Transitional On-Site CISO
Experienced cybersecurity leadership, when it counts.
TeutoSec provides experienced CISO expertise on-site to lead, stabilize, and develop your organization through critical phases, operational from day one.
We take on responsibility, create clarity, reduce risk, and strengthen your security organization until your long-term CISO can take over seamlessly.
Operational from day one: no ramp-up time
CISO expertise with no hiring delay, embedded directly in your organization
CISO expertise with no hiring delay, embedded directly in your organization
NIS2 · DORA · ISO 27001 · GDPR
Regulatory alignment and audit readiness, even under pressure: structured, demonstrable, audit-proof
Regulatory alignment and audit readiness, even under pressure: structured, demonstrable, audit-proof
Management and executive reporting
Decision-relevant reports for your leadership and oversight bodies, without IT jargon, in German and English
Decision-relevant reports for your leadership and oversight bodies, without IT jargon, in German and English
Structured handover, included
Knowledge transfer and a handover plan for your future CISO, built into every engagement
Knowledge transfer and a handover plan for your future CISO, built into every engagement
WHAT YOU GAIN
The value you gain
Embedded cybersecurity leadership, ready to deploy immediately, without a lengthy hiring process.
Experienced leadership on demand, from day one
Immediate CISO expertise, no hiring delay or ramp-up time. Your organization has clear cybersecurity leadership from day one: visible, accountable, capable of decisions.
Stability in critical phases
Clarity, structure, and continuity during elevated risk, audit pressure, incidents, or change. We take on cybersecurity leadership fully, so your capacity stays where it's needed.
Accelerated risk reduction
Prioritizing and implementing effective measures with measurable results, no learning curve. Experience from hundreds of incident assessments shows: the right measures at the right time make the difference.
Governance, compliance & structured handover
Robust steering, regulatory security, and a structured knowledge transfer to your future CISO: a built-in part of every engagement, not an afterthought.
SCOPE
What we do for you
Five interlocking areas, from strategic takeover to decision-relevant stakeholder communication.
AREA 01
Strategic Leadership
We take on the CISO function operationally and develop a cybersecurity strategy aligned with your business goals and current risk profile.
✓Taking on the CISO function: operationally accountable, capable of acting immediately
✓Developing and implementing a cybersecurity strategy tailored to your situation
✓Building clear governance structures and accountabilities
✓Alignment with NIS2, DORA, ISO 27001, and other regulatory requirements
AREA 02
Risk Management
We identify, assess, and prioritize cyber risks in a structured, business-oriented way, as a solid decision basis for your leadership.
✓Structured assessment of the current threat landscape and relevant risks
✓Building or maintaining a prioritized risk register
✓Business-oriented recommendations with clear impact assessment
✓Continuous risk steering and escalation management
AREA 03
Building the Security Organization
We analyze existing structures, close gaps, and enable your internal teams, so security continues to function independently after our engagement.
✓Analysis of existing structures and identification of gaps
✓Building or developing teams and accountabilities
✓Developing and implementing security processes and policies
✓Enabling internal teams for lasting self-sufficiency
AREA 04
Leading Programs & Projects
We take on program responsibility for critical cybersecurity initiatives, with clear milestones, structured steering, and transparent communication.
✓Taking on program responsibility for critical cybersecurity initiatives
✓Structured project steering with clear milestones and success criteria
✓Coordinating internal teams, external providers, and stakeholders
✓Transparent status reporting to leadership and oversight bodies
AREA 05
Stakeholders & Reporting
All results are prepared for decision-making: clear, without IT jargon, in German and English, for your leadership, oversight bodies, and external stakeholders.
✓Management and executive reporting for leadership and oversight bodies
✓Communication with regulators, insurers, and external partners
✓Decision-relevant status reports without IT jargon
✓Crisis communication and stakeholder management in a real incident
What you receive
✓CISO initial assessment & action plan
✓Cybersecurity strategy & roadmap
✓Risk register & priority list
✓Governance and policy framework
✓Reports for leadership & the board
✓NIS2 / DORA / ISO 27001 readiness
✓Project & program status reports
✓Handover plan & knowledge documentation
ENGAGEMENT MODEL & INVESTMENT
Fits the situation. Scalable.
Tailored individually.
The situation determines the model — duration follows from that. Rapid mobilization is possible under all three models.
MOBILIZATION GUARANTEE — 48H
48 h
Initial consultation & situational assessment
Within 48 hours of first contact: assessing the situation, clarifying what's needed and the right model.
72 h
Contract signing & briefing
Written confirmation, access to available documentation, alignment on first priorities with leadership and IT.
Day 1
Operational start on-site
Sebastian Hess is operationally active: CISO function assumed, first stakeholder conversations held, most urgent measures initiated.
