What Active Cyber does

ACTIVECYBER, LLC (trading as Active Cyber) is a privately held cybersecurity advisory and resiliency firm founded by Dale A. Raymond, with leadership roots serving Fortune 500 executives since 2002 and a formal corporate launch in November 2016 following the acquisition of CTC-CYBER. The firm is structured as a boutique practice headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland with approximately 23 employees, led by Founder/CEO Dale Raymond and Partner/SVP Jason Paternostro (CISSP, Certified ISO 27001 Lead Implementer).

The company's service portfolio is organized around two operational pillars — Advisory (cybersecurity strategy, compliance and audit preparation for ISO 27001/27701/42001, SOC 2, CMMC, NIST 800-171/53, HIPAA, GDPR, PCI DSS; risk management; vCISO/Fractional CISO; third-party risk management; cloud security review) and Resiliency (penetration testing, red team engagements, dark web monitoring, social engineering defense, source code review, web/cloud application testing, 24x7 monitoring and detection). Underpinning delivery is the proprietary ACTIVE Framework™ (Advisory, Compliance, Testing, Implementation, Visibility, Education), a six-pillar methodology used to tailor cybersecurity programs to each client's risk appetite. ACTIVELabs™, established in 2018, operates as an internal vulnerability research division that has published 20 CVEs in the National Vulnerability Database across vendors including NVIDIA, SolarWinds, Netwrix, Docker Desktop, Overwolf, and TP-Link.

ACTIVECYBER generates revenue entirely through professional services engagements sold via a direct, consultative sales motion targeting C-Suite, Executive Committee, and Technology leadership at enterprise clients. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; 67% of new client growth comes from referrals. The customer base is concentrated in regulated verticals — legal services (Steptoe, Morris Nichols, Wilkinson Stekloff), financial services (NewDay USA), technology/AI (OpenAI, TwinThread, Aptly, TECfusions), government contracting/defense (McAleese, ANSER), and non-profits (Responsible Business Alliance). Self-reported outcomes include 100% certification success rate, 96% client retention, and 20 published CVEs. The firm holds its own ISO 27001 certification (achieved January 2022) and reports no external institutional investors or parent companies.

Name

Active Cyber

Legal name

ACTIVECYBER, LLC

Website

https://activecyber.us

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Active Cyber is a privately held cybersecurity advisory and resiliency firm offering consulting, compliance certification (ISO, SOC 2, CMMC), penetration testing, and vCISO services to enterprise clients in legal, financial, technology/AI, government, and non-profit sectors, delivered via its proprietary ACTIVE Framework™.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cybersecurity Advisory & Resiliency Consulting

NAICS

Other Computer Related Services (541519), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (5415)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Cybersecurity & Identity Consulting (BPAHAEAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Vulnerability Assessment, Security Audits & Compliance Testing (BPAKAHAG), Security Audits & Compliance (ISO 27001, SOC 2, PCI DSS, HIPAA, SOX) (BPAKADAC), Executive/Board Security Advisory & Risk Briefings (BPAKADAK), Bug Bounty, Vulnerability Disclosure & Security Services (FSAPAJAL)

Keywords

• Cybersecurity advisory services
• Compliance certification consulting
• Penetration testing services
• Risk management consulting
• Virtual CISO services

Headquarters

HQ city

Annapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Cybersecurity Advisory & Consulting: ACTIVECYBER provides strategic cybersecurity advisory services, compliance and audit preparation, risk management, implementation support, training and education, vCISO services, and third-party risk management. These are professional services engagements typically scoped to the client's needs.
2. Resiliency & Testing Services: ACTIVECYBER provides penetration testing, red team engagements, vulnerability assessments, social engineering defense, dark web monitoring, source code review, web application testing, and cloud environment testing. These are project-based professional services.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ACTIVECYBER delivers cybersecurity advisory, compliance, and resiliency professional services through its proprietary ACTIVE Framework™. The Advisory offering covers cybersecurity strategy, vCISO, risk management, third-party risk management, training, and cloud security reviews. The Resiliency offering covers penetration and vulnerability testing, red team engagements, dark web monitoring, social engineering defense, source code review, web application testing, cloud environment testing, and 24x7x365 monitoring. Specialized certification services guide clients through ISO 27001, SOC 2, CMMC, ISO 27701, ISO 42001, HIPAA, GDPR, PCI DSS, NIST 800-171, and NIST 800-53 audits and attestations.

