Three months at Hedgehog Security. Specific operational patterns are emerging; the practice is taking shape; specific subsequent decisions are clearer.
This is a longer post than the first-month observations because patterns are now visible across multiple client engagements.
The pattern of client engagements
Six client engagements through the first three months. The mix breaks down approximately as follows.
Two CISO-advisory engagements with mid-sized UK organisations developing their security leadership capability. Specific cumulative work involves periodic engagement, specific cumulative deliverables (policy documents, architectural reviews, specific recommendations), specific cumulative cumulative subsequent engagement. The cumulative pattern is sustained relationship rather than discrete project.
Two technical-assessment engagements — penetration testing, vulnerability assessment, specific cumulative compliance review. Specific cumulative work involves substantial focused engagement, specific cumulative deliverables (assessment reports, specific cumulative recommendations), specific cumulative cumulative subsequent retesting. The cumulative pattern is project-based.
One specific incident-response engagement for an organisation experiencing operational incident. Specific cumulative work involved intensive sustained engagement during the incident, specific cumulative subsequent forensic work, specific cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative subsequent advisory on subsequent prevention.
One specific cumulative operational consulting engagement with a gambling-sector operator on DDoS defence — drawing on the Evolution of DDoS book and the cumulative operational experience. Specific cumulative work involved architectural review, specific cumulative subsequent recommendations, specific cumulative cumulative subsequent implementation support.
The cumulative engagement mix is varied. Specific cumulative cumulative subsequent decisions about scaling will inform whether the mix is sustainable.
What is operationally working
Three observations.
The cumulative practitioner profile is producing client engagement. Specific cumulative cumulative existing relationships, specific cumulative book-related referrals, specific cumulative conference-related referrals — all produce specific subsequent client engagement without substantial marketing investment. The cumulative trajectory is sustainable.
Specific cumulative substantive engagement is operationally rewarding. Specific cumulative direct work with clients, specific cumulative direct delivery of outcomes, specific cumulative direct accountability — all produce satisfaction that operational employment bounded.
Specific cumulative cumulative scope discipline is workable. Independent practice supports clearer scope decisions than I had appreciated. Specific cumulative cumulative cumulative subsequent engagements benefit from explicit scoping discipline.
What is operationally harder
Three things.
The administrative overhead is sustained. Specific cumulative invoicing, specific cumulative accounts, specific cumulative compliance — all are bounded but require sustained discipline. The cumulative cost is real but manageable.
The context-switching is sustained. Specific cumulative parallel engagements produce specific cumulative cumulative attention-management challenges. The cumulative discipline matters.
Specific cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative isolation is sustained. Specific cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative external network compensates partially; specific cumulative cumulative discipline of sustained engagement matters more in independent practice than in operational employment.
These are predictable features of independent practice. The cumulative cumulative adjustment is part of the transition.
What I am thinking about
Specific cumulative thinking about what comes next.
Whether to scale. The current engagement volume is roughly at solo capacity. Specific cumulative subsequent client demand may exceed solo capacity; specific cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative subsequent decisions about whether to add capacity (employees, sub-contractors, partnerships) will follow.
Whether to specialise more aggressively. The current engagement mix is varied; specific cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative subsequent specialisation may produce specific cumulative subsequent operational benefits.
Whether to invest in specific cumulative cumulative cumulative tooling. Specific cumulative cumulative cumulative subsequent technical work would benefit from specific cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative cumulative subsequent tooling investment.
Specific cumulative cumulative subsequent decisions will inform the practice's development through the rest of 2009.
What this means for the notebook
The weekly cadence continues. Specific cumulative cumulative subsequent posts will reflect cumulative cumulative independent-practice operational reality (with appropriate confidentiality); the cumulative archive grows.
What I am paying attention to
Three things over the next several months.
Specific cumulative cumulative client demand trajectory. Specific tracking metric. The cumulative cumulative subsequent demand will inform scaling decisions.
Specific cumulative cumulative cumulative subsequent specific cumulative engagement quality. Specific tracking metric. Substantive engagement quality matters more than engagement volume.
Specific cumulative subsequent referral patterns. Specific cumulative tracking metric. The cumulative cumulative practitioner network produces specific subsequent engagement; specific cumulative cumulative cumulative subsequent referral patterns will inform structural assessment.
For my own continued operation: the discipline continues. The cumulative archive grows.
More in time.