Business-Aligned Security Leadership  ·  CISM  ·  AAISM  ·  Enterprise Governance & AI Risk

Fractional CISO &
vCISO Advisory.
Security That Moves With Your Business.

Fifteen years leading enterprise security and AI governance that reduces risk exposure, strengthens market defensibility, and aligns security investment to shareholder value.

Now available to growth-stage companies by the month, not the decade.

Are you an MSP? I'm available as a 1099 vCISO contractor. Let's talk →

15+
Years Experience
CISM
Security Governance
AAISM
AI Security Management
AVP
Financial Services · Banking
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Fractional CISO & Advisory

Enterprise Governance
Without Enterprise Overhead

I'm Nathaniel Egharevba — CISM and AAISM-certified, 15 years at AVP level across banking, telecom, and technology. I advise growth-stage companies on building security and AI governance programs that scale without rebuilding.

My work translates technical risk into board-ready decisions, aligns security to business outcomes, and builds control frameworks that hold up under audit and acquisition scrutiny.

Most growth-stage companies need enterprise-grade security, not a full-time CISO salary. I provide the structure, reporting, and compliance readiness on a flexible model — scaling with your business, not against it.

Available to MSPs and channel partners as a 1099 independent contractor — plug-in vCISO capability without the overhead.

CISM · AAISM · ISACA Fractional CISO vCISO Advisory Board-Level Advisory Enterprise Risk & Controls DBA In Progress
Enterprise Risk Governance

Building risk frameworks aligned to NIST CSF and ISO 27001 that turn threat exposure into decisions the board can actually act on.

Security Architecture & Resilience

Zero trust network architecture, micro-segmentation, and defense-in-depth strategies that embed resilience at every layer of the enterprise.

Governance-Aligned Product Delivery

Security-by-design product leadership: delivering PCI-DSS, SOC 2, and regulated platforms without compromising speed or strategic intent.

AI Governance & Enterprise AI Risk

NIST AI RMF-aligned governance covering responsible AI oversight, shadow AI risk, and lifecycle controls for organizations adopting AI at scale.

Executive Strategy · CISM

Security Governance &
Risk Leadership

Translating security risk into decisions that matter to the business, not just the security team.

Domain 1

Information Security Governance

Establishing and maintaining enterprise security frameworks aligned to organizational strategy, risk appetite, and regulatory requirements.

Domain 2

Risk Management

Quantitative and qualitative risk assessment, treatment strategies, and continuous monitoring programs that protect enterprise assets.

Domain 3

Security Program Development

Designing, building, and managing enterprise information security programs from policy creation to control implementation.

Domain 4

Incident Management

Incident response planning, crisis communication, forensics coordination, and post-incident improvement processes.

Frameworks & Standards

NIST Cybersecurity FrameworkEnterprise Applied
ISO/IEC 27001Advanced
SOC 2 Type IIAdvanced
GDPR / CCPA ComplianceAdvanced
Zero Trust ArchitectureAdvanced
HIPAA Security RuleAdvanced
NIST AI Risk Management FrameworkAdvanced
ISO/IEC 42001 (AIMS)Advanced
Framework Selection by Business Situation
Board security posture review NIST CSF+CIS Controls
Maturity scores, gap analysis
Enterprise SaaS sales unlock SOC 2+CIS Controls
Type I fast, Type II proper
E-commerce card processing PCI-DSS+SOC 2
SAQ A scope reduction, ASV scans
International expansion ISO 27001+NIST CSF
Certification + risk assessment
Bank or credit union FFIEC+ISO 27001
CAT assessment, MRA remediation
Cloud architecture redesign Zero Trust+CIS Controls
Architecture blueprint, ZTNA
Post-breach recovery NIST CSF → CIS Controls+Zero Trust
Gap closure, architecture hardening
Generative AI enterprise rollout NIST AI RMF+Shadow AI
AI governance, acceptable use policies, risk oversight
AI-assisted healthcare decisions NIST AI RMF+HIPAA
Human oversight controls, explainability, PHI protection

Executive Engagements

Executive Risk Reporting & Governance Communication

Translated technical risk posture into executive dashboards and leadership presentations aligned to business risk appetite.

Cross-Functional Governance Programs

Built security governance programs spanning engineering, risk, compliance, and operations across regulated banking and telecom environments.

Security Policy Governance

Developed and aligned security policy libraries to NIST CSF and ISO 27001 across regulated banking and telecom environments.

Security Culture Programs

Designed and ran security awareness programs that measurably changed security behavior across enterprise environments.

