Fretwork Security Advisors

What Fretwork Security Advisors does

Fretwork Security Advisors is a privately held, founder-owned cybersecurity consultancy headquartered in Seattle, Washington, with a secondary office in Ashburn, Virginia. Founded in 2007 as Fretwork Technologies, the firm originally delivered tactical security assessments and network auditing services before rebranding in 2010 to its current form, which focuses exclusively on strategic advisory engagements to the executive suite of Global 2000 enterprises.

The firm does not develop or sell proprietary technology products. Its portfolio is organized around six named advisory service lines: Trusted Advisor (interim CISO support and executive guidance), Strategic Planning (alignment of security objectives with organizational goals), Initiative Management (program leadership for security rollouts), Confidential Research (discrete threat and trend intelligence), Solution Evaluation (independent vendor assessment), and Due Diligence (security validation for M&A and partnerships). Founder and CEO Joshua Leewarner, who brings over 18 years of experience across Symantec, Deloitte, BAE Systems, and Stanford Research Institute, leads a core team supplemented by a curated global network of independent consultants.

Fretwork operates as a sales-led, executive-advisory practice. All fees are negotiated on a case-by-case basis under project or multi-year retainer arrangements, with no public pricing or rate card. The firm engages directly with C-suite decision-makers (CEO, CTO, CISO) and positions itself as augmented strategic staff rather than a tactical vendor. While deliberately small, Fretwork operates globally across multiple continents, including explicit coverage in Eastern Europe and the Gulf States, and supports clients in M&A due diligence, confidential cyber intelligence, and long-term security program leadership.

Name

Fretwork Security Advisors

Legal name

Fretwork Security Advisors

Website

https://fretworksec.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Fretwork Security Advisors is a Seattle-based boutique consultancy that provides bespoke strategic cybersecurity advisory to C-suite executives at Global 2000 enterprises, covering interim CISO support, strategic planning, due diligence, and confidential threat research.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cybersecurity Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Other Management Consulting Services (541618), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Executive/Board Security Advisory & Risk Briefings (BPAKADAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Enterprise Security Strategy & Program Advisory (BPAKADAA), Security Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) Advisory (BPAKADAG)

Keywords

• Cybersecurity advisory
• Executive security consulting
• Information security strategy
• Cyber due diligence
• Security program management

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Strategic Advisory and Consulting Services: Fretwork generates revenue through fee-for-service consulting engagements with executive clients. Engagements include strategic planning, initiative management, due diligence, confidential research, solution evaluation, and trusted-advisor roles. The firm offers services on a part-time or full-time basis and can function as interim information security officers for clients. Fees are negotiated on a case-by-case basis, reflecting the bespoke nature of each engagement. The firm has maintained a consulting-only model since its 2010 rebrand from technical security assessments to executive advisory.
2. Project-Based Long-Term Engagements: Many of Fretwork's engagements span months or years, supporting long-term strategic initiatives for clients. These extended engagements provide recurring revenue through ongoing retainer or milestone-based arrangements. The firm also facilitates connections to deep-technical security services (e.g., pen-testing, incident response) through its global network of partners, sometimes serving as the prime advisor coordinating those engagements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Fretwork Security Advisors is a boutique consultancy that delivers bespoke executive cybersecurity advisory services to C-suite leaders and Global 2000 enterprises. Its six core engagements — Trusted Advisor (including interim CISO support), Strategic Planning, Initiative Management, Confidential Research, Solution Evaluation, and Due Diligence — are delivered as long-term strategic retainers or project-based assignments rather than tactical technical services. The firm deliberately does not offer pen-tests, security audits, or other tactical product offerings, instead positioning itself as augmented executive staff for sensitive information security initiatives.

Product overview

Fretwork Security Advisors is a bespoke cybersecurity consultancy offering six distinct executive advisory services. Rather than a software product, the company provides strategic consulting engagements to C-suite executives. The core portfolio includes: Trusted Advisor (interim CISO and executive advisory), Strategic Planning (information security strategy development), Initiative Management (project/program management for security endeavors), Confidential Research (discrete threat intelligence), Solution Evaluation (independent security vendor assessment), and Due Diligence (M&A security validation). Services are offered globally from offices in Seattle, WA and Ashburn, VA.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Trusted Advisor Executive advisory service providing interim CISO support and ongoing strategic leadership in information security on a part-time or full-time basis, intended for C-suite leaders at Global 2000 enterprises that need senior security counsel without a full-time hire.
• Strategic Planning Development of unified information security strategies that align security objectives with organizational business goals, bridging the gap between technical security staff and executive leadership.
• Initiative Management Project and program leadership for launching new information security initiatives, providing industry-relevant execution, cost control, and end-to-end delivery oversight for long-term security programs.
• Confidential Research Discrete research engagements delivering confidential intelligence on cyber-related issues, emerging threat actors, and emerging technologies to help organizations stay ahead of threats and inform executive decisions.
• Solution Evaluation Independent evaluation of security vendors and solutions using a data-centric methodology to identify cost-effective, applicable security investments for enterprise clients.
• Due Diligence Security due diligence investigations supporting mergers, acquisitions, and partnerships by validating baseline security metrics and providing risk management frameworks to guide transaction decisions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Fretwork helps organizations turn information security from a regulatory burden into a competitive advantage and cost-saver by unifying security objectives under a single set of organizational goals.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• IOActive: Boutique cybersecurity consultancy specializing in hardware, software, and IoT security advisory and assessment. Comparable as a high-end boutique serving enterprise and global 2000 clients with senior-advisor-led engagements.
• Leviathan Security Group: Seattle-based boutique security consultancy providing advisory, assessment, and product security services to enterprise clients. Comparable in geography, boutique scale, and enterprise-buyer orientation.
• Bishop Fox: Boutique cybersecurity consultancy known for offensive security, advisory, and continuous testing for Fortune 500 enterprises. Comparable as a high-end, founder-led boutique serving sophisticated enterprise buyers with a mix of strategic advisory and technical depth.
• NCC Group: Global cybersecurity consultancy offering cyber advisory, risk management, and technical security services to large enterprises. Comparable in serving Global 2000 executives with strategic security advisory alongside technical delivery.
• Kudelski Security: Independent cybersecurity advisory arm of the Kudelski Group providing strategic CISO advisory, cyber risk consulting, and managed security services. Directly comparable in targeting executive-suite buyers with bespoke, advisory-led engagements rather than commodity product reselling.

Broad incumbents

• KPMG Cyber Security Services: Big 4 cyber practice offering strategic cyber advisory, board reporting, and security transformation programs to large enterprises. Comparable as a scaled competitor for executive-suite cyber advisory mandates.
• Optiv Security: Large US-focused cybersecurity solutions and advisory provider serving enterprise and mid-market clients with strategy, risk, and managed security. Comparable as a scaled incumbent competing for strategic security advisory wallet.
• Deloitte Cyber Risk Services: Big 4 cyber risk practice offering board-level cyber advisory, strategy, and managed security to Global 2000 clients. Directly competes for executive-suite advisory spend with the scale, multi-disciplinary teams, and brand that Fretwork cannot match.
• Mandiant (Google Cloud): Now part of Google Cloud, Mandiant is a leading incident response and cyber advisory firm serving Global 2000 executives with threat intelligence, strategic consulting, and managed defense. Comparable as a scaled executive-grade cyber advisory competitor.
• EY-Parthenon Cybersecurity: Big 4 cyber and risk advisory practice serving Global 2000 boards and CISOs with strategy, risk, and transaction support. Competes directly with Fretwork on strategic, board-facing cyber mandates but at vastly greater scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fretwork-security

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Fretwork Security Advisors