MODEL 01
Stabilization
For organizations that don't have time for a long search: CISO vacancy, acute audit or regulatory pressure
MONTHLY INVESTMENT
From €15,000
excl. VAT
Typically 1–3 months · individually scalable
✓Taking on the CISO function, immediately capable of acting
✓Immediate governance stabilization
✓Management and executive reporting
✓Regulatory alignment and audit preparation
✓Stakeholder communication at the leadership level
✓Handover planning to the future CISO
Most chosen
excl. VAT
Transformation
For organizations that know what needs to be done but need someone to operationally own and execute it
MONTHLY INVESTMENT
From €20,000
excl. VAT
Typical duration: 3–6 months
✓Everything included in Stabilization
✓Building the security organization
✓Program and project management
✓NIS2 / DORA / ISO 27001 readiness
✓Tabletop exercises and resilience building
✓Full handover and knowledge documentation
MODEL 03
Crisis & Crisis Response
For situations where every hour counts: an active cyber incident, regulatory escalation, or M&A support
MONTHLY INVESTMENT
From €30,000
excl. VAT
Typical duration: 1–6 months depending on the situation
✓Everything included in Transformation
✓Crisis coordination at the leadership level
✓Communication with regulators and insurers
✓Coordination of forensic service providers
✓Regulatory crisis support (NIS2 reporting obligations)
✓Immediately available, priority allocation
INVESTMENT OVERVIEW TABLE
Situation |
Monthly Investment |
Typical Duration |
|---|---|---|
CISO vacancy, audit pressure, acute governance need |
From €15,000 excl. VAT |
1–3 months |
Compliance transformation, reorganization, resilience building |
From €20,000 excl. VAT |
3–6 months |
Cyber incident, regulatory escalation, M&A support |
From €30,000 excl. VAT |
1–6 months depending on situation |
All engagements are individually tailored to your situation — in scope, intensity, and duration. No surprise hourly billing, no hidden costs. Delivered in Germany or internationally.
STRUCTURED HANDOVER
The end of the engagement is the beginning of your independence.
Five interlocking areas, from strategic takeover to decision-relevant stakeholder communication.
HANDOVER 01
Complete governance documentation
All policies, processes, risk registers, and decision records fully documented, in German and English, ready for immediate use by your successor.
HANDOVER 02
Stakeholder handover & relationship map
Structured handover to all relevant internal and external stakeholders: leadership, IT teams, regulators, insurers, external providers.
HANDOVER 03
Roadmap & open action items
Fully documented, prioritized roadmap with all open measures, milestones, and owners, as a direct working tool for your successor.
HANDOVER 04
Transition support & advisory
Optional: support during the new CISO's first weeks as an advisory partner, answering questions, providing context, ensuring continuity. Seamless transition into the Virtual CISO service is possible.
WHY TEUTOSEC
Cybersecurity leadership
that speaks your language.
Technical depth meets business thinking
Cybersecurity only delivers value once it's understood as a business risk. We think in both dimensions at once: technical substance and business consequence.
The true cost of a cyber incident
Years in the industrial cyber insurance industry showed us: the real cost of an incident is rarely where you'd expect. This knowledge shapes which measures we recommend.
At home in two worlds
Experience across NATO operations, European finance, and international insurance, paired with a deep understanding of small and medium-sized businesses.
Advice that serves your interests
No product recommendations, no vendor lock-in. Our recommendations are guided solely by your business and operational priorities.
Sebastian Hess
Co-Founder & Managing Director, TeutoSec | Cybersecurity and Cyber Risk Expert
Sebastian Hess combines more than two decades of operational and strategic cybersecurity experience with commercial thinking and executive-level governance, a combination rarely found in the market.
From NATO cyber operations, through CISO responsibility in the Belgian financial sector, to years in the industrial cyber insurance industry, where he assessed the real financial consequences of incidents for a wide range of companies.
With experience across the US, Europe, LATAM, and APAC, Sebastian Hess is equally at home in English- and German-speaking business environments, an advantage for small and medium-sized businesses with international operations or international owners.
Bundeswehr / NATO
CISO Financial Sector
Cyber Insurance
US · Europe · APAC
ISO 27001
NIST CSF
NIS2 · DORA
TARGET AUDIENCE
Who is the
Transitional On-Site CISO for?
SITUATIONS — FOR ORGANIZATIONS THAT …
need a short-term CISO replacement or bridge during a vacancy
are under elevated risk, audit, or regulatory pressure
are managing a cyber incident or are in the recovery phase
are going through a transformation, reorganization, or M&A transaction
are looking for an experienced partner for critical decisions at the leadership level
want to ensure a structured handover to the new CISO