The Real Reason Cybersecurity Consultants Seem Expensive
There’s a widespread misconception that cybersecurity consultants are expensive.
In reality, the high perceived costs often come down to inefficiency, and not hourly rates. Yes, some big-name firms charge a premium, but for most independent or smaller consulting companies, the real problem is that they're expected to work without the proper tools.
When consultants aren’t given a structured, digitalized environment, they spend a significant portion of their time on tasks that have nothing to do with actual cybersecurity. Time is lost navigating outdated systems, scattered tools and information, and manual workflows. And when you're billing by the hour, that inefficiency quickly adds up.
The good news? It’s fixable. Proper digitalization and paying attention to certain things as a customer removes the chaos and brings structure to consulting engagements, enabling consultants to work faster, better, and cheaper, while delivering a higher-quality, fully documented output.
Where the Time (and Money) Really Go:
The 30% Loss
On average, cybersecurity consultants lose +30% of their time during the different stages of a project, and it’s not because they’re slow. It’s because the groundwork is a mess. Without a centralized, digitalized system, consultants are forced to manually piece together the information and access they need just to get started. Here’s where most of the time gets lost:
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Initial ISMS setup & tool mapping:
Figuring out how the client manages their assets, tasks, and documentation is rarely straightforward. There’s are structured processes, and consultants end up chasing information among the departments and stakeholders.
→ Brainframe provides a centralized workspace where users can manage their assets, documents, and documentation, providing structure from day one. - Access to customer systems:
Gaining secure access to the client’s systems—like SharePoint, task trackers, document repositories, or risk spreadsheets—can take days or even weeks. Between IT approvals, permission setups, and unclear ownership, consultants often spend hours just trying to get into the tools they need to do their job.
→ Brainframe consolidates everything into one secure, shared environment. No more chasing logins or waiting on IT.
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Content deployment & version control:
Consultants often have to upload their templates or final documents to the client's systems, and then start figuring out how to track changes, approvals, and versions.
→ With Brainframe, templates live in the platform, easy to copy from the consultant workspace to the customer, with built-in automatic version tracking and approval workflows.
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Task delegation chaos:
Tasks are often assigned via email, Teams, or in scattered Excel sheets. Nothing connected to the actual ISMS, assets, or risks. There’s no reminder system, and no single place to track accountability.
→ Brainframe’s task module links tasks to assets, risks, and policies, with built-in reminders and ownership tracking. At the same time you can still link to tasks in external tools (e.g. JIRA, Asana, Monday, Azure Devops, ...)
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Process design & workflow implementation:
Even when a process is defined, it often stays theoretical text. Translating it into a usable workflow is a project in itself.
→ Brainframe uses Kanban views and workflow tracking to turn theory into action instantly.
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Document distribution to staff:
Rolling out the initial or new versions of your policies and procedure to employees is often a manual process, using email attachments, PDFs, or shared links that no one tracks.
→ Brainframe has a built-in distribution tool that automatically notifies the right people, track acknowledgments, and ensures version history is maintained. You can even ensure your employees have read the policies by requesting their confirmation.
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Overuse of Excel:
Excel works well for many tasks, but it quickly becomes a bottleneck in multi-stakeholder projects involving planning, risk management, evidence collection or compliance.
→ Brainframe centralizes the logic, workflows, and task links, turning spreadsheets into structured, managed data (while still supporting excel if you need to upload your spreadsheets directly into the tool). -
Understanding infrastructure & dependencies:
Consultants juggling multiple clients can’t retain every detail. Without a standard way to document infrastructure, tools, or dependencies, things get forgotten or repeated.
→ Brainframe brings automatic knowledge retention and helps consultants build a reusable, structured context for each client (assets, risks, dependencies), where everything is documented, versioned, and searchable. -
Finding previous decisions:
Trying to remember why something was approved (or by whom) can eat up hours. With no audit trail, consultants resort to emails or meetings to retrace decisions.
→ Brainframe logs every decision, comment, and approval with time stamps, making it easy to find the “why” behind every step.
The result of all this inefficiency? Higher costs, slower progress, and frustrated stakeholders. But when you give consultants the right tools, their value becomes obvious: rapid delivery, lower overall cost, and a structured, documented outcome that internal teams often struggle to match.
The Bottleneck of C-Level Approvals
Senior executives don't intentionally delay cybersecurity projects—far from it. But the reality of their roles often makes it inevitable. Think about a typical CEO or CFO: their day is a constant juggling act. They’re balancing strategic decisions, financial oversight, critical meetings, and countless emails, all competing for attention. Cybersecurity tasks, no matter how urgent, sometimes slip down the priority list, creating unintended bottlenecks.
