Practical, no-nonsense guidance on PCI, ISO 27001, GDPR, penetration testing, and building an audit-ready security posture.
Cybersecurity due diligence helps the acquirer assess security risk before an M&A deal, investment, partnership, or vendor onboarding. What it covers, when you need it, and how to approach it.
Atika Arif · Jun 10, 2026
How to choose a vCISO service: hire a virtual CISO with real cybersecurity leadership experience, compliance fit, and accountability for outcomes. Not just advice.
Atika Arif · Jun 7, 2026
The eight criteria that separate a real test from a scanner dump, a scorecard to grade any provider, and the questions to ask before you sign.
Atika Arif · Jun 7, 2026
A short, jargon-free primer on what ISO/IEC 27001 certification actually involves and who it is for.
Atika Arif · Jun 1, 2026
How to respond to a vendor security questionnaire: answer honestly, maintain third-party compliance controls, lead with SOC 2 or ISO 27001, and turn a vendor assessment into a trust builder.
Atika Arif · May 29, 2026
Fractional CISO and vCISO are interchangeable: part-time virtual CISO services for cybersecurity compliance leadership. Compare vs a full-time CISO and decide based on your business.
Atika Arif · May 19, 2026
Cybersecurity risks are a business problem, not just an IT one. Understand the cyber risks categories that drive impact, how to weigh them, and what good cyber risk governance looks like.
Atika Arif · May 11, 2026
A virtual CISO (vCISO) is a cybersecurity expert providing chief information security officer leadership part-time: strategy, risk, compliance, governance, and incident readiness.
Atika Arif · May 9, 2026
How to find the best penetration testing company for you: provider types, the criteria that separate strong firms from weak, and a shortlist process you can run this week.
Atika Arif · May 8, 2026
What penetration testing costs in the US: $1,140 to $128,000 by scope tier and $134 to $285 per hour, drawn from awarded government contracts, plus why identical scopes get quoted 17x apart.
Atika Arif · May 7, 2026
Red teaming vs penetration testing: a pen test finds exploitable weaknesses; a red team tests detection and response against a real adversary. Which you need, and when.
Atika Arif · May 5, 2026
Web application penetration testing explained: the OWASP categories it covers, how it is done, what you receive, and when to run one. A buyer's guide.
Atika Arif · May 4, 2026
