Board Advisory Services

Cyber risk, translated into the language your board governs in.

Independent cybersecurity advisory for boards of directors, audit committees, and risk committees. Quarterly briefings, financial risk dashboards, and executive counsel that turn technical complexity into the governance signal directors need to oversee cyber as an enterprise risk.

Independent counsel at the board table.

Cybersecurity has become a top enterprise risk, but most boards still rely on a single internal source for their view of it: the CISO. That arrangement leaves directors without independent challenge, without external benchmarking, and without the financial framing they apply to every other risk category they oversee.

Armour Cybersecurity's Board Advisory service operates one level above the security function. The advisor reports to the board, the audit committee, or the risk committee, providing independent assurance, structured quarterly briefings, and a cyber risk dashboard that quantifies exposure in financial terms. The work is governance-grade, not technical-grade, and is built to satisfy the oversight standard regulators and shareholders increasingly expect.

The engagement complements rather than replaces internal security leadership. The CISO continues to run the program. The Board Advisor frames the questions directors should be asking, translates posture into business impact, and ensures the board can demonstrate active, informed oversight of cyber risk to regulators, auditors, and shareholders.

Quarterly
Structured briefing cadence with ad-hoc support for incidents, regulatory developments, and M&A activity
FAIR
Cyber risk quantification in financial terms so directors can compare cyber to every other enterprise risk

Single-source briefings vs. independent oversight.

Cyber has moved from an IT topic to a board-level fiduciary concern. The difference between a board that can demonstrate active oversight and one that cannot often comes down to whether independent counsel sits beside the CISO.

The Problem

Directors hear only what management chooses to escalate.

Cyber briefings are prepared and delivered by the same function that owns the program. Directors lack the technical depth to challenge the narrative and lack the financial framing to compare cyber risk against the rest of the enterprise portfolio. Regulators, auditors, and shareholders are raising expectations for board-level cyber oversight, but the materials in front of the board often fall short of that bar.

The Solution

An independent voice trained in both cyber and governance.

The Board Advisor delivers a quarterly briefing pack, a financial cyber risk dashboard, and direct dialogue with the board, audit committee, or risk committee. Risk is quantified in dollar terms. Regulatory developments are flagged before they become disclosure problems. Directors get the questions they should be asking and the benchmarks against which to evaluate management's answers. The board can demonstrate active, informed oversight on the record.

What the advisor covers.

Nine board-level domains, integrated into the quarterly briefing cadence and reflected in the cyber risk dashboard. Every domain is framed for governance, not for technical execution.

01 / GOVERNANCE

Cyber Risk Governance Structure

Review of how cyber risk flows into the board, the committee structure, charters, and reporting lines that govern oversight. Recommendations on cadence, escalation triggers, and decision rights.

02 / QUANTIFICATION

Risk Quantification in Financial Terms

Cyber exposure expressed in dollar ranges using FAIR-aligned methodology, so the board can compare cyber against every other risk on the enterprise risk register.

03 / REGULATORY

Regulatory Horizon Scanning

Tracking of upcoming obligations including SEC cyber disclosure, OSFI guidance, PIPEDA, GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS, and sector-specific mandates, with readiness implications for the board.

04 / READINESS

Incident Response Readiness

Independent evaluation of the organization's ability to detect, contain, and recover from material cyber events, plus the disclosure and crisis communications playbook the board should approve.

05 / THIRD-PARTY

Third-Party & Supply Chain Risk

Oversight of the third-party risk program, concentration risk in critical vendors, and the contractual and monitoring controls the board should expect management to maintain.

06 / STRATEGY

Strategy & Investment Oversight

Independent review of the multi-year cybersecurity strategy, budget alignment with risk appetite, and validation that security investment is delivering measurable risk reduction.

07 / RESILIENCE

Business Resilience & Continuity

Board-level perspective on operational resilience, ransomware recovery posture, crisis decision rights, and the continuity arrangements that protect the enterprise during major events.

08 / EDUCATION

Director Education & Tabletops

Structured education sessions and facilitated tabletop exercises that prepare directors to govern cyber confidently and to navigate a real incident under pressure.