When approvals from these busy decision-makers get delayed, consultants traditionally have few options. They usually resort to repetitive email follow-ups, gentle nudges through assistants, or rescheduling meetings repeatedly, hoping to finally align their calendars. These methods are not only inefficient, but also exhausting for both sides.
Here’s how these bottlenecks impact cybersecurity consulting projects:
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Delays in security improvements:
Critical security measures remain unimplemented longer, exposing organizations to increased risk of breaches or cyber incidents. -
Increased project costs:
Every delay translates directly into added costs, whether through additional consultant hours or missed opportunities to prevent incidents before they happen. -
Frustration for consultants and teams:
Frequent delays and rescheduled meetings create a stressful, inefficient working environment, impacting morale and effectiveness.
Simply put, waiting on busy executives often becomes a hidden, costly part of cybersecurity consulting. The real challenge isn’t that executives aren't interested. It's finding ways to seamlessly integrate cybersecurity approvals into their already packed schedules.
Asynchronous Workflows as a Solution
If the root of delay lies in waiting for real-time responses, then the logical solution is to embrace asynchronous communication. Instead of consultants pausing work until they receive direct feedback from busy executives, asynchronous methods allow each party to interact on their own terms and timelines, with no constant follow-ups needed. It’s not just efficient; it's respectful of everyone's time.
Brainframe tackles precisely this issue by enabling consultants to create, send, and manage requests seamlessly. Rather than chasing approvals through endless emails or trying to schedule elusive meetings, consultants distribute clearly structured tasks inside the solution. Executives or senior management can respond whenever they're available, drastically reducing friction and streamlining the workflow.
For example, consultants often distribute Security Policy Approval Requests: Executives can digitally review policies, make comments, and approve changes directly within Brainframe at their convenience, keeping projects moving forward.
By removing the dependence on live interactions and allowing executives to act at their own pace, Brainframe makes the entire cybersecurity consulting process smoother, faster, and less costly.
Empowering Executives Without Adding to Their Workload
Executives rarely have time to dig through security documentation or remember the details of every approval and procedure. Their schedules are packed, and cybersecurity often becomes just another item buried under layers of operational noise.
That’s why Brainframe is built to respect their time. By organizing security workflows in a clear, centralized system, Brainframe ensures that executives are only pulled in when their input is truly needed—no endless meetings or chasing for decisions. Whether it’s reviewing a policy, signing off on a risk treatment, or answering a key question, everything happens in a way that fits their schedule, not the other way around.
Brainframe isn’t just a better tool for consultants—it’s a better way to run cybersecurity projects. By streamlining access, documentation, collaboration, and accountability, we help both sides avoid the typical chaos that eats up hours and drives up costs.
- Consultants spend less time asking for access, chasing documents, or recreating lost context. They can focus on actual security work and deliver more, faster.
- Clients get a smoother experience, fewer delays, and cleaner, audit-ready outputs without being constantly interrupted for minor decisions or document retrievals.
The result? Faster project turnaround, lower overall cost, and more effective security outcomes.
And We’re Just Getting Started
To make things even more efficient, we’re working on AI capabilities that will accelerate everything further. Our goal is to help consultants ramp up even faster, assist executives with context-rich insights on demand, and automate the tedious parts of managing an ISMS. The future is structured, collaborative, and intelligent—and we’re building it into Brainframe step by step.
Maximizing Value for Both Consultants and Clients
Improving collaboration in cybersecurity projects isn't just about making consultants’ work easier. It’s about unlocking real, measurable value for both consultant and client. When consultants aren’t bogged down by slow approvals, scattered documents, and endless follow-ups, they’re able to focus on what matters—delivering stronger security outcomes, faster.
By using asynchronous workflows and AI-driven information management, projects move forward with clarity and speed. Executives approve actions promptly, procedures stay updated, and consultants are equipped to make informed decisions without delays. The impact is immediate:
Faster risk mitigation as vulnerabilities are addressed without waiting on calendars
Lower project costs through reduced back-and-forth and wasted hours
More confident decision-making thanks to contextual insights delivered at the right moment
Over time, organizations that adopt these digital-first practices see clear, lasting advantages. Security processes become repeatable. Policies stay aligned with regulatory expectations. And teams develop a mature, security-aware culture driven by clear roles and responsibilities.
This is where Brainframe comes in. It brings everything together in one structured environment:
- Workflows that are consistent and easy to follow
- Documents that are versioned, reviewed, and distributed without confusion
- Tasks that are directly tied to assets, controls, and risks
- Decisions that are tracked and accessible whenever they’re needed
- Stakeholders who can respond on their own time, without blocking progress
The result? Better outcomes, delivered faster, at a lower cost, and a fully documented ISMS that stands up to audits, not built on fragile spreadsheets.
