Fee
Register to see indicative feesConfirmed in writing after scoping01 / Preparedness · Supporting
Cyber Insurance Readiness
Renewal is coming, the questionnaire has grown again, and last year's answers would not survive a claim.
ResiliencePreparedness
Typical duration
4 to 6 weeksTimed to your renewal datePrimary artefact
Insurer-ready control evidence pack and a gap registerPlus one moreWho leads it
Steve SharmaFounder & Principal04 / What this is
What Cyber Insurance Readiness is
A focused engagement that assembles the control evidence an insurer asks for, identifies where your actual position differs from what the questionnaire assumes, and closes the gap between the two before renewal.
And what this service produces
The purpose is not a better premium, though that often follows. It is that the answers you give are ones a claim assessor would accept.
05 / Who it is for
Built for a real assurance trigger, not a badge project.
01
This fits when
- You are approaching a cyber insurance renewal.
- Last year's questionnaire was answered optimistically.
- You are seeking cover for the first time.
- The board is concerned that a claim might be declined.
02
The usual trigger
- A renewal date is 8 to 12 weeks out.
- The questionnaire has expanded markedly since last year.
- An insurer has requested evidence.
- A claim elsewhere in your sector was declined.
06 / The obligation
Why an optimistic questionnaire is worse than no cover
Cyber insurance questionnaires ask about controls in binary terms: is multi-factor authentication enforced, are backups tested, is privileged access managed. The honest answer for most organisations is "mostly", and the form has no box for that.
The cost surfaces at claim time
The consequence surfaces at claim time rather than at renewal.
An overstated answer can void cover
An answer that overstates the position can void cover for the incident it was supposed to protect against, which is a worse outcome than a higher premium or a narrower policy.
Establish what is true, then close or disclose
This engagement establishes what is actually true, documents the evidence, and where the honest answer is "mostly", either closes the gap before renewal or makes sure it is disclosed rather than smoothed over.
An overstated answer does not save you money. It moves the cost to the worst possible moment and attaches it to the incident you bought cover for.
07 / What you receive
Two artefacts. Each one yours to keep.
- 01
Insurer-ready evidence pack
The control evidence, organised against the questionnaire, ready to attach.
Evidence packRisk and finance - 02
Gap register with pre-renewal actions
Where the honest answer is not yes, what it would take to make it yes, and what that involves.
RegisterSecurity and IT
08 / Scope
The whole system is visible before work begins.
Questionnaire mapping
- Insurer questionnaire mapped to actual controls
- Evidence requirements identified
- Ambiguous questions clarified with the broker
Evidence assembly
- Control evidence collected and verified
- Gaps between claimed and demonstrated identified
- Evidence pack assembled
Gap closure
- Quick wins identified and sequenced before renewal
- Longer items disclosed rather than smoothed
- Cost and effort stated
Handover
- Pack handed to risk or finance
- Renewal cycle documented for next year
- Named owner
09 / Included / not included
A useful boundary is part of the deliverable.
Included
- Mapping the insurer questionnaire to your actual controls
- Evidence collection, verification and assembly
- Pre-renewal gap closure planning and disclosure
- Handover with a documented renewal cycle
Not included
- Insurance advice: We are not brokers and we do not advise on cover, limits or policy wording.
- Remediation: Closing material gaps is your team or separate work.
- Claim support: We do not assist with claims.
- Premium guarantees: We make no claim about the premium. That is the insurer's decision.
10 / How we do it
A traceable path from scope to evidence.
Questionnaire mapping
The insurer's questions mapped to your actual control environment.
Evidence assembly and verification
Evidence collected and tested, with claimed and demonstrated separated.
Gap closure and handover
Quick wins sequenced, remainder disclosed, pack handed over.
Mapped againstISO/IEC 27001CIS ControlsEssential Eight (Australia)
11 / Timeline
4 to 6 weeks of work.
Elapsed time and customer effort are separated because they are not the same number.
