Fractional CISO Advisory
Not every organization needs a full-time CISO. But every organization operating in a regulated industry needs strategic security guidance. Sarakinov Consulting delivers CISO-level advisory — frameworks, roadmaps, risk governance, and board reporting — on a flexible model that fits your stage and budget.
Advisory engagement model. Sarakinov Consulting provides independent security advisory services. All guidance, frameworks, and recommendations are provided in an advisory capacity — your organization retains full decision-making authority and accountability. This is not an employment or executive officer arrangement.
What you get
Every Fractional CISO advisory engagement covers the areas below, scaled to the engagement model and your organization's current maturity and priorities.
Advisory on evaluating your current security posture, identifying gaps against your regulatory and business context, and developing a prioritized, phased security initiative roadmap with clear rationale and sequencing.
Advisory on implementing and maintaining a security framework appropriate to your sector and regulatory context — NIST CSF, ISO 27002, or a hybrid — with ongoing recommendations on improvement and maturity progression.
Guidance on developing and operating a third-party risk management program — supplier questionnaires, risk tiering, contractual security requirements, and ongoing monitoring — proportionate to your vendor ecosystem.
Advisory support for navigating your regulatory obligations — FSRA, OSFI, PCI-DSS, PIPEDA, CPPA, and GDPR. Guidance on gap assessment, compliance posture, and preparing for regulatory examinations or audits.
Advisory on developing and maintaining a cyber incident response plan — roles, escalation paths, communication procedures, and recovery steps — and guidance on tabletop exercises to test readiness.
Guidance on developing security reporting for senior management and the board — translating technical risk into business terms, security KPIs, and metrics that support informed governance decisions.
Guidance on developing, reviewing, and maintaining information security policies and procedures appropriate to your sector, size, and regulatory context. Annual review cycle recommendations included.
Advisory support in preparing for IT and security audits — internal, external, or regulatory. Guidance on evidence gathering, control documentation, and responding to audit findings.
Engagement models
Two engagement models, both structured as independent advisory arrangements. The right choice depends on your current security maturity, the pace of your regulatory environment, and how actively you need advisory input day-to-day.
Tier 1
Approximately 20 hours / month
Best for: Organizations with some security foundations in place needing senior oversight and strategic direction.
Tier 2
Approximately 40 hours / month
Best for: Organizations in regulated industries building or maturing their security program, preparing for audits, or managing a complex supplier environment.
Our approach
Every engagement starts with understanding your business — not with a generic security checklist.
Understand your business objectives, regulatory obligations, risk appetite, current security posture, and key stakeholders. No assumptions — everything begins with your specific context.
Evaluate your current security program against a framework appropriate to your sector and maturity. Identify gaps, prioritize by risk, and document findings in plain business language.
Develop a prioritized security initiative roadmap — phased, sequenced by risk and feasibility, with clear rationale for each initiative. Built to be implemented by your team.
Regular check-ins, advisory access for emerging issues, support on audits and regulatory inquiries, board reporting guidance, and continuous roadmap refinement as your environment evolves.
Who this is for
Fractional CISO advisory works best in specific situations. Here are the scenarios where we've seen the most value delivered.
Credit unions, community banks, and smaller financial institutions facing FSRA or OSFI expectations without a dedicated security function. Security guidance without a full-time hire.
Organizations that have grown to the point where security needs strategic leadership but aren't ready to commit to a full-time executive. Fractional advisory bridges that gap.
Organizations preparing for a regulatory examination, IT security audit, or certification requirement who need experienced advisory support to get ready and respond to findings.
Technology firms serving financial services, insurance, or government clients who face increasing security and privacy requirements from their customers and regulators.
Organizations between security leaders — or building their first security function — who need advisory continuity while the permanent hire is found or developed.
Mid-sized insurers and specialty organizations in regulated sectors who need security leadership with deep understanding of their industry's specific risk and compliance landscape.
In practice
The following illustrates the scope and depth of Fractional CISO advisory delivered for a regulated Ontario financial institution.
Engagement snapshot · Ontario Credit Union · 2.5-year advisory engagement
Provided Fractional CISO advisory to a regulated Ontario credit union over a 2.5-year engagement. Advised on the development and maintenance of a NIST CSF-based security framework, security initiative roadmap planning and updates, third-party supplier risk program development, IT and security audit preparation, and incident response plan development. Provided ongoing advisory support for FSRA regulatory compliance throughout the engagement, including guidance on responding to regulatory expectations and examination preparation.
Related services
Fractional CISO advisory integrates naturally with our other service pillars — many clients benefit from combining advisory services.