Fractional CIO for Australian businesses — cyber strategy, compliance and AI in one accountable seat.
One senior operator, two decades of enterprise CIO experience, three capabilities: cybersecurity strategy, compliance (ISO 27001 and ISO 42001) and AI consulting. Engaged one or two days a week, accountable for the outcome.
Sydney operating base · On-site across NSW · Remote across Australia
What you get out of it
- A technology and cyber strategy tied to your business plan
- One accountable leader across cyber, compliance and AI — not three vendors
- A CIO/CISO relationship for your executive team
- Vendor management discipline — negotiations, reviews, exits
- A quarterly technology and cyber pack for the board
- Coaching for your existing IT lead so they grow into the role
How we work with you
Fractional CIO retainer
One or two days a week embedded in your executive team. Strategy, prioritisation, vendor management, board reporting, executive coaching.
Cybersecurity strategy
The first capability under the retainer — risk-led strategy, Essential Eight uplift, incident readiness and a roadmap your board can fund.
Compliance — ISO 27001 and ISO 42001
The second capability — a right-sized ISMS and AIMS run as one programme, with shared evidence and a single audit cycle.
AI consulting
The third capability — AI readiness, use-case selection, secure adoption and governance so AI lands without creating exposure.
Fractional CISO retainer
Senior cyber leadership without the enterprise salary. Owns your security posture, risk register, board reporting and incident response leadership.
Board technology reporting
A quarterly technology and cyber pack your board actually reads. Business language, honest risk positioning, clear asks.
What happens in your first 90 days
with a fractional CIO.
Most consulting sites tell you what they do. This is the actual shape of a first quarter: the phases, the deliverables that land on your desk, how much of your own time it takes, and who is accountable at each step.
Orient and baseline
We map what you actually run — systems, suppliers, data, AI tools already in use — and record the current risk position. Nothing is optimised before it is measured.
What you get
- Technology, supplier and AI inventory
- Risk and value assessment of every candidate initiative
- One-page priority list for your leadership meeting
About 2 hours from you: one workshop and access to what already exists.
Your fractional CIO runs it end to end. No junior discovery team.
Decide and prioritise
The priority list becomes a decision. Cyber, compliance and AI work is sequenced against ISO 27001 and ISO 42001, with the cheap blockers fixed immediately rather than scheduled.
What you get
- ISO 27001 and ISO 42001 control map with gaps marked
- Sequenced remediation and investment plan
- Light governance: approval path, register, acceptable-use position
About 3 hours: one decision session and two short reviews.
Decisions are recorded with a named owner on your side, not left implied.
Execute and evidence
One bounded change is delivered end to end with evidence attached, so the quarter finishes with a defensible position rather than a slide deck.
What you get
- 90-day roadmap with owners and milestones
- Evidence pack ready for auditors, insurers or your board
- Operating rhythm your team can sustain without us
A monthly leadership session plus checkpoint reviews.
Ownership transfers to your team at day 90. Continuing is a choice, not a default.
Show my 90-day outline
Three questions, no email required. You get the shape of a first quarter written for a business like yours.
Why FORTE/CYBERx Advisory
Not another consulting firm. Former enterprise CIOs bringing operator-grade cyber and AI leadership to Australian SMEs.
One accountable CIO, not a panel
Cyber strategy, compliance and AI sit with one operator who has led technology inside banking, healthcare, higher education and government.
AI-ready, not AI-hyped
ISO 42001 practitioners. We secure the enterprise for AI before spinning up flashy tools. Frameworks first, tooling second.
Three capabilities, one programme
Cybersecurity strategy, ISO 27001 and ISO 42001 compliance, and AI consulting delivered as one plan with shared evidence and a single audit cycle.
Local, but not small
Sydney-based, delivering across NSW. On-site when it matters, remote-first when it does not.
Platform-augmented delivery
Every engagement includes FORTE/CYBERx platform access. Our consultants use it live in your board meetings — you keep using it after we leave.
Ready to scope this engagement?
Share the decision or constraint. A senior operator replies within one business day — no sales pod, no scripted discovery.
Pressure-test the decision in the Platform.
Run two full decision analyses free, compare practical paths and create a Decision Record and Tactical Plan.
Frequently asked
What does the Fractional CIO engagement actually cover?+
Three capabilities under one accountable leader: cybersecurity strategy, compliance across ISO 27001 and ISO 42001, and AI consulting. Everything else we publish sits beneath one of those three.
What’s the difference between a Fractional CIO and Fractional CISO?+
A Fractional CIO owns the whole technology function — strategy, delivery, vendors, cyber, data. A Fractional CISO focuses specifically on security posture, risk, compliance and incident readiness. We deliver both, and the same operator often carries both hats for SMEs where splitting them isn’t warranted.
How much of your time do we get?+
Typical engagements range from half a day per week for smaller businesses to two full days per week for organisations mid-transformation. We size the retainer to the work, not the other way around.
Will you sit on our board?+
We attend board meetings as a technology adviser and present the technology and cyber pack. Formal board seats are considered on a case-by-case basis and only where independence rules allow.
Do you work with our existing IT team?+
Almost always. Our job is to make your existing IT function successful, not replace it. Where a hire is missing, we recruit alongside you.
What sectors have you led in?+
Banking, healthcare, higher education, professional services, and Australian government. We now bring that operator experience to SMEs across NSW.
How is this priced?+
Monthly retainer, fixed for the term. Consultative — sized after a discovery call. No day-rate surprises, no scope disputes.
Talk to a senior advisor
Tell us the decision, constraint or opportunity. A senior operator responds within one business day.