CISO Lens

What CISO Lens does

CISO Lens Pty Ltd is a privately held Australian company founded in January 2015 by James Turner. It operates as the premier information sharing and analysis community for cyber security executives from the largest organisations in Australia and New Zealand, functioning as a strategic Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC) for the region. The community is designed for very large ASX/NZX companies, critical infrastructure providers, and large government departments, with admission requiring referral from an existing member or alumnus.

The company's core outputs are the CISO Lens Benchmark (annual peer-comparison reports published in 2019, 2020, 2022, and 2024, drawing on data from 96 member organisations), a catalogue of community-research white papers and templates (covering Security Operating Model Design, CERT effectiveness, Cloud Governance, Executive Reporting, and Cyber Insurance), and structured member engagement via executive roundtables and ancillary sub-communities. Adjacent programmes include SOC Leaders (for CISO direct reports), the CIO Cyber and Risk Network delivered with IBRS for CIOs without dedicated CISOs, a Reconnecting Resource for post-incident supplier assurance, and an Australian Financial Review commentary platform maintained by the founder.

CISO Lens generates revenue through recurring membership fees under a strict conflict-of-interest policy that excludes members from organisations whose core business is security sales and prohibits taking money from security vendors. The team is small (Founder and Managing Director, a New Zealand Country Manager, and a Director of Member and Community Empowerment), there are no institutional investors disclosed, and the trademark is registered in Australia and New Zealand. Partnerships include ongoing financial sponsorship of the Australian Women in Security Network since 2019 and a three-year sponsorship of KYUP! Project from 2024.

Name

CISO Lens

Legal name

CISO Lens Pty Ltd

Website

https://cisolens.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CISO Lens is a referral-only peer information sharing and analysis community serving cyber security executives from the largest ASX/NZX companies, critical infrastructure providers, and government departments across Australia and New Zealand, operating as a strategic ISAC since 2015.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cybersecurity Information Sharing & Analysis Community

NAICS

Security Systems Services (except Locksmiths) (561621), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) & NERC-CIP Compliance (HDADAJAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

IT Governance, Risk & Compliance (IT GRC) Platforms (HDAEALAK)

Keywords

• Cyber security community
• Information sharing analysis
• Executive benchmarking
• Peer networking services
• Incident response coordination

Headquarters

HQ city

North Sydney

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: CISO Lens operates as a membership-based organization for cyber security executives from large organizations. The organization explicitly states it does not accept money from companies that have security sales as a core line of business, and does not admit people carrying sales targets, maintaining conflict-free membership.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

CISO Lens operates a membership-based, peer-driven information sharing and analysis community for cyber security executives from the largest organisations in Australia and New Zealand. It delivers strategic ISAC services including peer networking, structured collaboration, information sharing, community coordination and analysis, and benchmarking, enabling evidence-based decision making around strategy and resource allocation. Admission is referral-only and membership excludes any person or organisation with security sales as a core line of business.