Product overview

ACTIVECYBER is a cybersecurity services firm offering a portfolio of advisory and resiliency services built around its proprietary ACTIVE Framework™ methodology. The core offerings include Advisory Services (cybersecurity strategy, compliance, risk management, vCISO, cloud security reviews) and Resiliency Services (penetration testing, red team engagements, dark web monitoring, source code review, 24x7 monitoring). Supporting these is ACTIVELabs™, the company's research division that discovers and discloses vulnerabilities. Specialized certification services cover ISO 27001, SOC 2, and CMMC. All services are human-delivered by security consultants rather than software-based products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Advisory Services Cybersecurity advisory services for enterprise clients including cybersecurity strategy development with the C-Suite, custom compliance roadmap design, internal audits (ISO 27001, SOC 2, CMMC), risk management using NIST SP 800-30 with detailed Risk Treatment Plans, implementation support for policies, procedures and technology, training and education, virtual CISO (vCISO) services, third-party risk management, and cloud security reviews for Azure, AWS, and Google Cloud.
• Resiliency Services Offensive security and resiliency services for enterprise clients including vulnerability assessment and penetration testing, red team engagements simulating sophisticated cyber-attacks, dark web monitoring for compromised information, social engineering defense (phishing, vishing, SMSishing training), source code review, web application testing, cloud environment testing, and 24x7x365 monitoring and detection across networks, endpoints and cloud environments.
• The ACTIVE Framework™ Proprietary six-pillar cybersecurity maturity assessment and implementation methodology covering Advisory, Compliance, Testing, Implementation, Visibility, and Education, used to tailor security programs to each organization's risk appetite.
• ACTIVELabs™ Internal cybersecurity research division that identifies and discloses undiscovered vulnerabilities, reports them to vendors via responsible disclosure programs, publishes advisories, develops and validates new patches, and creates CVEs for the National Vulnerability Database (NVD), with 20 CVEs published to date across vendors including NVIDIA, SolarWinds, Netwrix, Docker Desktop, Overwolf, and TP-Link.
• ISO 27001 Certification Services End-to-end consulting services guiding enterprise organizations through ISO 27001 certification, from initial gap assessment to successful audit completion, using the ACTIVE Framework™.
• SOC 2 Attestation Services Preparation and guidance for SOC 2 Type 1 and Type 2 attestation audits, including readiness assessments and internal audit support; also supports SOC 1 compliance assessments.
• CMMC Certification Services Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification preparation and implementation for defense contractors, including NIST 800-171 compliance and CUI protection guidance.
• Cloud Security Review Security assessment of cloud environments (Azure, AWS, Google Cloud) against industry-recognized best practices, with ongoing cloud security checks to maintain a secure instance.
• Fractional CISO Virtual Chief Information Security Officer service providing access to experienced CISOs to guide organizational cybersecurity efforts and prioritize risk-based decisions.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% Certification Success Rate
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Arctic WolfcoreTechnology or Integration · 5 April 2019ACTIVECYBER and Arctic Wolf partnered to secure data of leading industry organizations. The partnership combined ACTIVECYBER's cybersecurity advisory and resiliency expertise with Arctic Wolf's security operations platform. A case study was developed and made available for download. Dale Raymond, ACTIVECYBER CEO, was also interviewed by CRN regarding Arctic Wolf's acquisition announcement in December 2018.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• A-LIGN: A-LIGN is a cybersecurity compliance and audit firm specializing in SOC 2, ISO 27001, HITRUST, CMMC, and FedRAMP. It is one of the closest direct competitors to ACTIVECYBER in the mid-market cybersecurity advisory and attestation space.
• Tevora: Tevora is a cybersecurity consulting firm offering advisory, penetration testing, compliance, and managed security services to enterprise clients. Its blend of advisory and offensive testing services directly mirrors ACTIVECYBER's Advisory + Resiliency portfolio.
• Bishop Fox: Bishop Fox is a cybersecurity consulting firm specializing in offensive security (penetration testing, red team) and continuous attack surface testing. Its research-driven approach and testing focus make it comparable to ACTIVECYBER's Resiliency and ACTIVELabs offerings.
• KirkpatrickPrice: KirkpatrickPrice is a cybersecurity audit and compliance firm offering SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, and HIPAA audits to mid-market and enterprise clients. Its service catalog and SMB-to-mid-enterprise customer base closely overlap with ACTIVECYBER's.
• Coalfire: Coalfire is a cybersecurity advisory and compliance firm with deep CMMC, FedRAMP, and ISO expertise serving defense contractors and regulated enterprises. It competes with ACTIVECYBER particularly in the government contracting and CMMC space.
• BARR Advisory: BARR Advisory provides cybersecurity compliance and audit services across SOC 2, ISO 27001, HITRUST, and FedRAMP for SaaS and tech-enabled clients. Its positioning as a boutique, tech-focused compliance firm makes it a near-direct competitor.
• Schellman & Co. Schellman is a top-tier cybersecurity assessment firm offering SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, HIPAA, and FedRAMP services. Its mid-market advisory and audit focus closely mirrors ACTIVECYBER's certification-led engagement model.

Broad incumbents

• Optiv: Optiv is a large cybersecurity solutions integrator offering advisory, implementation, and managed security services across the full enterprise stack. It represents the broad incumbent that ACTIVECYBER competes against in mid-market enterprise engagements.
• NCC Group: NCC Group is a global cybersecurity advisory and software escrow firm with deep expertise in compliance, threat intelligence, and offensive security. It competes with ACTIVECYBER for enterprise advisory and certification work, particularly in regulated verticals.

Emerging players

• TrustedSec: TrustedSec is a cybersecurity consulting firm focused on penetration testing, red team, and incident response, with an active research and CVE disclosure practice. Its research-led culture and offensive security focus make it comparable to ACTIVECYBER's ACTIVELabs and Resiliency lines.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance11 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Active Cyber