Ready
What exists after this engagement
An evidence pack organised against your insurer's questionnaire, a gap register with pre-renewal actions, and honest answers you could defend at claim time.
Customer effort
The engagement runs 4 to 6 weeks and should finish at least 4 weeks before renewal.
Trigger
When you need it
8 to 12 weeks before renewal. Later than that and the quick wins cannot be closed in time, which removes most of the value.
Customer effort
Starting three weeks out removes most of the value.
Cadence
What keeps it current
The pack is built to be refreshed annually.
Customer effort
Most organisations run it themselves in year two using the documented cycle.
Not us
What we do not do
We are not brokers. We do not advise on cover, limits or wording, and we make no claim about your premium. We assemble evidence and tell you where the honest answer is not yes.
Customer effort
Cover decisions stay with you and your broker.
Our work: 4 to 6 weeks
12 / Scope check
Test whether Cyber Insurance Readiness
is the right next move.
We will cover likely scope, cost and fit.
Book a confidential strategy sessionWith Steve Sharma, who would lead.13 / Who leads the engagement
Named lead. Direct assessment.
Your insurance readiness lead
Steve Sharma
Founder & Principal
Runs the evidence verification personally. Separating claimed from demonstrated is the whole engagement.
ASD-endorsed IRAP AssessorCISSPCREST
Every engagement has a named lead. Where a second executive or specialist is needed, they are named in the proposal and subject to client approval.
Review leadership record14 / Why Cybersecurity Link
Three decisions.
Accountability.
We separate claimed from demonstrated.
An answer that overstates the position can void the cover it was meant to secure. Verifying is the point.
We are not brokers and take no commission.
No insurer relationship, no commission, no incentive in which policy you buy.
Timed to the renewal, not to our calendar.
We schedule so the quick wins can close before you answer, which is the only version of this with value.
15 / The boundary
What this engagement does not claim.
Advice
We are not insurance brokers.
We do not advise on cover, limits or policy wording, and we take no commission from any insurer.
Premium
We make no claim about your premium.
That is the insurer's decision, and anyone promising otherwise is guessing.
Claims
We do not assist with claims.
The engagement prepares honest, evidenced answers before renewal.
Operations
We are not a managed security service.
We assemble and verify evidence; we do not operate or monitor your controls.
17 / Cost
Fixed fee · confirmed in writing after scoping
Register to see indicative fees
Price your scopeWhat moves the fee
Where several insurers are being approached and the questionnaires broaden.
Where a recent assessment exists and evidence is already organised.
Fixed feeEvidence pack and gap registerRemediation of material gaps quoted separately
18 / How this fits
Where this sits in the wider programme.
19 / When this is not right
Sometimes the best recommendation is a smaller service, or a later date.
01
Renewal is under three weeks away.
The quick wins cannot close in time and the value largely disappears. Plan for the next cycle.
02
You need advice on cover or limits.
We are not brokers and will say so rather than improvise.
03
You have a recent assessment and organised evidence.
You may only need help with the questionnaire itself.
20 / FAQ
The questions that change the decision.
We make no claim about that and would be suspicious of anyone who does. The purpose is that your answers are ones a claim assessor would accept; the premium is the insurer's decision and depends on far more than your controls.
No, and we take no commission from any insurer. We have no interest in which policy you buy, which is why we can tell you where the honest answer is not yes.
Then it makes you look worse at renewal rather than at claim time, which is the better of the two. An overstated answer can void cover for the incident it was supposed to protect against.
8 to 12 weeks before renewal. Later than that and the quick wins cannot be closed in time, which removes most of the value. We would rather say that than take the engagement and deliver half of it.
21 / Next move
If Cyber Insurance Readiness is what you need, the next step is a conversation about scope.
A 45-minute conversation about what your scope actually looks like, what it would cost, and whether this is the right service for you at all. With Steve Sharma, who would lead the engagement.