Sharpe Management Consulting
A Unique Approach to Thwart Cyberattacks

The COVID-19 pandemic undoubtedly accelerated the shift towards a more digital world. From remote working to online banking—this new way has woven its way into the way we work and live. Digital adoption has created new business models, new opportunities, and a frictionless global reach. Unfortunately, it does come at a risk. With digital adoption comes new risks and vulnerabilities that can be exploited by those who wish to harm us, whether nation-states, criminals, or hackers. The same is true for the Critical Infrastructure we rely on every day. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA) and the U.K.’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) predict attacks will only increase, and the impact will grow. Given that the world is facing a chronic cybersecurity talent deficit, managing cyber risk has become a challenge for organizations—especially for SMBs who cannot afford to maintain a sizeable in-house capability.

This is where Sharpe Management Consulting takes center stage.

By balancing the business, operational, and technical aspects, Sharpe Management Consulting has set the mission to help clients unlock business value while mitigating cyber risk. “Well established Risk Management principles tell us there are between 90 and 100 risks a business must manage. Cyber is only one of them, BUT it is also the only one that affects all of the others. Fortunately, Cyber has become a board conversation. Cyber is no longer just an I.T. problem. We understand that and take a holistic approach to help our clients achieve their business objectives safely,” says Alex Sharpe, Principal, Sharpe Management Consulting. “We believe our clients are the hero of the story. It is our responsibility tohelp them achieve their goals.”

Sharpe Management Consulting provides five different services—governance, risk management, and compliance (GRC), assessments and remediation, incident response, cybersecurity maturity model certification (CMMC), and fractional CISO. “Our services are designed to work together as a cooperating whole.

We believe our clients are the hero of the story. It is our responsibility as trusted advisors to help our clients realize their vision not to give them what we happen to have

When clients have needs we do not offer, we can recommend others we have successfully worked with in the past,” adds Sharpe. He goes on to mention that cyberattacks backed by nation-states have become more frequent and varied—to the point of a cyber arms race. To this end, the Department of Defense has mandated compliance with the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC). Similar mandates are anticipated across the U.S. and NATO.
Sharpe Management Consulting’s CMMC offering helps businesses with compliance.

With such a comprehensive offering, Sharpe Management Consulting has served many Fortune 500 companies across the globe. “We have worked with clients in over 20 countries on every continent except Antarctica,” Sharpe mentions. The company does not stop here. Currently, they are looking for ways to help SMBs who are most at risk and often least able to respond. “We focus on serving our clients. Our team strives to understand their business, their industry, and their culture, to be a long-term trusted advisor,” Sharpe elaborates.

He believes that the cybersecurity industry is evolving rapidly. At a time when not enough properly trained staff exist, and executives do not have the background to make informed decisions, the incidents from the Nation States and attacks on our critical infrastructure are on the rise. Couple this with the adoption of contemporary technology like the Cloud and Artificial Intelligence (A.I.), there is an increasing need for third-party risk management (TPRM)and Operational Resilience (OR). This evolution of the industry has driven Sharpe Management Consulting to broaden its program. Going forward, they will look to work with more public/ private partnerships, work with more start-ups, and look for tools to help manage complexity. “We know that technology and people have to work hand in hand to thwart all of the attacks. Successful relationships require trust. We strive for that. We must be doing something right, our business is almost exclusively referrals,” Sharpe concludes.