AI Governance & Responsible AI Oversight

Advised leadership on AI risk management, NIST AI RMF implementation, shadow AI governance, and human oversight controls for enterprise AI adoption.

Security Governance Committee Structure

Formal accountability hierarchy ensuring security decisions flow from board risk appetite to operational execution.

flowchart TB A[Board Risk Committee] --> B[CISO / CRO] B --> C[BISO / Security Leadership] C --> D[Platform Engineering] C --> E[Security Operations] C --> F[Risk & Compliance] C --> G[Product & Engineering] B -.-> H[Quarterly Risk Posture Report] A -.-> I[Board Risk Oversight] style A fill:#f0b429,stroke:#f0b429,color:#03071e style B fill:#22d3ee,stroke:#22d3ee,color:#03071e style C fill:#22d3ee,stroke:#22d3ee,color:#03071e

Risk Escalation Workflow

Every exception requires documented business justification and formal risk acceptance within delegated authority limits.

flowchart LR A[Identify Risk/Exception] --> B{Within Risk
Appetite?} B -->|Yes| C[Risk Owner Approves] B -->|No| D[Escalate to CISO] C --> E[Document in Risk Register] D --> F[Board Risk Committee] E --> G[Time-Limited Tracking] F --> H[Strategic Risk Decision] style A fill:#1e293b,stroke:#22d3ee,color:#e2e8f0 style C fill:#22d3ee,stroke:#22d3ee,color:#03071e style F fill:#f0b429,stroke:#f0b429,color:#03071e
Fractional CISO Services

Enterprise Governance
Right-Sized for Growth

I bring Fortune 500 governance discipline to growth-stage companies without the Fortune 500 overhead. Flexible engagement models designed for organizations building their security and AI governance function.

Limited to 5 concurrent engagements to ensure quality delivery. Also available to MSPs and channel partners as a 1099 independent contractor — plug-in vCISO capability, your clients get enterprise governance, your business gets a differentiator. No overhead, no hiring risk.

01

Essential

  • Security posture assessment
  • AI risk exposure assessment
  • Policy framework development
  • Board reporting & risk register
  • Cyber insurance alignment
02

Strategic

  • Full vCISO function & leadership
  • Compliance roadmap (SOC 2, ISO 27001)
  • Security architecture & vendor risk
  • AI governance & NIST AI RMF alignment
03

Transformation

  • Pre-IPO / M&A security readiness
  • Security & AI governance team buildout
  • AI governance program & responsible AI oversight
  • Interim CISO & transformation
04

M&A Readiness

  • Pre-diligence security assessment
  • Evidence room & documentation prep
  • Buy-side & sell-side advisory

The vCISO Engagement Framework

1
Assess

Current state, gaps, and risk exposure

2
Stabilize

Quick wins and critical control gaps

3
Govern

Policy, process, and governance frameworks

4
Scale

Compliance achievement and maturation

Security Strategy Portfolio

Security Strategy Portfolio &
Framework Artifacts

Governance frameworks, playbooks, and security artifacts built across regulated enterprise environments. These are real deliverables, not templates.

Enterprise Banking Security Strategy
Financial Services

Comprehensive security strategy framework designed for regulated financial institutions, covering governance structure, control objectives, regulatory alignment (PCI-DSS, FFIEC), and executive risk reporting cadence.

✓ Deployed at AVP level across FFIEC-supervised banking — anchored a 40% reduction in post-deployment incidents.

NIST CSFPCI-DSSFFIEC
NIST-Aligned Governance Policy Library
Enterprise Governance

A structured policy library covering information security policies, standards, and procedures, fully aligned to NIST CSF and ISO/IEC 27001 control objectives, designed for enterprise-wide adoption and audit readiness.

✓ Used as the policy foundation for a SOC 2 Type II engagement completed in 4.5 months with zero exceptions.

ISO 27001NIST CSFSOC 2
Incident Response & Crisis Playbook
Operational Resilience

Enterprise IR playbook covering detection, containment, eradication, and recovery, with crisis communication templates, executive escalation paths, and post-incident improvement frameworks aligned to NIST SP 800-61.

✓ Contributed to MTTR reduction from 6 hours to 2.5 hours across a high-availability telecom platform.

NIST 800-61MITRE ATT&CK
Zero Trust Architecture Blueprint
Security Architecture

A phased Zero Trust implementation roadmap covering identity-centric access, micro-segmentation strategy, least-privilege enforcement, and continuous verification, designed for large-scale enterprise environments.

