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KeenSafe
Leadership · vCISO

vCISO services — fractional CISO leadership, evidence-backed

Fractional CISO leadership for organizations that need senior security strategy without a full-time hire — backed by KeenSafe platform evidence, not opinion.

Security Leadership·Strategy · governance · risk
LiveBoard View · Validated Risk
RISK SCORE78down 12% QoQCOMPLIANCE94%ISO · SOC 2 · NIS2COVERAGE87%ATT&CK breadthVELOCITY18dmean remediationBOARD NARRATIVE · Q4Validated paths to crown jewels reduced by 38%. Tier-0 path closed. Compliance evidence on track.StrategyRiskComplianceRoadmapBoard reporting
The problem

Where teams get stuck

Many organisations need senior security leadership but cannot justify a full-time CISO. Generic vCISO offerings deliver slide decks and policy templates; what executives actually need is evidence-backed risk reduction, traceable to business outcomes.

The KeenSafe approach

How we engage

KeenSafe vCISO combines senior security leadership with the platform evidence base — every strategic recommendation is grounded in actual attack paths, validated controls and measurable risk reduction. Executives get a CISO who reports with proof, not opinion.

Methodology

Four-step engagement model

Same rigour every engagement, calibrated to your environment, threat model and regulatory exposure.

STEP 01

Maturity & risk baseline

NIST CSF / ISO 27001 maturity, validated attack-path risk baseline, board-level threat profile.

STEP 02

Strategy & roadmap

12–24 month security roadmap aligned to business strategy, regulatory drivers and validated risk.

STEP 03

Operating cadence

Monthly steering, quarterly board reporting, security committee facilitation, executive coaching.

STEP 04

Evidence-backed reporting

KPIs tied to validated attack paths, control efficacy and remediation velocity — not vanity metrics.

What you get

Deliverables

Every engagement ships these outputs — reproducible, evidence-backed and ready for executives, engineers and auditors.

Security strategy & roadmap

12–24 month plan, risk-prioritised, mapped to business outcomes.

Board-grade reporting

Quarterly narrative: validated risk, control efficacy, remediation velocity.

Security committee facilitation

Run the steering committee, RACI, decision logs.

Executive coaching

CISO-as-coach to internal heads of security, IT and engineering leadership.

Scope of engagement

What this engagement covers

Concrete coverage. Clear boundaries. Optional add-on tracks where customers want to extend.

Included
  • Maturity baseline (NIST CSF / ISO 27001) + validated attack-path risk baseline
  • 12–24 month security strategy + roadmap aligned to business strategy
  • Monthly steering committee facilitation + decision logs
  • Quarterly board reporting (board pack + audit-committee narrative)
  • Executive coaching for internal heads of security + IT
  • Vendor management: cyber insurance, MSSP, audit firms
  • Regulator-facing representation as named accountable executive (where regime permits)
  • KPIs tied to validated attack paths, control efficacy, remediation velocity
Optional add-ons
  • Sectoral specialist (financial / healthcare / energy / government)
  • M&A cyber due diligence support
  • Crisis CISO mode: dedicated coverage during major incident
  • Insurance + reinsurance renewal narrative ownership
  • Sub-board committee chairing (where allowed)
Out of scope
  • Day-to-day SOC operations (covered by MDR / SOC service)
  • Hands-on penetration testing (covered by Managed Pentesting)
  • Legal counsel — coordinated with, not replaced
Engagement model

How we deliver

Duration
12-month minimum agreement · 4–12 days/month engagement
Team
Senior vCISO (former CISO at scale) + advisory bench access
Format
Monthly steering · quarterly board · onsite for board / audit-committee meetings
Who it is for
  • CEOs without an in-house CISO
  • Heads of IT / Security needing CISO-grade air cover
  • Audit-committee chairs
  • PE / VC portfolio companies needing security leadership
Sample report

What lands on your desk

Sections customers actually see in the engagement deliverable.

  1. 01
    Strategy + roadmap document

    12–24 month plan, risk-prioritised, mapped to business outcomes — board-readable.

  2. 02
    Monthly steering pack

    Decisions, risk movement, programme delivery status — executable in 30 minutes.

  3. 03
    Quarterly board narrative

    Validated risk, control efficacy, remediation velocity — defensible to audit committee and insurer.

  4. 04
    KPI dashboard

    Outcome-based metrics tied to validated attack paths and remediation velocity. Auto-generated, defensible to regulators.

Compliance mapping

Frameworks & regulations

ISO 27001 leadership clausesNIS2 governanceSEC cyber rulesNIST CSF GovernDORA governance
Common questions

Frequently asked

How many days a month?
Engagements typically range from 4 to 12 days a month, scaled to maturity, regulatory exposure and board cadence.
Do you replace an internal CISO?
We complement them as well as replace them. Many engagements support a head of IT or security manager who needs CISO-grade air cover at the board level.
Can you sign off on regulator filings?
Yes — vCISOs act as a named accountable executive where the regulatory regime allows, with appropriate insurance backing.
Get Started

Work with the team behind KeenSafe

Continuous adversarial validation, managed security operations and executive-grade risk visibility — delivered by senior offensive security engineers.