GUIDE · Cybersecurity Strategy & Advisory
Turn Cyber Risk into a Strategy Your Board Can Fund.
We define the security operating model, priorities and investment roadmap that align protection with your mandate and risk appetite.
- Board-level clarity on cyber risk
- A fundable security roadmap
- Clear ownership and decision rights
- 1Map Obligations
- 2Assess Current State
- 3Define Target State
- 4Prioritize and Cost
- 5Govern and Review
Executive Summary
- 01A cybersecurity strategy is only fundable when each initiative traces to an obligation, a risk and a measure of success.
- 02Maturity baselines and governance design matter as much as the technology choices that follow them.
- 03The best strategies are reviewed on defined triggers, so they stay aligned with regulation, threats and the business.
The Challenge
Security spending often grows tool by tool without a shared view of which risks matter most.
Boards are asked to approve budgets they cannot connect to business outcomes, while regulators expect a documented strategy.
The DAAKYI Approach
DAAKYI starts with your obligations, critical services and threat exposure, then designs a target operating model and a sequenced roadmap.
Every recommendation is tied to a risk it reduces and a measure of success.
- 01
Executive interviews and obligation mapping
- 02
Current-state maturity baseline
- 03
Target operating model and governance design
- 04
Prioritized, costed roadmap
In Depth
How the Discipline Works
Start with Obligations and Exposure
A security strategy begins with what the organization must protect and answer for. That means statutory duties, sector directives, contractual commitments and the services whose failure would harm customers or citizens. Advisors map each obligation to the assets, data and processes behind it, then overlay realistic threat exposure. The result is a short list of outcomes security must deliver, rather than a list of products to buy. Without this step, priorities default to whichever vendor or recent incident is loudest. With it, every later decision about budget, staffing and architecture has a stated reason that a board member can test.
Baseline Maturity Against a Reference
A baseline shows where the organization stands today. Advisors score current practice against a framework such as NIST CSF 2.0, whose six functions are Govern, Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond and Recover, or against ISO/IEC 27001 Annex A controls. Scoring covers documented policy, operating practice and evidence that controls work. The gap between current and target maturity becomes the raw material for planning. A good baseline is evidence-based. Interviews alone overstate maturity, so reviewers sample configurations, tickets, access reviews and exercise records. The baseline also exposes places where one control area is strong while a dependent one is missing.
Design Governance That Can Sustain It
Strategy fails when nobody owns it. Governance design settles who accepts risk, who approves exceptions, how security reports to the board and how often. It also defines the operating model: which capabilities are built internally, which are bought as a service and which are shared with IT or risk teams. NIST CSF 2.0 made Govern its own function for this reason. Clear decision rights let security say no, or yes with conditions, without escalating every request. Metrics are chosen at this stage, so progress is reported as risk reduced instead of activity completed.
A strategy earns its budget when a board member can point to any line and say which risk it reduces.
Capability Matrix
What the Service Includes
| Capability | Coverage | GUIDE | SECURE | OPERATE | Delivered Through |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strategy and Operating Models | Security vision, structure, roles and decision rights. | GUIDE stage | – | – | Advisory Engagements, Virtual CISO |
| Risk‑Led Prioritization | Initiatives ranked by the risk they reduce. | GUIDE stage | – | – | Advisory Engagements, Virtual CISO |
| Roadmap and Business Case | A fundable multi-year plan with milestones. | GUIDE stage | – | – | Advisory Engagements, Virtual CISO |
| SOC Strategy and Advisory | Whether, when and how to build or buy security operations. | GUIDE stage | – | – | Advisory Engagements, Virtual CISO |
Strategy and Operating Models
Security vision, structure, roles and decision rights.
- Stage
- GUIDE
- Delivered Through
- Advisory Engagements, Virtual CISO
Risk‑Led Prioritization
Initiatives ranked by the risk they reduce.
- Stage
- GUIDE
- Delivered Through
- Advisory Engagements, Virtual CISO
Roadmap and Business Case
A fundable multi-year plan with milestones.
- Stage
- GUIDE
- Delivered Through
- Advisory Engagements, Virtual CISO
SOC Strategy and Advisory
Whether, when and how to build or buy security operations.
- Stage
- GUIDE
- Delivered Through
- Advisory Engagements, Virtual CISO
How It Works
How Cybersecurity Strategy & Advisory Works
- 01Obligations
- 02Baseline
- 03Target State
- 04Roadmap
Methodology
The Method, Step by Step
- 1
Map Obligations
Interview executives and process owners to list statutory, regulatory and contractual duties. Identify the critical services those duties protect and the data they depend on. Record each obligation with an owner, so later recommendations trace back to something the organization must actually answer for.