✓ Designed for enterprise environments where perimeter-only security was creating unacceptable lateral movement risk.

ZTNANIST SP 800-207FortiGate
Board-Level Risk Reporting Template
Executive Communication

Executive dashboard and board reporting template translating technical security posture, risk metrics, and control effectiveness into business-language narratives for C-suite and board consumption.

✓ Reduced board reporting prep from 3 days to under 4 hours — used across banking and telecom leadership teams.

KRI/KPIRisk Quantification
Workflow Governance Architecture
Operational Governance

Security governance workflow designs covering change management, access review cycles, third-party risk assessment, and exception management, embedded into enterprise ITSM and GRC tooling.

✓ Standardized across enterprise ITSM — contributed to 45% fewer escalations to senior leadership in 12 months.

GRCThird-Party RiskChange Mgmt
HIPAA Security Rule Compliance Framework
Healthcare & Health-Tech

A structured HIPAA Security Rule compliance framework covering Administrative, Physical, and Technical Safeguards — including risk analysis methodology, BAA governance, PHI data flow mapping, and audit control design aligned to 45 CFR Part 164.

✓ Applicable to covered entities, health-tech platforms, and any organization handling PHI under HIPAA/HITECH obligations.

HIPAA Security RuleHITECH45 CFR Part 164BAA Governance
AI Governance Framework & Risk Assessment
AI Governance & Enterprise AI Risk

A structured AI governance framework covering NIST AI RMF alignment, AI lifecycle risk management, shadow AI governance, responsible AI oversight, and enterprise AI risk assessment — designed for organizations adopting AI at scale.

✓ Applicable to organizations deploying generative AI, ML platforms, or AI-assisted operations requiring governance maturity and risk oversight.

NIST AI RMFResponsible AIAI Lifecycle GovernanceShadow AI
Cyber Insurance Alignment Framework
Risk Governance & Insurance Readiness

A structured framework that maps an organization's security controls directly to cyber insurance underwriting requirements — identifying coverage gaps, hardening the technical control posture, and ensuring the policy reflects actual risk exposure. Covers MFA, EDR, backup integrity, incident response readiness, and carrier questionnaire preparation.

✓ Helps organizations secure coverage, reduce premiums through demonstrable control maturity, and avoid claim denials due to undisclosed gaps.

Cyber InsuranceControl MappingUnderwriting ReadinessRisk Transfer

Vendor Risk Lifecycle

Third party risk governance from onboarding through continuous monitoring and offboarding — including AI vendor risk assessments, model trustworthiness validation, and AI procurement governance.

flowchart LR A[Vendor
Identification] --> B[Risk Tiering
1/2/3] B --> C{Tier 1 or 2?} C -->|Yes| D[Security Assessment
SOC 2/Equivalent] C -->|No| E[Standard Contract] D --> F[Contract Security
Requirements] E --> F F --> G[Onboarding &
Integration] G --> H[Continuous Monitoring
72hr Incident Notice] H --> I[Annual/Biennial
Reassessment] I --> J{Criticality
Change?} J -->|Yes| B J -->|No| K[Offboarding &
Data Destruction] style B fill:#22d3ee,stroke:#22d3ee,color:#03071e style F fill:#f0b429,stroke:#f0b429,color:#03071e style H fill:#f0b429,stroke:#f0b429,color:#03071e
Enterprise Case Studies

Proof of Impact
& Delivery

Real outcomes from enterprise security governance work. Measured in risk reduction, audit results, and organizations that kept running when things went wrong.

Financial ServicesMajor U.S. Bank · Security Governance & Enterprise Platform Lead (AVP)

Enterprise Security Transformation

Challenge: Manual transaction workflows and fragmented controls were creating compounding operational risk in an FFIEC-supervised banking environment.

Approach:

  • • Deployed rules-based workflow automation platform
  • • Standardized production readiness runbooks
  • • Redesigned incident escalation with network engineering

Outcome: 85% workflow automation. 40% fewer post-deployment incidents. MTTR reduced from 6 hours to 2.5 hours.

