What Fortalice Solutions does

Fortalice Solutions is a privately held, founder-owned boutique cybersecurity consultancy headquartered in Charlotte, NC, founded in 2014 by Theresa Payton — the first female White House Chief Information Officer. The firm delivers concierge, human-driven cybersecurity services to Fortune 100 enterprises, C-suite executives, and high-profile individuals, organized around four pillars: Preparation, Response, Education, and Partnership.

The core technology stack is services-led rather than product-led, combining ethical hacking, Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT), penetration testing, threat emulation, red/purple team operations, social engineering, and incident response. Differentiated service brands include FortifiedCISO™ (fractional strategic advisory and compliance oversight), Digital Bodyguard™ (executive and brand personal cybersecurity, including PII removal and open/deep/dark web monitoring), and Fortified AI / FortifAI (compliance risk assessment for AI systems against the EU AI Act, NIST AI RMF, Colorado AI Act, and California AI Transparency Act). AI is applied across text, structured data, code, and multi-modal analysis including deepfake detection, but the firm does not publish proprietary models or research.

Revenue is generated through bespoke professional services engagements and instructor-led training programs (OSINT training, OSCP prep with Immaculata University, custom tabletop exercises). Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; the go-to-market motion is enterprise field sales targeting C-suite and CISO buyers via direct consultation, founder-led credibility, and thought leadership across CNBC, Forbes, CNN, Bloomberg Law, and other outlets. Customer concentration appears moderate, with named logos spanning technology (isolved), healthcare (Tivity Health), and unnamed Fortune 100 / global enterprises.

Name

Fortalice Solutions

Legal name

Fortalice Solutions, LLC

Website

https://fortalicesolutions.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Boutique cybersecurity consultancy founded by former White House CIO Theresa Payton, serving Fortune 100 enterprises, C-suite executives, and high-profile individuals with strategic advisory, offensive security testing, executive digital protection, and AI compliance services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cybersecurity Consulting

NAICS

Other Computer Related Services (541519), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (5415)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Vulnerability Management & Penetration Testing Services (BPAEADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Penetration Testing, Red Team & Ethical Hacking (EDAOAIAH), Security Operations (SOC), Incident Response & Threat Hunting (EDAOAIAI), Cybersecurity Technical Skills (Security Engineering, SOC, Pen Testing) (EDABAFAF)

Keywords

• Cybersecurity consulting
• Penetration testing
• Executive protection
• AI compliance
• Incident response

Headquarters

HQ city

Charlotte

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Cybersecurity Consulting Services: Bespoke professional services including cyber strategy and risk compliance advisory, penetration testing, executive digital protection, security engineering, and incident response. Revenue generated through project-based engagements and ongoing advisory relationships with enterprise clients.
2. Training Programs: Revenue from instructor-led training programs including OSINT training (two-day virtual workshop), Offensive Cybersecurity Operations & OSCP Prep (in partnership with Immaculata University), and custom tabletop exercises for organizations. Delivered through workshops and strategic communications engagements.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Fortalice Solutions delivers bespoke, human-driven cybersecurity services for enterprises, executives, and high-profile individuals. Core offerings include strategic advisory through the FortifiedCISO™ program, concierge executive digital protection via Digital Bodyguard™, AI compliance risk assessments under the Fortified AI framework, and offensive security engagements such as penetration testing, red/purple team operations, and threat emulation. The firm also delivers instructor-led OSINT training, OSCP certification preparation in partnership with Immaculata University, and incident commander support during active cyber crises.

Product overview

Fortalice Solutions offers a comprehensive suite of concierge cybersecurity services organized around four pillars: Preparation, Response, Education, and Partnership. The portfolio centers on FortifiedCISO™ for strategic advisory, Digital Bodyguard™ for executive protection, and Fortified AI for AI compliance risk assessment. Offensive security capabilities include penetration testing, threat emulation (red team), purple team operations, and social engineering assessments. Defensive services encompass cyber risk assessments, security control design reviews, threat hunting, and incident commander support. Training programs include OSINT training, OSCP preparation in partnership with Immaculata University, and custom tabletop exercises. The company was founded by Theresa Payton, former White House CIO, and is headquartered in Charlotte, NC.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FortifiedCISO™: A hands-on strategic advisor program providing custom cybersecurity roadmaps, overseeing risk and compliance, and bridging the gap between executive priorities and technical execution.
• Digital Bodyguard™
• Fortified AI
• FortifAI

Products and services

• FortifiedCISO™

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 40 successful third-party tracking technology investigations in healthcare
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability9 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Immaculata UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Immaculata University for the Offensive Cybersecurity Operations & OSCP Prep training program. The hands-on course is designed for students and professionals pursuing their Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP) certification, taught by seasoned offensive operations experts.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bishop Fox: Boutique offensive-security consultancy offering penetration testing, red team, and attack-surface management to Fortune-class enterprises. Closely comparable in size, model, and offensive-security focus to Fortalice.
• NCC Group: Global cybersecurity consultancy with a strong pen testing, red team, and managed detection practice. Comparable to Fortalice in service mix and enterprise buyer profile, though at materially larger scale.
• Coalfire: U.S.-based cybersecurity advisory firm delivering pen testing, compliance, and risk services to enterprise and regulated-industry clients. Direct peer in advisory-led offensive security and GRC work.
• TrustedSec: Boutique offensive-security and incident response consultancy with a similar founder-led, technical-expert culture. Highly comparable to Fortalice in services, customer profile, and boutique scale.

Broad incumbents

• Mandiant (Google Cloud): Now part of Google Cloud, Mandiant is a leading incident response and threat intelligence provider. Overlaps with Fortalice's IR, threat hunting, and red team services but at significantly greater scale and with broader product suite.
• Optiv: Large U.S. cybersecurity solutions integrator and advisory firm serving enterprise clients with pen testing, GRC, and managed security. Broad incumbent overlap with Fortalice's advisory and offensive security work.
• Schellman & Co. Large independent IT compliance and security assessment firm with deep pen testing and AI compliance practices. Comparable on the AI compliance risk assessment side that Fortalice targets via Fortified AI.
• Kudelski Security: Global enterprise-focused cybersecurity consultancy offering advisory, pen testing, and managed detection. Comparable to Fortalice in service mix and enterprise target market, with broader geographic footprint.
• CrowdStrike Services: Services arm of CrowdStrike providing incident response, proactive services, and intelligence-led red team engagements. Overlaps with Fortalice's IR and offensive security offerings, complemented by CrowdStrike's endpoint platform.

Others

• Bishop Fox Continuous Attack Surface Testing (CAST): Listed again because Bishop Fox's productized CAST platform represents the technology-enabled direction Fortalice could take. Useful as a directional peer showing how a boutique offensive-security peer has begun packaging services into recurring product.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fortalicellc
• Facebookfacebook.com/100925606846
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fortalicellc
• Instagraminstagram.com/fortalicesolutions

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fortalice Solutions