- 2
Assess Current State
Score existing practice against the chosen framework, using documents, configurations and sampled evidence. Note which controls exist on paper only. Describe plausible adversary behavior against critical services using a reference such as MITRE ATT&CK, so threat exposure is concrete rather than abstract.
- 3
Define Target State
Agree the maturity level each capability needs, given risk appetite and obligations. Not every area needs the highest level. Document the target operating model, including structure, roles, build-versus-buy choices and reporting lines to the board and risk committee.
- 4
Prioritize and Cost
Rank gap-closing initiatives by risk reduced, dependency and effort. Estimate capital and operating cost for each, including the people and run costs that are often omitted. Sequence work so foundations land before dependent capabilities, and attach a measure of success to every item.
- 5
Govern and Review
Set the review cadence, metrics and triggers for revisiting the strategy, such as a major incident, regulatory change or acquisition. Assign an owner to each initiative. Report progress to the board as residual risk, so the strategy stays a living decision tool.
Operating Model
Delivered from the GUIDE Pillar
Pillar position
GUIDE
Advisory, Risk & Assurance
Engagement model
Advisory Engagements
Fixed-scope assessments, strategy, compliance and testing.
Best for · Defined questions with a clear deliverable
Engagement model
Virtual CISO
Senior security leadership on a retained basis.
Best for · Organizations without a full-time CISO
Threat Scenarios
What It Looks Like in Practice
Budget Request Rejected
How It Shows Up
The board questions a large request because it cannot see which risk each line reduces.
Response
Initiatives are re-ranked by risk reduced and tied to a named measure, so the request can be defended line by line.
Regulator Asks for a Documented Strategy
How It Shows Up
A supervisor or auditor requests an approved strategy and receives only policies and a tool inventory.
Response
A strategy is written that maps duties, such as those under Act 1038 or the Bank of Ghana directive, to owners, controls and review cycles.
Tool Sprawl Without Ownership
How It Shows Up
Overlapping products generate alerts that no one triages, and renewals are approved by habit.
Response
Tools are mapped to a target capability model. Duplicates are retired and gaps are funded deliberately.
Security Led by IT by Default
How It Shows Up
No one holds security accountability, so risk acceptance happens informally in project meetings.
Response
Decision rights are defined and a leadership model is chosen, whether a full-time CISO or a retained senior leader.
| Scenario | How It Shows Up | Response |
|---|---|---|
| Budget Request Rejected | The board questions a large request because it cannot see which risk each line reduces. | Initiatives are re-ranked by risk reduced and tied to a named measure, so the request can be defended line by line. |
| Regulator Asks for a Documented Strategy | A supervisor or auditor requests an approved strategy and receives only policies and a tool inventory. | A strategy is written that maps duties, such as those under Act 1038 or the Bank of Ghana directive, to owners, controls and review cycles. |
| Tool Sprawl Without Ownership | Overlapping products generate alerts that no one triages, and renewals are approved by habit. | Tools are mapped to a target capability model. Duplicates are retired and gaps are funded deliberately. |
| Security Led by IT by Default | No one holds security accountability, so risk acceptance happens informally in project meetings. | Decision rights are defined and a leadership model is chosen, whether a full-time CISO or a retained senior leader. |
Outcomes
What Your Institution Gains
- Board-level clarity on cyber risk
- A fundable security roadmap
- Clear ownership and decision rights
Deliverables and Roles
What You Receive, and Who Does What
| Deliverable | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Obligations Register | Lists every legal, regulatory and contractual duty with an accountable owner and the services it covers. |
| Maturity Baseline Report | Shows current capability against the reference framework, with the evidence behind each score. |
| Target Operating Model | Defines structure, roles, decision rights and build-or-buy choices for the security function. |
| Prioritized Investment Plan | Sequences costed initiatives by risk reduced, with dependencies and success measures. |
| Board Metrics Set | Gives directors a small group of indicators that show risk position and progress over time. |
| Role | Responsibility |
|---|---|
| Board or Risk Committee | Sets risk appetite, approves the strategy and funding, and reviews residual risk on a regular cycle. |
| CISO or Virtual CISO | Owns the strategy day to day, reports to the board and arbitrates trade-offs between security and delivery. |
| Business Service Owner | Confirms which services are critical, accepts risk for their service and sponsors the controls that protect it. |
| Strategy Advisor | Provides independent assessment, facilitates prioritization and documents the result in a form auditors and directors can use. |
Maturity Model
Where Organizations Typically Stand
Stage 1
Reactive
Controls exist because of past incidents or audit findings. Spending follows urgency, and no one can show how it links to risk.