85%
Workflows Automated
40%
Post-Deploy Incidents Reduced
6h→2.5h
MTTR Improvement

Incident Escalation Flow

Structured response and escalation paths ensuring severity-appropriate engagement and rapid containment.

flowchart TB A[Detection via SIEM/
SOC Alert] --> B{Severity
Assessment} B -->|Severity 1| C[Immediate SOC
Engagement] B -->|Severity 2| D[L2 Response
Team] B -->|Severity 3| E[L1 Standard
Response] C --> F[Executive
Notification] C --> G[War Room
Activation] D --> H[Manager
Notification] E --> I[Standard
Ticket Flow] F --> J[Containment &
Recovery] G --> J H --> K[Post-Incident
Review] I --> K J --> L[Root Cause
Analysis] L --> M[Control
Improvement] style C fill:#ef4444,stroke:#ef4444,color:#fff style F fill:#f0b429,stroke:#f0b429,color:#03071e style G fill:#ef4444,stroke:#ef4444,color:#fff style J fill:#22d3ee,stroke:#22d3ee,color:#03071e style M fill:#22d3ee,stroke:#22d3ee,color:#03071e
TelecommunicationsNational Telecom Provider · Enterprise Security Governance & Operational Platform Lead

Governance Maturity & Resilience Program

Challenge: Inconsistent controls and weak runbooks were causing recurring incidents across a high-availability telecom platform with no unified risk framework.

Approach:

  • • Launched NIST CSF-aligned maturity program
  • • Standardized policies and targeted control remediation
  • • Deployed operational dashboards for visibility

Outcome: Control maturity improved 2 levels in 12 months. 30% fewer recurring incidents. 45% fewer escalations to senior leadership.

+2 Levels
Control Maturity Gained
30%
Fewer Recurring Incidents
45%
Fewer Escalations
Enterprise TechnologyMajor Enterprise Telecom Carrier · Enterprise Platform & Operational Governance

Platform Governance & Workflow Optimization

Challenge: A platform serving millions of users lacked unified oversight, with disconnected cross-functional coordination and inconsistent operational prioritization.

Approach:

  • • Aligned platform oversight across engineering and operations
  • • Implemented data-informed operational prioritization
  • • Governed workflow improvement in SAFe scaled delivery

Outcome: Strengthened cross-functional coordination at enterprise telecom scale. Improved operational continuity through structured reviews and analytics-driven prioritization.

M+ Users
Platform Scale
SAFe
Scaled Delivery Governance
Fortune 10
Enterprise Telecom Scale
Strategic AdvisoryGrowth-Stage Fintech · Fractional Security Advisory

SOC 2 Readiness & Security Program Build

Challenge: A 180-person fintech needed SOC 2 Type II for Series C fundraising, but lacked documented controls or a risk framework.

Approach:

  • • Built risk assessment framework and policy library
  • • Established vendor risk and incident response protocols
  • • Coordinated implementation across engineering, legal, operations

Outcome: SOC 2 Type II achieved in 4.5 months, zero exceptions. Enabled $45M Series C. Program now supports enterprise procurement.

4.5 Months
SOC 2 Type II Achieved
$45M
Series C Enabled
Zero
Audit Exceptions
Security Leadership Philosophy

How I Think About Security
& Resilience

These are not talking points. Every one came from a real situation where I had to make a call, defend a position, or hold the line under pressure.

01

Controls Before Tools

Technology expresses policy, not the other way around. Every firewall rule and detection threshold should trace to a documented risk decision. I establish the control framework first, then deploy tools to enforce it.

02

Risk Appetite Drives Architecture

Architecture without an agreed risk appetite is guesswork. The board owns the appetite. Security translates it into control objectives, detection thresholds, and investment priority.

03

Resilience Is Designed, Not Patched

Organizations that add resilience after incidents stay one breach behind. True resilience is designed in, embedded in culture, and tested against realistic scenarios before they occur.

04

Security Is a Business Function

Security that cannot speak business language stays underfunded. I translate risk into revenue exposure, regulatory liability, and strategic opportunity. The board responds to business impact, not CVE scores.

Technical Fluency & Architecture

Security Architecture
& Technical Fluency

Effective security leadership requires technical fluency, not just framework knowledge. I understand the infrastructure I govern — firewalls, network segmentation, cloud, and detection operations — across regulated banking and telecom environments.

