Data Defenders LLC — Protecting Your Most Valuable Business Asset

Cyber Services

Security Leadership Without the Full-Time Salary

A fractional CISO practice and four adjacent programs — built around a diagnostic that started with 400+ program evaluations across nearly every vertical. Hourly, scoped to what you actually need, delivered by the same principal for the length of the engagement.

Primary practice

AI Compliance Assessments

Framework-anchored AI governance assessments for NIST AI RMF, EU AI Act, and ISO/IEC 42001.

Right for: organizations building, deploying, or governing AI and needing a scored posture across a recognized framework — with a report they can act on, not a slide deck.

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Flagship

Fractional CISO

Executive security leadership sized to your organization. Program strategy and oversight, board risk advisory, team leadership, third-party risk governance, and incident response readiness — delivered by a working CISO, not a junior consultant with a template.

Right for: organizations that need the CISO role but not the CISO salary — typically 50 to 500 employees, or larger organizations bridging a transition.

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What's included

  • ·Program strategy, priorities, and roadmap
  • ·Board and executive risk advisory
  • ·Security team leadership and mentoring
  • ·Third-party risk governance
  • ·Vendor management and technology strategy
  • ·Incident response readiness

Program services

Four Adjacent Programs

Program development

Cybersecurity Programs

Build the program from scratch, or restructure an existing one — policy, controls, roles, metrics, and the evidence base an auditor will want to see. Anchored to your governing framework, not to a proprietary checklist.

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Audit & certification

Audit Support

Pre-audit assessments, gap remediation, and audit-day support for SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, PCI DSS, and NIST frameworks. Get to the finish line with fewer findings and less rework.

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Governance & privacy

Enterprise GRC & Data Privacy

Governance, risk, and compliance programs; enterprise data privacy under GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, HIPAA, and emerging state regimes. Turn compliance from a fire drill into an operating capability.

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Resilience

Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery

BC/DR strategy, plans, and exercises — including the ransomware-era question of what you actually do when the primary environment is compromised. Tabletop through full failover.

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How we work

Hourly, Not Retainer-First

Every engagement begins with a free 25-minute consultation and, if it fits, a short scoping conversation to set the hourly rate for the work. Rates are set at engagement start and do not change over the course of it.

Fractional CISO engagements typically run 20 to 60 hours a month. Program work is scoped to deliverables. Audit support is measured by the audit's own calendar. You know what you're paying for before you commit.

Book the free consultation See AI Readiness assessments

Twenty-Five Minutes. Free.

Tell us what you're trying to solve. We'll tell you honestly whether we're the right fit.

Schedule the consultation Ask a question +1 720-739-1583

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AI Governance · Fractional CISO · Cyber Programs · GRC