Stage 2
Defined
Policies, owners and a framework baseline exist. Priorities are written down, though they are not yet consistently funded.
Stage 3
Managed
Initiatives are ranked by risk and tracked against measures. The board reviews progress on a regular cycle.
Stage 4
Adaptive
The strategy is revised when threats, regulation or business models change. Investment shifts early rather than after an incident.
Frameworks and Regulation
The Standards That Shape This Work
NIST CSF 2.0
Its six functions give boards a common language, and the Govern function addresses strategy, roles and risk oversight directly.
ISO/IEC 27001:2022
Annex A lists 93 controls in four themes, and ISO/IEC 27002:2022 guides their implementation, which helps define a target control set.
Ghana Cybersecurity Act, 2020 (Act 1038)
It provides for Critical Information Infrastructure designation, incident reporting and accreditation of providers, all of which shape obligations and operating model choices.
ISO 31000
It supplies principles for risk management that support consistent risk appetite statements and prioritization logic.
Buyer Guidance
Choosing the Right Provider
What to look for
- Look for an advisor who starts with your obligations and critical services, not a standard tool list.
- Look for recommendations that name the risk reduced and the measure that proves it.
- Look for costs that include people, run and renewal expense, not only initial purchase.
- Look for output that your auditors and regulators can read without translation.
Questions to ask a provider
- How do you decide which framework to use as the baseline for our sector?
- How will you evidence maturity scores beyond interviews?
- How are initiatives ranked, and can we see the assumptions behind the ranking?
- What triggers a formal review of the strategy after it is approved?
Regulatory & Industry Context
The Obligations This Service Supports
Strategies are framed against NIST CSF and ISO/IEC 27001 and reflect sector regulators and national law such as Ghana's Act 1038.
Frameworks DAAKYI helps clients implement
- NIST CSF
- ISO/IEC 27001
- Ghana Act 1038
- COBIT
Framework references describe client implementation support, not DAAKYI certifications.
Technical Detail
For Architects and Security Leads
Framework and regulatory alignment
- NIST CSF
- ISO/IEC 27001
- Ghana Act 1038
- COBIT
Strategies are framed against NIST CSF and ISO/IEC 27001 and reflect sector regulators and national law such as Ghana's Act 1038.
Architecture reference
How Cybersecurity Strategy & Advisory Works: Obligations → Baseline → Target State → Roadmap.
DAAKYI starts with your obligations, critical services and threat exposure, then designs a target operating model and a sequenced roadmap.
Turning Risk Scenarios into Ranked Initiatives
Prioritization works best when each initiative links to explicit risk scenarios. A scenario names an asset, a threat and a consequence, for example ransomware halting a payment switch. Advisors estimate current likelihood and impact as ranges, then estimate how far each initiative shifts them. Coverage can be checked against MITRE ATT&CK, whose Enterprise matrix organizes adversary behavior into 14 tactics, to show where prevention or detection is thin. Dependencies matter: identity hygiene and asset inventory usually precede advanced detection. Ranking then combines risk reduced, dependency order and cost. Ranges avoid false precision, and assumptions are recorded so the board can challenge them.
One Control Library for Many Obligations
Most regulated organizations answer to several regimes at once. Rather than build separate programs, a strategy defines one control library and maps it to each source. ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A offers 93 controls in four themes: organizational, people, physical and technological, with ISO/IEC 27002:2022 giving guidance. NIST CSF 2.0 supplies outcome language for the board, CIS Controls v8 offers prioritized safeguards, and PCI DSS v4.0.1 adds payment-specific requirements. Local law such as Act 1038 and Act 843 adds incident reporting and data security safeguard duties. One control, tested once, then produces evidence for many audits, which lowers compliance effort and exposes real gaps.
Glossary
Key Terms
- Risk Appetite
- The amount and type of risk leadership is willing to accept in pursuit of its objectives.
- Target Operating Model
- The intended structure, roles, processes and sourcing choices of the security function.
- Residual Risk
- The risk that remains after controls are applied.
- Decision Rights
- The defined authority to approve, reject or accept risk on specific security matters.
Related
Explore Connected Capabilities
Proof Points
What We Can Stand Behind
- Every stage of DAAKYI's delivery methodology produces documented, auditable deliverables.
FAQ
Questions Leaders Ask
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