09 / DISCLOSURE

Disclosure & Stakeholder Posture

Advisory on materiality assessment, public disclosure language, and the stakeholder communications posture the board should approve before an incident requires them.

Who this engagement serves.

Built for governance bodies and senior leadership accountable for cyber oversight, regulatory posture, and enterprise risk reporting.

Boards of Directors

Boards seeking an independent voice on cyber risk, structured quarterly briefings, and the governance materials needed to demonstrate active oversight to regulators and shareholders.

Audit & Risk Committees

Committees responsible for cyber oversight who need independent assurance, financial risk framing, and the discipline to challenge management on posture and investment decisions.

C-Suite Executives

CEOs, CFOs, and General Counsel who own enterprise risk and need a trusted cybersecurity advisor to brief executive committees and prepare leadership for board-level conversations.

Public Companies & Regulated Industries

Organizations subject to SEC cyber disclosure, OSFI guidance, or sector-specific oversight where active board engagement on cyber is a regulatory expectation, not optional.

A disciplined cadence across six phases.

A two to three week initial assessment establishes the baseline. Quarterly briefings thereafter follow the same standardized phases, so the board sees consistent materials, consistent risk framing, and consistent benchmarks every quarter.

1

Initial Assessment & Baseline

Two to three week onboarding. Review of charters, prior board materials, audit findings, and the current cyber risk picture. Establishes the baseline against which quarterly progress is reported.

2

Risk Quantification & Dashboard Build

Cyber exposure translated into financial terms using FAIR-aligned methodology. The dashboard is built once, then refreshed each quarter as the risk picture evolves and new threats emerge.

3

Quarterly Briefing Preparation

Construction of the board briefing deck, regulatory scorecard update, third-party risk summary, and the specific recommendations the advisor will bring to directors that quarter.

4

Board & Committee Sessions

Live briefing of the board, audit committee, or risk committee. Independent dialogue with directors, framing of the governance questions, and closed-session time when the agenda requires it.

5

Between-Quarter Advisory

Ad-hoc support for material incidents, regulatory developments, M&A diligence, and director questions that cannot wait for the next quarterly cycle. The advisor remains accessible on retainer.

6

Annual Strategy Review

Once per year, a comprehensive review of the cyber strategy, risk appetite alignment, and the maturity trajectory. Sets the agenda and priorities for the following year of board-level oversight.

What the board receives.

Nine integrated deliverables, refreshed on the quarterly cycle and built to survive regulator and auditor scrutiny. Every artifact is designed for governance consumption.

DELIVERABLE 01

Quarterly Board Briefing Decks

Concise, board-ready briefing pack delivered each quarter, covering posture, risk trajectory, regulatory developments, and the specific decisions the board is being asked to make.

DELIVERABLE 02

Cyber Risk Dashboard

Living dashboard that quantifies cyber exposure in financial terms, tracks key risk indicators quarter over quarter, and feeds the enterprise risk register on a consistent basis.

DELIVERABLE 03

Annual Cyber Strategy Review

Independent annual review of the multi-year cybersecurity strategy, risk appetite alignment, investment effectiveness, and the maturity trajectory of the program.

DELIVERABLE 04

Regulatory Compliance Scorecard

Scorecard tracking the organization's posture against applicable regulatory obligations, refreshed each quarter so the board can see compliance status at a glance.

DELIVERABLE 05

Incident Response Readiness Assessment

Independent evaluation of the organization's ability to detect, contain, recover from, and disclose material cyber events, refreshed annually and after every tabletop or real event.

DELIVERABLE 06

Third-Party Risk Summary Report

Board-level view of the third-party risk program, concentration in critical vendors, and the contractual and monitoring controls protecting the organization from supply chain exposure.

DELIVERABLE 07

Regulatory Horizon Scan

Forward-looking briefing on upcoming regulatory changes relevant to the organization, with readiness implications, expected timelines, and the actions the board should expect from management.

