ISMG Launches CXO Advisory Practice for Cybersecurity and Technology Leadership

New Service Provides Strategic Guidance and Executive-Level Expertise for Boards, CISOs and Growth-Stage Organizations

Princeton, NJ – ISMG today announced the launch of its CXO Advisory Practice, a new strategic service designed to provide cybersecurity and technology leadership support for organizations facing heightened threat environments, evolving regulatory mandates, and increased operational complexity.

The practice connects mid-market, high-growth and enterprise organizations with proven CISOs, CIOs and CTOs, offering strategic advisory and executive-level engagement models backed by ISMG’s global intelligence network. Services include both board-level cybersecurity guidance and hands-on executive leadership for organizations navigating risk exposure, compliance obligations and operational gaps.

“Our organization was founded by practitioners and built for cybersecurity leaders,” said Sanjay Kalra, CEO of ISMG. “This offering reflects our DNA, embedding leaders who don’t just advise, but act. They lead with credibility, guided by real-world experience and a global lens on risk.”

As digital transformation accelerates, organizations face increasing pressure to secure multi-cloud environments, reduce supply chain risk and comply with frameworks such as SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR, DORA and the SEC’s cybersecurity disclosure rules. Yet access to qualified cybersecurity and technology leadership remains limited. According to the 2024 ISC2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study, the global shortfall of cybersecurity professionals has surpassed four million, with CISOs among the most difficult roles to fill – often taking 9 to 12 months to hire and commanding salaries beyond the reach of many mid-sized firms.

ISMG’s new practice addresses these challenges through two core offerings:

• Strategic Advisory – Engagements focused on enabling CISOs, CIOs, boards and executive teams to advance cybersecurity strategy, regulatory readiness and governance maturity.
• Fractional and Interim Leadership – Executive support for organizations without full-time security or technology leadership, providing embedded direction for program development, audits or crisis management.

“Security today isn’t just a technical discipline, it’s a board-level responsibility,” said Sean D. Mack, managing director of ISMG’s CXO Advisory Practice. “We’re meeting organizations where they are, whether that’s providing strategic support to a CISO or serving as an interim executive during a growth phase or transition.”

The service differentiates itself through ISMG’s unique position at the center of the cybersecurity ecosystem, combining practical experience with near-real-time threat intelligence, community insight and workforce enablement.

Why ISMG

• Executive Talent Network – ISMG engages with over two million cybersecurity professionals through 38 global media brands, enabling rapid access to trusted executive leadership across multiple sectors.
• Threat and Regulatory Intelligence – Editorial, research and Global Events coverage provide CXO advisors with ongoing context on emerging threats, attacker behavior and shifting compliance requirements.
• Upskilling and Enablement – CyberEd.io offers practical security training to strengthen internal capabilities alongside external leadership.
• Executive Peer Access – Through CyberEdBoard, clients benefit from insight-sharing among CISOs, CIOs and risk executives across industries and geographies.

Organizations interested in exploring ISMG’s CXO Advisory Practice can contact Sean D. Mack, at smack@ismg.io.

With the launch of the CXO Advisory Practice, ISMG further reinforces its commitment to empowering organizations with practitioner-led cybersecurity leadership, helping them navigate today’s complex risk landscape with greater confidence and resilience.

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About ISMG

Information Security Media Group (ISMG) is the world’s largest media organization devoted solely to cybersecurity, information technology, artificial intelligence and operational technology. Each of our 38 media properties provides education, research and news that is specifically tailored to key vertical sectors including banking, healthcare and the public sector; geographies from North America to Southeast Asia; and topics such as data breach prevention, cyber risk assessment, OT security, AI and fraud. Our annual global summit series connects senior security professionals with industry thought leaders to find actionable solutions for pressing cybersecurity challenges.

About ISMG Events

ISMG Events is a premier platform for security professionals and practitioners worldwide. Our global, annual events bring together the ISMG Events Community, comprising over 40,000 members, to exchange knowledge, insights and best practices in the field of cybersecurity. The cornerstone of our event portfolio is the ISMG Global Summit Series. These summits take place both virtually and in-person, offering participants a diverse range of topics to explore. In addition to our Global Summit Series, ISMG Events hosts exclusive Executive Roundtables that are closed-door, topic-focused discussions that provide practitioners with a collaborative environment to address today’s most pressing security concerns.

About CyberEdBoard

CyberEdBoard is the premier members-only community of executives and thought leaders in the fields of security and IT. CyberEdBoard membership provides executives with a powerful peer-driven collaborative ecosystem and library of resources to address complex challenges shared by CISOs and senior security leaders worldwide. Executive members utilize the CyberEdBoard engagement platform to further enhance their professional brands, create and exchange member-exclusive resources, obtain accredited education and content, contribute in the executive mentor marketplace and seamlessly connect with senior security peers and experts around the world.

About CyberEd.io

CyberEd.io is on a mission to Close the Gap and provide comprehensive cybersecurity education to the industry. Millions of cybersecurity jobs go unfilled today globally due to the essential skills shortage. From basic cybersecurity skills to jobs/role specific skills – the shortage of qualified resources is overwhelming. And this gap continues to expand with every new attack, every new technology innovation introduced at an organization, every new compliance requirement, and every new business initiative that extends an organization beyond its physical boundaries and geographical reach. CyberEd.io provides the cybersecurity training and education needed to close this gap. Taught by a faculty of industry-renowned practitioners, the courseware on CyberEd.io is focused on building resiliency and improving the capability maturity for cybersecurity programs at organizations of every size.