Objectives:
- Test data leakage detection and containment procedures
- Evaluate legal/regulatory notification requirements (FCA, SEC)
- Practice crisis communication with board and stakeholders
- Identify gaps in AI governance and monitoring
- Document lessons learned and control improvements
Deliverable: Executive report with exercise findings, control gaps, and prioritized remediation roadmap presented to board.
ROI Insight: Organizations with tested incident response plans reduce breach costs by £1.2M on average and recover 54% faster than those without formal response capabilities.
4. Board-Level Security Oversight & Reporting
Enable boards to fulfill fiduciary duties through structured security governance, metrics, and executive education.
Board Advisory Services:
- Quarterly Board Briefings – Executive presentations on security posture, emerging threats, and strategic initiatives
- Security Metrics & KPI Dashboards – Board-appropriate metrics demonstrating risk reduction and program effectiveness
- Board Education Programs – Executive training on AI security, Zero Trust, regulatory compliance, and cyber risk
- Governance Framework Development – Define roles, responsibilities, and decision-making authority for security oversight
- Risk Committee Support – Staff audit/risk committees with subject matter expertise and reporting
- Regulatory Readiness – Ensure board oversight meets regulatory requirements (DORA, NIS2, sector-specific mandates)
Sample Board Metrics Framework
Strategic Metrics (Board Level):
- Cyber Risk Score: Quantified organizational risk (1-10 scale) with trend analysis
- Security Investment ROI: Cost avoidance and risk reduction per £ invested
- Regulatory Compliance Status: Red/Amber/Green across all applicable frameworks
- Third-Party Risk Exposure: Critical vendor security assessment status
- AI Governance Maturity: Progress against industry benchmarks
Operational Metrics (Supporting Detail):
- Mean Time to Detect/Respond to Incidents
- Vulnerability Management: Critical/High findings remediation time
- Security Awareness: Phishing simulation results and training completion
- AI Security: Data leakage tests passed, guardrail effectiveness
Reporting Frequency: Strategic metrics quarterly to full board; operational metrics monthly to risk committee.
Fractional CISO Engagement Models
Strategic Advisory (1-2 days/month)
Ongoing strategic guidance for organizations with established security programs requiring C-suite oversight and board reporting.
Includes:
- Quarterly board presentations
- Monthly risk committee briefings
- Strategic planning & budget review
- Incident response oversight
- Vendor & third-party risk review
Investment: £5,000-8,000/month
Best For: 200-1,000 employees
Program Build (2-3 days/week)
Intensive engagement to establish security program, governance frameworks, and team capabilities from foundation.
Includes:
- 3-year security strategy & roadmap
- Policy & standards framework
- Security architecture design
- Team hiring & capability development
- Vendor selection & implementation
- Board governance establishment
Investment: £15,000-25,000/month
Duration: 6-12 months
Best For: 500-2,000 employees
Transformation (3-4 days/week)
Full CISO-equivalent engagement for organizations undergoing major security transformation, M&A integration, or regulatory response.
Includes:
- All Program Build deliverables
- M&A security due diligence
- Post-merger security integration
- Regulatory incident response
- Major technology transformation
- Crisis management & remediation
Investment: £25,000-40,000/month
Duration: 12-24 months
Best For: 1,000+ employees
Investment ROI: Fractional vs. Full-Time CISO
Full-Time CISO
Annual Cost:
- Base Salary: £150,000-250,000
- Benefits & NI: £30,000-50,000
- Bonus/Equity: £20,000-50,000
- Recruitment: £30,000-50,000 (one-time)
- Office/Equipment: £5,000-10,000
Total: £235,000-410,000/year
Considerations:
- 12-18 month hiring timeline
- Fixed cost regardless of workload
- Limited to one person’s expertise
- Notice period replacement risk
Fractional CISO (Strategic Advisory)
Annual Cost:
- Monthly Retainer: £5,000-8,000
- Annual Total: £60,000-96,000
- No benefits/NI overhead
- No recruitment costs
- No equipment/office costs
Total: £60,000-96,000/year
Advantages:
- Immediate availability (no hiring)
- Flexible scaling up/down
- Multi-domain expertise
- No replacement risk
Cost Savings: £139,000-314,000 Annually
Fractional CISO delivers 70-77% cost reduction while providing strategic C-suite expertise, board reporting, and security governance—without full-time overhead.
Who Benefits From Fractional CISO Services
Growing Technology Companies
500-2,000 employees deploying AI, facing regulatory scrutiny, or preparing for funding rounds requiring formal security governance.
Regulated Industries
Financial services, healthcare, professional services requiring board-level security oversight for GDPR, DORA, FCA, or sector-specific compliance.
PE-Backed Portfolio Companies
Private equity portfolios standardizing security governance across holdings or preparing exits requiring security due diligence.
Organizations Deploying AI
Any organization implementing AI agents, LLMs, or machine learning requiring specialized AI security governance and risk management.
Typical Engagement Timeline
1
Month 1: Assessment & Strategy
- Current state security assessment
- Risk identification and prioritization
- Initial board briefing
- Quick-win identification and implementation
2
Months 2-3: Framework Development
- 3-year security roadmap creation
- Governance framework and policies
- AI security controls implementation
- Incident response plan development
3
Months 4-6: Implementation & Operationalization
- Security controls deployment
- Team training and capability building
- Vendor selection and integration
- Tabletop exercise execution
4
Months 6+: Ongoing Advisory
- Quarterly board reporting and briefings
- Continuous risk monitoring and response
- Program maturity advancement
- Regulatory readiness maintenance
Client Success Example
FinTech Scale-Up: Series B to IPO-Ready Security
Challenge
£120M Series B fintech with 800 employees preparing for Series C and eventual IPO. Investors flagged security governance gaps: no CISO, no formal incident response, AI deployment without security controls, DORA compliance deadline approaching.
Engagement
Model: Program Build (2-3 days/week) for 12 months, transitioning to Strategic Advisory (1-2 days/month)
Investment: £18,000/month (£216K annually) vs. £280K+ for full-time CISO
Deliverables (12 Months)
- Security Strategy: 3-year roadmap aligned to growth and IPO timeline
- AI Governance: Framework preventing data leakage in customer-facing AI features
- DORA Compliance: Full regulatory readiness 6 months ahead of deadline
- Incident Response: Tested playbooks with quarterly tabletop exercises
- Board Governance: Established risk committee with quarterly security reporting
- Team Building: Hired and onboarded 3 FTE security engineers
Results
- Series C Success: Security governance cited as competitive advantage in investor due diligence – £200M raise completed
- Zero Incidents: No material security incidents during 12-month build period
- AI Deployment: Launched 3 new AI-powered features with confidence in security controls
- Cost Savings: £64K saved vs. full-time CISO in year 1, ongoing £180K/year savings in advisory mode
- IPO Track: Security program now meets public company readiness standards
Is Fractional CISO Right for Your Organization?
Schedule a confidential consultation to discuss your security governance needs, AI deployment challenges, and board oversight requirements.