Arkham Cyber Governance Framework
Client Executive Overview
Arkham is an advisory firm specialized in cyber governance that helps mid-market companies understand, measure, and improve their cyber maturity through frameworks, benchmarks, and continuous governance programs.
Why Arkham Camp exists: Eliminating the fog surrounding cyber risk
Cybersecurity is no longer just a technical issue: it is a matter of governance, risk, and business continuity.
Many companies have tools, controls, and consultants… but lack a clear view of where they stand, how exposed they are, and what to prioritize.
Arkham was created precisely for this: to transform cyber maturity from perception into an objective metric, from fragmented activities into structured governance, and from reactive problem-solving into conscious planning.
- Reduction of operational uncertainty and implicit responsibilities for CIOs, CTOs, and IT Managers
- Immediate alignment between IT, security, operations, and the Board of Directors
- Elimination of technical noise and focus on truly critical decisions
The Arkham Framework: what companies have never had before
The Arkham Cyber Governance Framework is a proprietary model that enables organizations to:
- Truly measure their cyber maturity
- Identify what is missing, where risks lie, and how severe they are
- Benchmark themselves against real market standards
- Define priorities and roadmaps without relying on technology vendors
- Govern risk over time in a sustainable way
It is a model designed for mid-market companies and structured SMEs, where pragmatism — not complexity — is required. It provides C-level executives (including technical roles) with an objective baseline to measure cyber maturity and turn technical and qualitative discussions into governance metrics:
- A measurable and defensible baseline for Boards of Directors and audits
- Immediate identification of critical gaps
- No dependency on technology vendors
What it analyzes: the 6 (plus 1) pillars of cyber maturity
The framework evaluates the company across six key domains (plus one transversal):
- Processes, responsibilities, and decision-making formally defined to enable the company to manage cyber risk with consistency and transparency.
- Assets & Infrastructure. Full visibility over systems, assets, and configurations to ensure control, operational reliability, and reduction of technical debt.
- Identity & Access. Rigorous management of identities and privileges to ensure secure, traceable access aligned with Zero Trust principles.
- Threat Protection. Coordinated controls, tools, and processes to prevent, detect, and contain malicious activities before they cause critical impact.
- Incident Response & Continuity. Structured capabilities to respond rapidly to incidents, minimize damage, and ensure business continuity.
- Compliance & Risk Management. Adherence to regulatory requirements and structured risk management to support security, audits, and corporate accountability.
- Transversal domain: IT Architecture & System Integration. Evaluation of architectures, integrations, and information flows to ensure resilience, efficiency, and reduction of structural vulnerabilities.
This enables a holistic and concrete view of the company’s entire cyber ecosystem.
The metric that was truly missing: Arkham Cyber Index (ACI)
A synthetic indicator, ranging from 0 to 10, that objectively captures:
- The actual level of cyber maturity of the organization, expressed through a clear metric that can be tracked over time
- The main gaps in processes, controls, and governance, highlighting where the company is most exposed
- The distance from industry benchmarks, to understand whether performance is above, below, or in line with the market
- Investment priorities, turning subjective perceptions into data-driven strategic decisions
The Arkham Cyber Index (ACI) is the first proprietary metric specifically designed for the mid-market, built to provide a simple, authoritative, and recognizable tool to communicate cyber posture to the board and guide critical governance decisions.
| ACI | Level |
| 0.1- 2.0 | Initial |
| 2.1- 4.0 | Basic |
| 4.1- 6.0 | Structured |
| 6.1- 8.0 | Managed |
| 8.1-10 | Advanced |
How we work with companies: a simple, scalable, and immediate journey
Arkham Cyber Snapshot
The Arkham Cyber Snapshot is a fast, low-effort entry point that allows organizations to obtain, in 15–20 minutes, an objective snapshot of their cyber maturity. Through a structured questionnaire based on solid criteria, it produces the Arkham Cyber Index (ACI), domain-level scores, and an immediate comparison with market benchmarks. It is the ideal tool to reduce uncertainty, provide the board with a clear metric, and establish an initial level of awareness. The Snapshot transforms perceptions and assumptions into a measurable picture, helping prioritize actions and initiate data-driven discussions rather than opinion-based ones.
Cyber Governance Brief
The Cyber Governance Brief is a guided session that enables the CIO and management to interpret the Snapshot results in a structured way. In 30–60 minutes, it moves from a simple data snapshot to an understanding of strategic implications, benchmark gaps, and the most critical risks for the organization. This step aligns IT, security, operations, and the board, breaking down silos and creating a shared, pragmatic view of priorities. The Brief provides an effective communication platform toward leadership, accelerating decision-making and preparing the ground for potential next steps.
Cyber Maturity Assessment
The Cyber Maturity Assessment is a comprehensive evaluation of the company’s cyber posture, conducted over 2–4 weeks through operational analysis, interviews, and reviews of processes and controls using specialized tools featured in the Gartner Magic Quadrant. The result is a detailed and validated picture, accompanied by an independent Remediation Plan designed to be realistic, sustainable, and aligned with the organization’s maturity level. For CIOs/CTOs/CISOs, it is a defensible tool when engaging with boards, auditors, insurers, and emerging regulations. The Assessment transforms cyber risk into a structured path, clearly and credibly defining priorities, impacts, and roadmap.
IT Architecture & Resilience
The IT Architecture & Resilience analysis examines system integrations, information flows, technological dependencies, and the overall resilience of the IT ecosystem. Over 2–4 weeks, it maps vulnerabilities, single points of failure, integration methods (APIs, authentication, orchestrations), and architectural risks impacting security, continuity, and scalability. For the organization, this assessment is critical as it reduces technical debt (Tech Gap), increases transparency over interdependencies, and provides a clear view to optimize complexity. The result is a more robust, efficient architecture ready to support the business.
Cyber Governance Program
The Cyber Governance Program is a continuous support model that partners with the CIO to govern cyber risk over time. Through an ongoing cycle of maturity monitoring, roadmap review, priority updates, periodic reporting, and recurring training, the program ensures that the security posture remains aligned with evolving business needs and threat landscapes. For the organization, this means having an independent partner that reduces operational burden, streamlines communication with the board, and ensures that every decision is backed by up-to-date data. The Program transforms security from a one-off project into a stable, measurable governance function.
