What is a Risk Assessment?
Know exactly where you stand — and what to do about it
A cybersecurity risk assessment is a structured evaluation of your organization's security posture — identifying vulnerabilities, measuring your exposure against the frameworks your regulators require, and producing a prioritized roadmap for remediation.
Unlike a penetration test or a compliance checklist, a risk assessment gives you the full picture — people, processes, technology, and governance — so your leadership team can make informed decisions about where to invest and what risks to accept.
At Coastal Cyber Risk Advisors, every assessment is conducted personally by Stephen Schofner and tailored to your specific regulatory environment, industry, and organizational maturity. You receive actionable findings — not a generic report that sits on a shelf.
Identifies your real-world vulnerabilities
We go beyond checklists to find the gaps that actually matter — the ones that would concern your regulators, your cyber insurer, and your board if they knew about them.
Aligned to your specific regulatory framework
Every assessment is scoped to the frameworks your auditors and examiners will evaluate you against — HIPAA, GLBA, NCUA, NIST CSF, SOC 2, ISO 27001, and more.
Delivers a prioritized, actionable roadmap
You don't just get a list of problems — you get a clear, prioritized remediation roadmap with specific recommendations your team can act on immediately.
Conducted by a senior executive — not a junior analyst
Stephen leads every assessment personally, bringing 25 years of enterprise experience and zero-deficiency audit outcomes across HITRUST, SOC 2, HIPAA, and ISO 27001.
Assessment Types
Assessments scoped to your regulatory environment
We offer focused assessments aligned to the specific frameworks and regulations your organization is required to meet — not generic security audits.
HIPAA Security Risk Analysis
3–8 weeks · $12,000–$40,000
A comprehensive evaluation of your PHI safeguards, administrative controls, and technical security posture aligned to HHS OCR requirements. Required annually for HIPAA-covered entities and business associates.
- ✓ Administrative, physical & technical safeguard review
- ✓ PHI inventory & data flow mapping
- ✓ Risk rating & prioritized remediation roadmap
- ✓ HHS OCR audit-ready documentation
GLBA Safeguards Rule Assessment
2–6 weeks · $10,000–$30,000
A full compliance review for financial institutions subject to the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act Safeguards Rule — including gap analysis, remediation roadmap, and exam-readiness documentation.
- ✓ Safeguards Rule gap analysis & control review
- ✓ Customer data inventory & access controls review
- ✓ Vendor & third-party risk review
- ✓ Exam-readiness report & remediation roadmap
NCUA Cybersecurity Compliance Review
3–6 weeks · $12,000–$35,000
Exam-readiness support for credit unions facing NCUA cybersecurity examination requirements — including ACET alignment, information security program review, and examiner-ready documentation.
- ✓ ACET maturity assessment & gap analysis
- ✓ Information security program review
- ✓ Incident response & business continuity review
- ✓ Examiner-ready documentation package
NIST CSF 2.0 & CIS Controls Alignment
2–4 weeks · $8,000–$20,000
A maturity assessment against the NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0 or CIS Controls v8.1 — measuring your current posture, identifying gaps, and producing a 12-month improvement roadmap.
- ✓ Current state maturity scoring across all domains
- ✓ Gap analysis with risk-ranked findings
- ✓ 12-month improvement roadmap with quick wins
- ✓ Executive summary for board & leadership reporting
SOC 2 Readiness Assessment
3–6 weeks · $12,000–$30,000
A pre-audit readiness assessment that evaluates your controls against SOC 2 Trust Services Criteria — identifying gaps before your auditor does and building a remediation plan to achieve certification.
- ✓ Trust Services Criteria gap analysis
- ✓ Control design & evidence collection guidance
- ✓ Remediation roadmap & audit preparation plan
- ✓ Auditor liaison support & documentation review
Security & Compliance Health Check
2–3 weeks · $7,500–$12,000
A fast-track assessment designed for organizations that need a quick, authoritative picture of their security posture — with an executive summary, immediate quick wins, and a prioritized roadmap delivered in under three weeks.
- ✓ Rapid security posture evaluation
- ✓ Executive summary with key findings
- ✓ Immediate quick wins you can act on now
- ✓ Prioritized roadmap for longer-term improvements
All pricing ranges are indicative. Final pricing is confirmed in a detailed Statement of Work based on your organization's size, complexity, and scope. Schedule a discovery call to discuss your specific situation.
How It Works
A structured process that delivers real answers — not just a report
Every assessment follows a proven methodology developed across 25 years of enterprise security leadership — adapted to your specific regulatory environment and organizational context.
Discovery & Scoping
We begin with a structured kickoff to understand your organization, regulatory obligations, prior audit findings, and specific areas of concern. This shapes the assessment scope and ensures we focus on what matters most to your situation.
Data Collection & Interviews
We review your existing policies, controls, documentation, and technical configurations — and conduct structured interviews with key stakeholders across IT, operations, legal, and leadership to validate and fill gaps.
Analysis & Risk Scoring
Findings are analyzed against your applicable framework and assigned risk ratings based on likelihood, impact, and regulatory significance — so your leadership team knows exactly which gaps demand immediate attention and which can be addressed over time.
Report & Roadmap Delivery
We deliver a comprehensive assessment report with an executive summary, detailed findings, risk ratings, and a prioritized remediation roadmap — written for both technical teams and executive leadership.
Executive Readout & Next Steps
Stephen presents findings directly to your leadership team — walking through the key risks, answering questions, and recommending a path forward. Many clients continue into an ongoing vCISO engagement to execute the remediation roadmap.
What You Receive
Concrete deliverables your leadership team can act on
Every assessment produces a complete documentation package — written for both technical teams and executive leadership. Nothing vague, nothing generic. Everything is specific to your organization, your regulatory environment, and your risk profile.
Zero audit deficiencies
Stephen has achieved zero audit deficiencies across HITRUST R2, SOC 2, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, and ISO 27001 over three consecutive audit cycles. That's the standard your deliverables are built to.
Executive Summary Report
A board-ready summary of your security posture, key findings, risk exposure, and top priorities — written in plain language for non-technical leadership.
Detailed Findings Report
A comprehensive technical report documenting every finding, its risk rating, the evidence reviewed, and specific remediation guidance for your IT and security team.
Risk Register
A structured risk register documenting all identified risks, their likelihood and impact ratings, current controls, and recommended mitigations — formatted for ongoing tracking and board reporting.
Prioritized Remediation Roadmap
A 12-month action plan that prioritizes remediation efforts by risk level, regulatory urgency, and implementation complexity — so your team knows exactly what to do first.
Compliance Gap Analysis
A framework-specific gap analysis mapping your current controls against the requirements of HIPAA, GLBA, NIST CSF, SOC 2, or your applicable framework — with each gap rated by severity.
Executive Readout Presentation
A presentation deck delivered directly by Stephen to your leadership team — walking through findings, answering questions, and recommending next steps in plain business language.
Every assessment I deliver is built to withstand scrutiny — from your board, your regulators, and your auditors. After 25 years and zero audit deficiencies across HITRUST, SOC 2, HIPAA, and ISO 27001, that's not a promise. It's a track record.
Stephen brings 25 years of enterprise cybersecurity and technology leadership to every engagement — including his tenure as VP/CISO at Rogers Behavioral Health, Senior Director/BISO at KPMG, and 20 years as Director of Security, Risk & Compliance at The Ohio State University.
He has built security programs from the ground up, led post-acquisition integrations, advised Fortune 500 organizations, and achieved zero audit deficiencies across HITRUST R2, SOC 2, HIPAA, and ISO 27001 over three consecutive cycles. That depth of experience is what your organization gets on day one.