In its first full year of operation, CIOSO Global, LLC has successfully validated its disruptive business model by making elite, Fortune 100-level cybersecurity expertise accessible to organizations of any size, a mission that addresses one of the most critical imbalances in the modern digital economy. The company’s 2025 operational review reveals a strong and growing market demand for its governance-focused approach, a trend driven by the widespread recognition that advanced cyber strategy is no longer a luxury for the corporate elite but a fundamental necessity for survival. As businesses navigate an increasingly complex and hostile digital environment, the need for sophisticated, board-level guidance has become paramount, and CIOSO Global has emerged as a key facilitator in bridging this resource and knowledge gap. The firm’s initial success underscores a pivotal market shift, where proactive, validated security has officially replaced reactive, compliance-driven measures as the new standard for enterprise resilience.
The Widening Gap in Corporate Cyber Defense
The modern threat landscape, now supercharged by the proliferation of AI-enabled attacks, persistent software supply chain vulnerabilities, and escalating geopolitical tensions, has exposed a critical flaw in traditional corporate security frameworks. A systemic “mismatch” now exists between the sheer scale of these sophisticated, multifaceted risks and the conventional way most organizations resource leadership to manage them. This has forced a fundamental and necessary shift in perception across industries, moving the discipline of cybersecurity from a siloed IT function to an enterprise-wide business risk that demands consistent, informed board-level attention and unwavering accountability. This evolution reflects the understanding that a technical failure can rapidly escalate into a catastrophic business failure, making strategic cyber leadership a non-negotiable component of modern corporate governance and long-term viability in an interconnected world.
According to founding partner Greg Sullivan, the most dangerous and often overlooked vulnerability for many businesses is not technical in nature but entirely perceptual—a profound and hazardous gap between their assumed level of security and their actual, quantifiable risk exposure. CIOSO Global gained significant momentum in its inaugural year by empowering executive teams to confront these “uncomfortable gaps” with objective, data-driven insights. The market is demonstrably and rapidly moving away from the outdated model of checkbox compliance and toward a new paradigm of continuous, independent risk validation. This trend confirms that true organizational security begins not with the procurement of new tools, but with an honest, unvarnished, and top-down assessment of an organization’s real-world readiness to withstand a determined adversary, thereby transforming risk awareness into a strategic asset for growth and resilience.
A New Formula for Strategic Security
CIOSO Global’s early market success is built upon a differentiated approach that directly addresses the burgeoning demand for independent, expert-led validation. The firm operates on the foundational belief that no organization, regardless of its internal talent or resources, can effectively grade its own homework when it comes to the complexities of cybersecurity. Its unique operational formula is powered by the complementary and deeply synergistic expertise of its founders. Lou DeSorbo’s extensive 25-year background in military intelligence and corporate security provides the framework for developing proactive operational strategies designed to neutralize emerging threats before they can inflict damage. Meanwhile, Greg Sullivan’s experience as a Fortune 100 Global CIO, CTO, and CEO serves as the crucial bridge, translating complex technical cyber risk into the clear, actionable language of business that boards of directors can understand, internalize, and act upon decisively.
The company’s value proposition is centered on delivering proactive and deeply strategic engagement rather than relying on a conventional, reactive incident-response model, which often comes too late. By focusing intently on preemptive risk mitigation and elevating the critical importance of impartial third-party validation, CIOSO Global helps its clients identify overlooked vulnerabilities and ensure that documented best practices are not just shelved but are effectively implemented, tested, and maintained across the organization. This innovative approach successfully transfers the sophisticated strategic frameworks, proven methodologies, and high-level knowledge once exclusively reserved for the world’s largest and most resourced enterprises to the small and mid-sized businesses that form the backbone of the economy, effectively leveling the playing field in the relentless fight against global cyber threats.
Market Validation and Growing Industry Influence
The firm’s significant first-year milestones provide clear and compelling evidence of a strong market appetite for its distinct, governance-driven security model. Throughout 2025, CIOSO Global strategically strengthened its leadership team by partnering with Tom Schunk, a seasoned technology executive bringing over 35 years of global experience to the table. Schunk’s dedicated role in collaborating directly with clients to mature their cybersecurity programs and architect more resilient, adaptable operational environments has further deepened the firm’s already formidable strategic capabilities. This addition reflects a commitment to not only providing high-level advice but also to embedding practical, long-term security improvements within the core fabric of each client’s business operations, ensuring that strategic guidance translates into tangible, defensive strength against emerging and persistent threats.
The company’s sphere of influence continued to expand as Greg Sullivan joined Technology Partners’ prestigious executive coaching bench, a role in which he now formally mentors CIOs, CISOs, and other senior technology leaders navigating complex leadership transitions and formidable cyber-risk challenges. Sullivan’s prominent participation on the main stage at high-profile industry events, including Kaseya Connect Global, further solidified CIOSO Global’s position as an authoritative thought leader in the cybersecurity domain. His panel discussions on pressing issues such as third-party software exposure, the implementation of Software Bill of Materials (SBOM), and the urgent need for AI accountability consistently highlighted the growing and dangerous disconnect between technical security controls and executive-level risk perception, reinforcing the market’s critical need for the specialized, board-level guidance that CIOSO Global was designed to provide.
A New Standard in Cybersecurity Leadership
CIOSO Global’s first year of operations successfully identified and capitalized on a fundamental shift in the cybersecurity landscape. Its momentum was driven by a clear organizational need for strategic, board-level guidance that transcended traditional technical roles. The company’s achievements stemmed from its ability to deliver this guidance, helping organizations of all sizes navigate a complex threat environment by offering the validated and proactive expertise typically reserved for Fortune 100 corporations. The market’s enthusiastic reception confirmed that the most critical element of modern defense was not merely tooling, but a clear, honest, and comprehensive understanding of enterprise-wide risk. This established a new benchmark where independent validation and executive accountability were recognized as the cornerstones of resilient security strategy.