FortiGate NGFW

Fortinet Security Fabric
  • NGFW policy design & SSL inspection
  • HA clustering & SD-WAN configuration
  • FortiAnalyzer / FortiManager integration
  • Threat Intelligence & IPS tuning
  • Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA)

Virtualization Security

VMware · Oracle VirtualBox
  • Virtualization platform familiarity and oversight exposure
  • VM network isolation concepts and segmentation strategy
  • Hypervisor security configuration awareness
  • Lab environment security design for controlled testing
  • Snapshot oversight and recovery process validation

Cloud Security Governance

AWS · Docker
  • AWS IAM oversight & access policy management
  • Cloud shared responsibility & risk oversight
  • Docker container security fundamentals
  • Cloud vendor risk assessment & third-party controls
  • Security requirements for cloud product delivery

SIEM & Detection Oversight

Splunk · Microsoft Sentinel
  • SIEM governance and detection program oversight
  • Detection coverage aligned to MITRE ATT&CK
  • SOC escalation workflow and operational reporting
  • Security telemetry visibility for incident response
  • Executive-ready KPI and posture reporting

Network Architecture

Cisco · Palo Alto · F5
  • Enterprise network design & segmentation
  • VLAN design, inter-VLAN routing & ACL oversight
  • BGP / OSPF / RIP dynamic routing
  • VPN & remote access architecture
  • Web Application Firewall (WAF) management

Security Automation & Workflows

Python · Ansible · Terraform
  • Security automation governance and workflow design
  • Configuration management oversight and policy enforcement
  • API integration supporting security orchestration
  • Automated vulnerability management and remediation tracking
  • Enterprise visibility dashboards for operational leadership

High-Level Zero Trust Model

Identity-centric security architecture where no user, device, or system is trusted by default, regardless of network location.

In plain terms: Every access request is verified before it succeeds — identity confirmed, device checked, network authorized, and data scoped. No assumed trust, even inside your own walls.

flowchart TB subgraph Identity["Identity & Access Layer"] A[Identity Provider
Entra ID/Okta] B[Multi-Factor
Authentication] C[Conditional Access
Policies] end subgraph PDP["Policy Decision Point"] D[Policy Engine
PE] E[Policy Admin
PA] end subgraph Resources["Protected Resources"] F[Applications
Data] G[Micro-segments
Network Zones] end subgraph Monitoring["Continuous Monitoring"] H[SIEM/Behavioral
Analytics] I[Device Health
Validation] end A --> B --> C --> D D --> E E -->|Grant/Deny| F E -->|Segment Access| G I --> D H --> D style D fill:#f0b429,stroke:#f0b429,color:#03071e style E fill:#f0b429,stroke:#f0b429,color:#03071e style F fill:#22d3ee,stroke:#22d3ee,color:#03071e style G fill:#22d3ee,stroke:#22d3ee,color:#03071e

Operational Resilience Recovery Map

Recovery objectives and continuity controls ensuring business process survival through disruption.

flowchart TB subgraph Business["Business Process"] A[Criticality
Assessment] B[RTO Target
Max Downtime] C[RPO Target
Max Data Loss] end subgraph Technical["Technical Recovery"] D[Backup &
Replication] E[Failover
Systems] F[DR Environment
Security Parity] end subgraph Validation["Validation & Governance"] G[Tabletop
Exercises] H[Live Failover
Testing] I[BCP/DR Plan
Annual Review] end A --> B --> D A --> C --> D D --> E --> F F --> G F --> H G --> I H --> I style B fill:#f0b429,stroke:#f0b429,color:#03071e style C fill:#f0b429,stroke:#f0b429,color:#03071e style F fill:#22d3ee,stroke:#22d3ee,color:#03071e style I fill:#22d3ee,stroke:#22d3ee,color:#03071e
Credentials & Education

Certifications & Academic Background

The credentials are current. The learning never stopped.

Professional Certifications

CISM: Certified Information Security Manager
ISACA
Certified
AAISM: Associate in AI Security Management
ISACA
Certified
Certified Agile Project & Delivery Manager (ICP-APM)
IC Agile
Certified
Registered Scrum Master (RSM)
Scrum Inc.
Certified
Registered Product Owner (RPO)
Scrum Inc.
Certified
SAFe Advanced Scrum Master (SASM)
Scaled Agile
Certified
Product Owner / Product Manager (POPM)
Scaled Agile
Certified
Exercising Leadership
Harvard University
Completed
DB-AI Accelerated Doctoral Research with Copilot
upGrad
Completed
Agentic AI Bootcamp: Build AI Agents
Edureka
Completed
Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)
In Progress
ESGCI International School of Management, Paris
Focus: AI-Driven Doctoral Research & Strategic Management
Abridged MBA (AMBA)
2013
Metropolitan School of Business, United Kingdom
B.Sc. (Hons) Human Physiology
2007
Ambrose Alli University, Nigeria
Fractional CISO & Advisory

Ready When You Are

If you're preparing for compliance, navigating a security gap, or approaching a fundraise or acquisition — let's talk about what your business actually needs.