Decision support engagement
Data Security Investment Review
2 weeks. Typically £8,000 to £12,000 fixed fee.
Most data security investments are made under time pressure, with incomplete information. Vendor narratives all sound credible in isolation. The result is tool sprawl, overlapping capabilities, configuration debt, and operating model fragility. Buyers regret the decision within 18 months, not because the product was wrong, but because the question being answered was the wrong question.
This Review gives a senior decision-maker an independent, vendor-neutral read on a live tooling question before the commitment is made. It frequently surfaces that the underlying issue is not missing tooling but configuration, coverage, or operating model, which changes the investment case entirely.
Typical buyers come to this Review mid-decision on Purview, Varonis, Cyera, BigID, Netskope, Zscaler, or DSPM platforms. The Review also covers adjacent surfaces where data security overlaps with broader cyber decisions, including DLP modernisation, CASB rationalisation, identity and access governance for data, CSPM data-classification overlays, and post-M&A data security tool consolidation.
"We're about to commit to [Purview / Varonis / Cyera / Netskope / DSPM]. Are we buying the right thing for the right reason, in the right sequence?"
What the engagement produces
Three outputs, delivered over two weeks:
- A vendor-neutral decision-support brief assessing how the proposed investment maps to actual gaps and whether the underlying issue is missing capability, poor configuration, or operating model weakness. Includes consideration of credible alternatives, among them remediation or optimisation of existing controls before new platform investment.
- A sequencing recommendation identifying prerequisites and any pre-investment fixes that may reduce or eliminate the need for the proposed spend.
- A success criteria document with concrete, measurable outcomes designed to survive vendor implementation rhetoric, plus suggested governance milestones.
How it is different
This is not a vendor evaluation or a feature comparison. It is an independent read on whether you are solving the right problem, in the right sequence, before the contract is signed.
Is this the right engagement?
This engagement fits when one or more of the following is true:
- You are mid-procurement on a specific platform and want an independent view before committing.
- Your board or CFO is pressing for consolidation and you want a vendor-neutral assessment before cutting.
- You have recently completed an M&A integration and inherited a tool estate that may overlap with your own.
- You suspect the real issue is configuration or operating model rather than missing capability, but need that confirmed independently.
- You operate in a regulated environment where cyber security investment decisions must withstand audit and board scrutiny.
If your primary need is understanding your overall exposure rather than validating a specific investment decision, the Assurance Paradox Review is likely the better fit. If you need ongoing strategic support beyond a single decision, see the Data and AI Security Advisor retainer.
Commercials
Typically £8,000 to £12,000 for standard scope. Multi-platform or portfolio rationalisation engagements are priced on request.
Detailed engagement scope, assumptions, and deliverables are confirmed in the proposal following the initial conversation.
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