Security awareness training
Live onboarding sessions, quarterly phishing tests and short monthly scenarios, written for engineering-heavy teams.
- 12 months, renewed yearly
- $24,000 to $48,000 a year
- The first onboarding session runs by day 14. The first phishing test runs in month 2.
Who this fits
Awareness training fits SaaS teams that need to meet the SOC 2 annual training control and want something engineers will sit through. It often follows a phishing incident or a hiring wave.
What is included
- A live 60-minute onboarding session for new hires, recorded for later use
- A quarterly 60-minute session for the whole company, with a separate track for engineers
- A quarterly phishing test with a report by team
- A 5-minute scenario each month, posted in your team chat
- An annual review of results
The first three phases
Every Awareness training engagement opens with the same phases of the Northstar Maturity Framework.
| Phase | Length | What happens | What you keep |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Discovery | 2 weeks | Data-flow map, frameworks in scope, and where your program stands today. | Discovery Document, 6 to 12 pages |
| 2Roadmap | 1 week | Prioritized work with owners and a budget, reviewed with your leadership team. | 12-month roadmap |
| 3Build | 8 to 16 weeks | Policies written, controls configured, and your compliance platform collecting evidence. | Policies, controls and evidence collection in place |
-
1Discovery 2 weeks
Data-flow map, frameworks in scope, and where your program stands today.
You keep: Discovery Document, 6 to 12 pages
-
2Roadmap 1 week
Prioritized work with owners and a budget, reviewed with your leadership team.
You keep: 12-month roadmap
-
3Build 8 to 16 weeks
Policies written, controls configured, and your compliance platform collecting evidence.
You keep: Policies, controls and evidence collection in place
Other services
-
Part-time CISO (vCISO)
Mara joins your leadership meeting every week, owns the security roadmap, and answers customer security questions for you.
- Length
- 6 to 18 months
- Price
- $8,000 to $18,000 a month
-
SOC 2 readiness program
A 90-day program that takes you from no formal compliance work to ready for a SOC 2 Type II audit window.
- Length
- 90 days to audit-ready
- Price
- $40,000 to $75,000, fixed after scoping
-
Security assessment
A 2 to 3 week review of your security against NIST CSF, CIS Controls or SOC 2, delivered as a written report with a ranked list of fixes.
- Length
- 2 to 3 weeks
- Price
- $15,000 to $30,000
Common questions
Anything else goes on the fit call, or email hello@northstar-demo.example.
A vCISO engagement is $8,000 to $18,000 a month depending on scope. A SOC 2 readiness program is $40,000 to $75,000 for 90 days. An assessment is $15,000 to $30,000. You get a written scope and a fixed price after the fit call, before anything is signed.
90 days from kickoff to audit-ready if you already have cloud infrastructure, source control and single sign-on in place. Starting from scratch takes 4 to 5 months. The audit window itself adds 3 to 12 months for Type II, set by you and your auditor.
Northstar works with SaaS companies under 200 employees, including B2B fintech. Hardware, government contractors and companies over 250 people get a referral to a firm that specializes in them.
It takes 30 minutes. Mara asks what is driving the work, such as a deal, an audit date, an incident or a board request. If Northstar fits, you get a written scope and price within three business days. If it does not, she names a firm that does.
Mara Chen, on every engagement. Northstar does not subcontract. Penetration tests are run by an outside firm you contract directly, and Mara coordinates them.
Yes. When a client is ready, Mara helps write the job description, sits in on interviews, and hands over the program. The engagement has a 30-day exit clause for this.
Most clients move to a one-day-a-month retainer covering quarterly reviews, preparation for the annual audit, and incident response readiness.
Book a 30-minute fit call with Mara.
Tell her what is driving the work. If Northstar fits, you get a written scope and price within three business days.