Risk & Governance
Information security governance frameworks and enterprise risk management support.
Effective security isn’t just about technical controls—it’s about making informed decisions at every level of your organisation. Good governance ensures security gets the attention, resources, and accountability it needs. Risk management provides the framework for those decisions.
What governance and risk management involve
Governance establishes:
- Clear accountability for security decisions
- Appropriate oversight and reporting structures
- Policies that set expectations and boundaries
- Mechanisms for monitoring and assurance
Risk management provides:
- Systematic identification of what could go wrong
- Assessment of likelihood and impact
- Informed decisions about how to respond
- Ongoing monitoring and adjustment
Together, they ensure security efforts align with business objectives and available resources.
Who needs this
Growing organisations
As companies scale, informal approaches to security decisions stop working. You need structure without bureaucracy.
Regulated industries
Financial services, healthcare, and other regulated sectors face specific governance requirements. Demonstrating effective oversight is essential.
Board and executive teams
Directors increasingly face personal liability for cyber security failures. They need confidence that risks are being managed appropriately.
Pre-acquisition targets
Investors and acquirers scrutinise governance arrangements during due diligence. Weak governance raises red flags and can affect valuations.
Organisations post-incident
After a security breach, one of the first questions is “who was responsible?” Clear governance makes that question easier to answer.
How we can help
Governance framework design
We’ll help you establish appropriate governance structures:
- Roles and responsibilities — Defining who owns what, from board level to operational teams
- Reporting structures — Ensuring the right information reaches the right people at the right time
- Committee arrangements — Establishing or improving security steering groups
- Policy frameworks — Creating hierarchical policy structures that work in practice
- Metrics and KPIs — Identifying meaningful measures that drive the right behaviours
Risk management implementation
We’ll help you build practical risk management capabilities:
- Methodology selection — Choosing an approach appropriate to your organisation (ISO 27005, NIST, FAIR, or pragmatic hybrid)
- Risk register development — Creating and populating a risk register that’s actually useful
- Risk assessment facilitation — Running workshops that surface real risks without becoming tick-box exercises
- Risk appetite definition — Helping leadership articulate how much risk is acceptable
- Treatment planning — Translating risk decisions into actionable plans
Third-party risk management
Your risk exposure extends beyond your organisation:
- Supplier assessment frameworks
- Due diligence questionnaires and processes
- Contract security requirements
- Ongoing monitoring approaches
Board and executive support
We can help leadership teams understand and discharge their responsibilities:
- Board briefings that communicate risk in business terms
- Executive coaching on security governance
- Board paper preparation and review
- Scenario-based discussions to test decision-making
Practical approaches
We focus on governance that works rather than governance that looks good on paper. That means:
- Right-sized — Proportionate to your organisation’s size and risk profile
- Integrated — Working with existing business processes, not adding parallel bureaucracy
- Actionable — Clear enough that people know what to do
- Sustainable — Maintainable with realistic resources
Common questions
Do we need a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)? That depends on your size, industry, and risk profile. Many organisations benefit from security leadership without needing a full-time executive role—that’s where vCISO services come in.
How do we get the board engaged with security? Start with business risk, not technical detail. Translate security issues into language that resonates: regulatory risk, reputational damage, operational disruption, financial impact. Use scenarios and comparisons rather than abstract metrics.
What’s the difference between governance and compliance? Governance is about making good decisions. Compliance is about meeting external requirements. Good governance usually leads to effective compliance; compliance without governance is fragile and often superficial.
How much documentation do we need? Enough to be clear about expectations and demonstrate appropriate oversight. More isn’t always better—policies that nobody reads don’t improve security. Focus on quality and usability over volume.
Should we follow a specific framework? Frameworks like NIST CSF, ISO 27001, or CIS Controls provide useful structure, but they should inform your approach rather than dictate it. The right framework depends on your regulatory environment, customer expectations, and organisational culture.