Board-level security leadership for Irish business. We advise directors, CEOs, and governance committees on cyber risk oversight, NIS2 compliance, and board accountability. Over 25 years of enterprise security leadership — from global financial services and critical national infrastructure — applied pragmatically to protect your business and your board.
Pragmatic Security was founded by a practitioner who spent over 25 years working at the sharp end of information security — not in advisory roles at arm's length, but embedded inside some of the largest and most regulated organisations in the world.
Our Story
That career spanned roles as a Field CISO, Security Architect, and Global Security Director across financial services, technology outsourcing, and critical national infrastructure. It included leading security programmes for organisations designated as systemically important by central banking regulators, directing globally dispersed security teams of 50–60 personnel, and advising on digital transformation programmes valued in excess of €1 billion.
The common thread across all of it was the gap between what security vendors sell and what organisations actually need. Pragmatic Security was built to close that gap — for businesses that don't have a CISO on staff, don't have a dedicated security team, and don't need one full-time, but do need the same quality of thinking that the largest organisations in the world rely on.
Our team is deliberately small and senior. Every client works directly with experienced practitioners — not a partner who sells the engagement and a junior consultant who delivers it.
| Figure | What it means |
|---|---|
| 25+ | Years Experience |
| 60+ | Countries Covered |
| €1B+ | Programmes Advised |
| 5 | Elite Certifications |
Where We've Worked
Our team's collective background spans the most demanding security environments in the world. That depth informs every engagement we take on.
Global Financial Services
Senior security leadership at institutions regulated by central banking authorities and financial market regulators across Europe and the United States, including organisations designated as systemically important at a federal level.
Critical National Infrastructure
Field CISO accountability for infrastructure operating under its own regulatory regime, directing globally dispersed security teams and overseeing managed security service providers across all security operations domains.
Technology Outsourcing
Global Security Director and Enterprise Security Architect roles spanning large-scale managed security programmes across 60+ countries, including pre-sales security design for nine-figure outsourcing engagements.
Investment Management & Insurance
Information Security Manager and consultant roles at leading asset managers and global insurance groups, covering risk assessment, compliance, and security architecture across regulated financial environments.
Digital Transformation
Independent security advisor on a €1 billion+ digital transformation programme for an international financial institution, designing security architecture across 70 concurrent programmes of work.
Professional Services & Consulting
Security advisory and architecture engagements across professional services, HR outsourcing, and technology consulting environments, with experience supporting Big Four-adjacent consulting programmes.
Our Credentials
We hold the most respected certifications in the profession. We are active members of ISC2 Ireland and ISACA, and our founder has spoken publicly at ISC2 events on security leadership and online safety education.
- CISSP — Certified Information Systems Security Professional (ISC2)
- CISM — Certified Information Security Manager (ISACA)
- CISA — Certified Information Systems Auditor (ISACA)
- COBIT 5 Implementer & Assessor — Control Objectives for Information Technologies (ISACA)
- COBIT Foundation (ISACA / ITPreneurs)
How We Work
Honesty over comfort
We will tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear. If your security posture has gaps, we will name them clearly and tell you how to close them.
Proportionality over perfection
We design security programmes that fit your business — your size, your risk appetite, your budget, and your team's capacity. We do not sell you a framework built for a bank if you are a 20-person accountancy firm.
Outcomes over outputs
We measure success by whether your business is genuinely more secure and more resilient — not by the number of policies written or the length of our reports.
Security as an enabler
Good security should make your business more capable, not less. Our approach is to find the path that protects you without creating unnecessary friction.
Helping Irish Businesses, Close to Home
Alongside large-scale enterprise engagements, we work directly with smaller Irish businesses facing very real, very immediate security challenges. These are a selection of recent engagements — anonymised to protect client confidentiality.
- Food Processing: Business process mapping for a food manufacturer in scope for NIS2
- Multi-Site Business Group: Post-incident response for a Donegal group that lost over €1m to BEC fraud
- Fishing Industry: Ransomware recovery and backup remediation for a fishing industry firm
- Healthcare: Third-party risk management programme for a healthcare essential services operator
- Hospitality: Secure guest Wi-Fi implementation for a Donegal hotel
Ready to work with a team that has been there?
If you want security advice grounded in real-world experience — not textbook theory — we would be glad to talk. A 20-minute conversation costs nothing.