Product overview

CISO Lens is a community platform providing a suite of cybersecurity-focused products and services for senior security executives in Australia and New Zealand. The core offerings include the CISO Lens Benchmark (annual peer comparison reports), CISO Lens Reports (white papers and templates from community research), and membership access. Ancillary offerings include SOC Leaders (for CISO direct reports), the CIO Cyber and Risk Network/Cyrin (for CIOs), and the Reconnecting Resource (incident guidance). The platform also publishes Commentary articles and provides vendor benchmarking through its benchmark reports. These products work together to support peer networking, structured collaboration, information sharing, community coordination, and benchmarking across the cybersecurity executive community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CISO Lens Membership Premier information sharing and analysis community membership for cyber security executives from very large ASX/NZX companies, critical infrastructure providers, and large government departments; includes strategic ISAC services enabling evidence-based decision making around strategy and resource allocation. Admission requires referral from someone in the CISO Lens community.
• CISO Lens Benchmark Annual benchmarking tool enabling participating cyber security executives from CISO Lens member organisations to assess how their organisation compares to peer organisations through strategic and operational information sharing; the 2024 edition drew on data from 96 ANZ member organisations.
• CISO Lens Reports Collection of white papers, industry reports, and templates produced from CISO Lens community research, including Security Operating Model Design Considerations, Measuring CERT Effectiveness, an Incident Response Template, Cloud Governance Framework, Standardised Executive Reporting, and Cyber Insurance guidance.
• SOC Leaders Ancillary community of CISO direct reports who lead security operations, providing peer collaboration, lessons-learned sharing, and governance support; membership available only to named individuals at organisations that already hold CISO Lens membership.
• CIO Cyber and Risk Network (Cyrin) Vendor-independent collaboration group facilitated by IBRS for CIOs to share issues and approaches around cyber security and risk, with sessions held under Chatham House Rule.
• Reconnecting Resource Resource providing eight core questions enterprise customers ask suppliers after a cyber incident before reconnecting systems, designed to simplify the supplier assurance process following supply chain breaches.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2024 Benchmark draws data from 96 member organisations
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• KYUP! ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024KYUP! Project is a groundbreaking, evidence-based initiative confronting violence against women and children in Australia. In 2024, CISO Lens entered a three-year sponsorship agreement with KYUP! Project. The initiative has empowered over 10,000 young individuals throughout Australia and New Zealand through programs focusing on building self-worth and self-defense skills.
• Australian Women in Security Network (AWSN)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019CISO Lens has provided financial sponsorship to this important initiative every year since 2019. The organisation believes AWSN is helping improve the culture of the Australian security industry by encouraging more women to participate in the security industry and providing them with connections and support through their careers.
• IBRS (Independent Research Bureau Services)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCISO Lens founder James Turner serves as Emeritus Advisor at IBRS. For CIOs interested in collaborating on cyber security and risk, CISO Lens refers them to IBRS's CIO Cyber and Risk Network, which is vendor independent with sessions held under Chatham House Rule.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• IT-ISAC: Information Technology ISAC serving senior security and risk executives across the IT sector with confidential threat sharing and community-driven analysis, mirroring the closed-network, executive-level design of CISO Lens.
• Health-ISAC: Health Information Sharing and Analysis Center operating the same ISAC playbook (closed membership of senior executives, threat intel sharing, benchmarking) for healthcare organisations globally; closest structural analogue to CISO Lens.
• FIRST (Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams): Global association of incident response and security teams that facilitates information sharing among CSIRTs and security practitioners; CISO Lens Country Manager Nadia Yousef sits on its board (2024-2026), evidencing direct peer overlap in mission and membership.
• AusCERT: Australia's flagship CERT and member-based cybersecurity information sharing organisation for enterprises and government; regional peer operating the same member-funded information sharing model in the ANZ market CISO Lens serves.
• AISA (Australian Information Security Association): Peak industry body for cybersecurity professionals in Australia where James Turner served as Advocacy Chair; a regional membership association serving a related but broader audience than CISO Lens's CISO-only community.
• FS-ISAC: Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center; the sector ISAC model that CISO Lens explicitly mirrors as a "strategic ISAC" for ANZ CISOs, with member-driven information sharing and benchmarking across large financial institutions.

Broad incumbents

• ISACA: International professional association focused on IT governance, risk, and cybersecurity (CISM, CISA certifications); shares CISO Lens's governance and risk-management orientation but operates as a broad, credential-led incumbent rather than a closed executive community.
• (ISC)²: Global, non-profit membership body for certified cybersecurity professionals (CISSP, etc.); overlaps with CISO Lens on serving senior security practitioners but is far larger and pursues credentialing rather than confidential peer information sharing.

Regional players

• CREST: International accreditation body for cyber security providers and professionals, with strong ANZ presence; comparable membership-driven community for senior security practitioners but centred on accreditation standards rather than threat sharing.

Others

• IBRS (Industry Advisory Services): Australia-based advisory firm where James Turner served for 11 years and remains Emeritus Advisor; operates the CIO Cyber and Risk Network (Cyrin) sub-brand under CISO Lens, making it a closely allied - rather than competing - community for senior IT and cyber leaders.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CISO_Lens
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cisolens

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 CISO Lens