Consulting
Most consulting engagements pair a senior pitch with junior delivery — you buy partner names, you get analyst execution. Cynaxus engagements are different: whoever takes your call runs your engagement, embedded as a senior-level fractional CIO, CISO, CAIO, or COO for the months it takes to get the decision right.
How We Engage
We match the engagement model to the work — not the other way around.
Most engagements begin with an audit or assessment that surfaces what's actually broken. From there, the model is shaped by what the situation requires — not by whether a CXO seat is vacant. We deliver as advisors, embedded operators, fractional executives, or board-level support, depending on what the work demands.
Often the entry point — we perform a vendor-neutral audit that surfaces what's broken before anything else is scoped.
- Technology & security audits
- Vendor evaluation & selection
- Operating model review
- Board-ready findings report
When decisions need a senior peer — not a junior analyst's write-up delivered under a partner's name.
- IT & security strategy
- Board & committee briefings
- M&A diligence & integration
- Regulator response support
When the work requires someone inside the operation, not an outside advisor.
In the room, not just an observer.
- Program execution leadership
- Team augmentation
- Vendor & contract management
- Cross-functional alignment
When a leadership seat is vacant or needs interim coverage: CIO, CISO, CAIO, or COO.
- Fractional CIO / CISO / CAIO / COO
- Operating depth from day one
- No ramp cost — senior from the start
- Hands off cleanly when you're ready
Whoever scopes the engagement runs it — a senior-level practitioner throughout. No bait-and-switch, no analyst execution under a partner name.
Overview
Senior advice from people who have done it already.
The Pressure
Your most consequential technology decisions are landing all at once, and the senior bench to run them is hard to hire.
- Converging demands — AI-governance choices, cyber-insurance posture, and operational consolidation are hitting the CIO and CISO simultaneously.
- Regulator examinations across FFIEC, NYDFS, SEC, OCR, CMMC, and FedRAMP are deepening every cycle.
- Long leadership searches — the average CISO search now runs nine to twelve months, leaving a vacuum at the worst time.
- Compounding cost of a weak fit — failed audits, cyber-insurance non-renewals, and architecture decisions that lock in for years.
- Plenty of pitches — every consultancy will send a partner to discuss it; far fewer will execute it.
The Gap
The market sells you senior names and delivers junior execution.
- Senior pitch, junior delivery — the Big Four and strategy houses put analysts on the work; you bought partner names.
- No peer in the room — the most consequential calls get made without anyone who has run the kind of organization you run.
- Boutique depth gaps — hands-on shops often lack operational depth across disciplines, so a fractional CIO without security depth leans on the team they were meant to augment.
- Placeholder interims — generic interim-leadership firms place people between full-time roles, structurally a stopgap rather than a transformation.
- Vendor-conflicted advice — recommendations bent toward whatever the advisor resells.
How We Help
Whoever takes your call runs your engagement — a senior-level practitioner embedded for months, not weeks.
- Senior operators only — former AmLaw global directors, two-time CIOs, and battle-tested security leaders with 15-plus years hands-on.
- Fractional CIO, CISO, CAIO, and COO coverage with operational instinct built in, not ramped on your dollar.
- Vendor-neutral independent assessments — we resell nothing, so the recommendation is the recommendation.
- Direct board and committee support — strategic-advisory work briefs boards, audit committees, and risk committees in person.
- Integrated delivery with our Strategic Planning, Process Improvement, Technology & Security Audit, and Applied AI practices and managed services so execution continues after we leave.
After we leave, your team has a working program — not a deck — and the decisions were made right the first time.
Capabilities
What we deliver
Discovery & Diagnostics
2-week deep dive into your current state — interviews, document review, technical assessment, stakeholder mapping.
Strategic Roadmap
Clear, sequenced multi-year plan with budget estimates, dependencies, and risk-weighted prioritization.
Vendor Evaluation
Independent assessment of vendors and tools. We don't resell anything — our recommendation is what's actually best for you.
Executive Coaching
One-on-one strategic coaching for technology executives — vCIO/vCISO/vCAIO development.
Board & Committee Support
Materials, briefings, and direct support for board, audit committee, and risk committee work.
M&A Integration
Pre-close diligence, post-close integration planning, and execution leadership.
Ready to talk?
A 30-minute scoping call is free. We'll tell you honestly whether we're the right fit — and if we're not, we'll point you toward someone who is.