Ongoing security and technology leadership, without the full-time headcount.
We offer three retainer tiers designed around how much leadership you need, not arbitrary hours. Each tier provides clear outcomes and access levels so you know exactly what you're getting.
Senior Security & IT Advisor
Who it's for:
Founder-led and smaller teams that need a trusted senior advisor in their corner, but not a full-time CISO/CIO.
What you get:
- One 60–90 minute strategy session per month focused on decisions and priorities
- Email/Slack access for as-needed decision support (response within 24–48 business hours)
- One focused deliverable every 90 days (e.g., AI & Security Quick Risk Map, Quarterly IT & Security Priorities List, or Vendor/contract sanity check)
- Light review of 1–2 critical items per quarter (e.g., key vendor contract, cloud estimate, basic security policy)
You get a senior technology and security leader to sanity-check your biggest decisions, without adding a full-time executive.
Most clients in Basecamp invest a lower four-figure monthly retainer for this level of access and support.
Fractional vCISO / CIO
Who it's for:
Growing organizations (often 50–200+ people or regulated/enterprise-facing) that need part-time CISO/CIO leadership to steer security and technology, not just answer questions.
What you get:
- 2–3 strategy sessions per month with leadership
- Priority decision support (same-day response for executive-level questions)
- A 90-day and 12-month security & IT roadmap, refreshed quarterly, with 3–5 key initiatives, clear owners, and timelines tied to revenue, compliance, and continuity
- Ongoing input on SOC 2, HIPAA, CMMC, StateRAMP/FedRAMP readiness
- Cloud and identity architecture guidance (AWS, Azure, GCP, IAM/IGA, PAM, Zero Trust)
- Vendor and tool decision support
- Light implementation oversight—internal and external teams do the hands-on work; Frontier ensures they're working on the right things in the right order
This is where Frontier acts as your fractional CISO/CIO—owning the roadmap and being accountable for keeping security and technology initiatives aligned with the business.
Most clients in Trailblazer invest a mid four-figure monthly retainer, depending on regulatory scope and vendor complexity.
High-Risk & Recovery Leadership
Who it's for:
Organizations with visible, politically sensitive, or revenue-critical programs where failure would be public, expensive, or difficult to explain to boards and regulators.
What you get:
- Weekly executive sessions plus recurring working sessions with IT/security teams
- Frontier acts as the virtual executive running the program: full ownership of the security/technology roadmap
- Drafting board and audit-ready updates
- Leading high-stakes vendor and integrator alignment
- Program recovery leadership for initiatives that are behind schedule, failing audits, or politically stuck
- Support for audits and certifications, incident and crisis situations, major cloud, identity, and AI governance changes
This is the level where Frontier is deeply embedded as the owner-side executive for your most critical programs, ensuring decisions and documentation hold up under the harshest scrutiny.
Summit retainers are designed around intensity and risk. Most clients in this tier invest at or above what they would spend on a senior internal leader—without taking on the full-time headcount.
What every retainer includes
- Owner-side only—no tool resale, no implementation margins, no hidden incentives
- Clear scope and access defined up front
- Regular reporting that executives and boards can actually use
- A deliberate path to scale support as your needs grow and additional principals join the firm
Ready to find the right fit?
In 30–45 minutes, we'll map your current situation to the right level of support and give you a clear view of likely investment.
Request a Retainer Fit Session