DELIVERABLE 08

Director Education & Tabletop Facilitation

Structured director education sessions and facilitated tabletop exercises that prepare the board to govern cyber confidently and to make decisions under incident pressure.

DELIVERABLE 09

Independent Advisor Memo

Confidential memo to the board chair or committee chair each quarter, capturing the advisor's independent observations, concerns, and recommendations outside the formal briefing.

The numbers behind the work.

Founded by military intelligence veterans with senior advisors from PwC, KPMG, Deloitte, EY, and Mandiant. The track record reflects the discipline.

260+

Clients Served

Organizations across finance, healthcare, technology, energy, legal, and government trust Armour Cybersecurity to protect what matters.

97%

Client Retention Rate

Long-term engagements built on consistent quality, predictable delivery, and consulting relationships that compound in value over time.

52+

Industries · Worldwide Reach

Cross-sector experience spanning every major regulated industry, with operations supporting clients across North America, Latin America, and beyond.

80+

Cybersecurity Technology Solutions

A vetted catalogue of technology partnerships and proprietary methods deployed in support of board-level cyber oversight and governance reporting.

Equip your board to oversee cyber with confidence.

Schedule a fifteen-minute discovery call to scope a Board Advisory engagement. Protecting What Matters starts at the board table.

Book Discovery Call

Frequently asked questions.

Common questions from board chairs, audit committee chairs, and executive sponsors evaluating a Board Advisory engagement.

How is Board Advisory different from a vCISO engagement?
A vCISO operates inside the organization as a fractional executive, owning day-to-day security strategy and program execution. Board Advisory operates one level above. It serves the board, audit committee, and risk committee directly, providing independent oversight of management's security posture and translating cyber risk into the governance language directors need. Many organizations engage both, with the vCISO running the program and the Board Advisor providing independent assurance to the board.
What does the quarterly cadence look like?
The engagement begins with a two to three week initial assessment that establishes the baseline. Thereafter, the cadence runs quarterly. Each quarter delivers a board briefing deck, an updated cyber risk dashboard, and a live session with the board, audit committee, or risk committee. Ad-hoc support is available between quarters for material incidents, regulatory developments, or M&A activity.
Which frameworks inform the advisory work?
The methodology is informed by NIST CSF, ISO 27001, COBIT 5, and the NACD Cyber-Risk Oversight Handbook. The framework selection follows the organization's regulatory profile and the governance standard the board expects to be held against. Cyber risk quantification follows the FAIR model when financial expression of risk is required.
Does the advisor replace the CISO at board meetings?
No. The Board Advisor complements the CISO rather than replacing them. The CISO presents management's view of the program. The Board Advisor provides independent perspective, frames the questions the board should be asking, and translates technical posture into governance-ready risk language. The two roles work together to give directors a complete picture.
How is cyber risk reported in financial terms?
Risk quantification translates technical exposure into expected loss ranges expressed in dollars. The methodology draws on the FAIR model, industry loss data, and organization-specific threat scenarios. The output is a dashboard the board can use to compare cyber risk against other enterprise risks and to evaluate whether security investment is delivering measurable risk reduction.
Who attends the quarterly briefing on the client side?
Attendance is defined during scoping and typically includes the full board, the audit committee, or the risk committee depending on governance structure. The CISO, CIO, and General Counsel commonly participate. Closed sessions with directors alone are scheduled when the agenda calls for independent dialogue without management present.
What regulatory disclosure obligations does the advisory work cover?
The regulatory horizon scan tracks obligations relevant to the organization, including SEC cyber disclosure rules, OSFI guidance, PIPEDA, GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS, and sector-specific mandates. The advisor flags upcoming changes, evaluates the organization's readiness, and prepares the board to demonstrate active oversight. The work supports governance preparedness and does not constitute legal advice.

Bring an independent voice to your board.

Reach out to scope a Board Advisory engagement. Discovery calls are scheduled within two business days.

Talk to Armour Cybersecurity.

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Headquarters
77 Bloor St West, Suite 600
Toronto, ON, Canada

Request a discovery call.

Tell us about your governance structure and what you need from independent counsel. A senior advisor will respond within two business days.