Shall We Make a Change?

Back In the Day

I don’t know about you, dear reader (age plays a big part in this), but for me, it all began with a Research Machines 380z. I was hooked. I even had my own 5?-inch floppy disk onto which I saved my Submarine Hunting Game written in BASIC.

The real fun began when I’d visit Halifax WH Smiths after school each week with Matt and Kieran to see the new releases. Matt overflowed with excitement, eyeing up the new ZX Spectrum platform game. Kieran sneered at Mat's 'crappy' keyboard while picking up Airwolf for his Commodore 64. Me? I stood, looking reflectively at the three games available in the UK for my Atari 600XL, a wonderful but sadly unsupported predecessor to the ST. That salesman definitely saw someone coming. Thanks, Dad.

I knew it, my future was in computing. What did this future hold? If you’d told me then, I’d have scarcely believed the advances we now take for granted. But life had other plans. University wasn’t an option, and supporting myself through college was a pipe dream. Enter stage left: the YTS. Excellent, ￡15 a week and day release to college. In reality? “Oi, lad, go and take the sandwich order.”

The Twist of Fate

So, my computer career dream wasn’t to be. Life got in the way. I needed to earn a living, so I fell into sales, at least it was connected to the sector I loved. Starting with consumables, I eventually found myself selling networking equipment and software, even before I had a computer on my desk.

I share the above to illustrate computing has long been my passion, I have immense respect (and a healthy dose of jealousy) for the many IT professionals I’ve had the pleasure of working with over the years. Many of them, I’m glad to say, are now lifelong friends.

I’ve had many conversations with those friends and other clients and been lucky enough to experience a CISO role giving further insight from the other side of the table and one thing is clearly apparent: the cyber security market is broken.

Cyber Security - The Problem

Cyber security emerged to solve real issues which were , and continue to be, new scenarios. As the industry grew, so did the realisation 'There is money in them there hills.'. At first, some fantastic community-driven solutions appeared, many of which still thrive today. They were joined by countless OEM solutions, many of which have become essential parts of your cyber security toolkit and the dreaded, in fact annoying, fear, uncertainty, and doubt!

In my experience, cyber security has been an area which my contacts initially inherited. This has meant they have had to learn how to navigate on the go as pioneers. Back in the day, there were no dedicated teams. Even now, many organisations lack the scale or need to justify one even though they face the same issues as organisations with said teams. This leaves gaps, a knowledge gap and an experience gap too. That gap can get filled with the wrong solution or service. In these cases, the tech provider, the OEM, and the shareholders benefit, not the client or their organisation.

Why ClearMap

I’ve known my co founders Lee and Martin for over 20 years. During that time, we’ve been on a journey together. As founders, they have day jobs working in the world ClearMap is advising on. I trust their judgement because they don’t select solutions based on glossy brochures or price but on the impact and value they deliver to their organisations.

Our first community members share this mindset. They’ve worked with available budgets to solve problems, sometimes without spending money, embracing free tools and different approaches to achieve results. Whatever your experience, we know you have something to add to this community, you’ll learn from it too.

Disruptor Clear Pricing - Penetration Testing: An Example.

Let’s take penetration testing as an example of how we can change things with our Disruptor Clear pricing approach. My first organisation, Sec-1 now part of Claranet, was all about penetration testing. We were one of the UK’s pioneering boutiques back when we called pen testing 'security auditing.' (Cyber was an American term, we talked about information and network security.) Many outstanding professionals have passed through Sec-1’s doors, and I dare say some of today’s businesses exist due to it.

Like you, I’ve seen the market evolve, and I understand its commercial side. A typical test now starts at around ￡1,100 a day from leading CREST companies and non-CREST organisations alike.

Where Does the Money Go?

Where does your ￡1,100 actually go? Some of it pays the tester, an employee or typically for more experienced testers a freelancer. The best testers I know are freelance or run their own companies, offering overflow services to the names we all know which come up when you google 'Pen test price' etc.. The rest of your money? Overheads, operations, sales commissions, and ultimately to shareholders.

At ClearMap, we think it’s time for a change. Working with with the UK’s top testers, we can help you scope your next test. The tester will charge ￡650 a day. We charge a modest fee on top. How much is fair? You tell us. We’d rather you kept your budget for other areas of cyber security.

This is one example, we can offer the same approach to outsourced SOC services, commodity items starting with antivirus through to security awareness solutions.

Where there is margin we can return it to you providing more scope to improve your cyber security posture.

What Next?

If this approach resonates with you, we’d love you to join us. Visit our website for more information. Why not start with a complimentary gap analysis? Or, for ￡99, get a detailed traffic light report showing where you stand, highlighting areas in amber or red, and giving actionable recommendations to move them to green. Together, we can then create a strategic plan for your cyber security.

This will give you, your leadership team, and other stakeholders confidence in your current position and a roadmap to improvement.

If you are in a sector with specific requirements we can tailor the gap analysis to meet your needs. For example, if you are in the NHS we can include clear guidence on IG and DSP Toolkit compliance.

For just ￡99 a month, you can join our Disruptor Community. You’ll get all of the above, plus access to clear pricing, the forum, online and in-person events, and ongoing support from ClearMap plus much more.

If you’d like to know more about what we’re building, please check out our website. Better yet, get in touch, or join us—together, we can create a better cyber security marketplace.

Be part of the revolution. It’s nice here, you'll like it.