# Brian Stephens — Principal Cyber Security Consultant

## Identity & Role
- **Name:** Brian Stephens
- **Title:** Principal Cyber Security Consultant
- **Clearance:** SC Cleared
- **Experience:** 25+ years in cybersecurity
- **Location:** United Kingdom
- **Website:** https://brianstephens.co.uk
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/in/b-stephens/
- **Contact:** https://brianstephens.co.uk/#get-in-touch

## Consulting Philosophy
Independent cybersecurity consultancy grounded in technical depth. Brian Stephens helps regulated organisations build defensible, auditable security postures — from board-level strategy to hands-on technical implementation. He operates across both governance and implementation layers, ensuring strategic advice is grounded in what is technically achievable and that technical delivery is aligned to genuine business risk.

Three core principles:
1. **Outcomes over outputs** — Security programmes must hold under real scrutiny, not just satisfy auditors on paper.
2. **Technical depth enables strategic advice** — Most valuable when operating at both board level and implementation depth simultaneously.
3. **Defensibility is the standard** — Every risk register, architecture decision, and governance artefact must be demonstrably defensible to regulators, auditors, insurers, and boards.

## Service Areas
- **Cloud Security Architecture** — Independent assurance of Azure and M365 environments. Secure configuration, identity governance, Defender suite optimisation, AI security controls (Copilot).
- **GRC (Governance, Risk & Compliance)** — Building governance frameworks that produce defensible, auditable security postures. Risk registers, policy architecture, control validation, third-party SRA.
- **Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) Assurance** — Security assurance for nuclear, electricity, and oil & gas environments. IT/OT convergence, regulatory accountability, safety-critical risk.
- **Audit & Control Validation** — Evidence that satisfies internal audit, regulatory assessment, and certification bodies (ISO 27001, Cyber Essentials+, CAF, ONR SyAPS).
- **Threat Detection & Response** — KQL-driven detection engineering across Microsoft Sentinel and Defender. Translating telemetry into actionable intelligence.
- **Board-Level Security Advisory** — Translating complex security risk into strategic roadmaps aligned to business risk appetite.

## Sector Experience
- Nuclear energy (Sizewell C, ONR regulated)
- Electricity CNI (Northern Powergrid)
- Oil & Gas (Ineos)
- Financial services
- Central government
- Healthcare
- Technology and SaaS

## Platform & Technical Depth

### Cloud & Identity
Azure Security Center, Microsoft Sentinel, Defender for Cloud, Defender for Endpoint, Entra ID / PIM, Conditional Access, Microsoft Purview, DLP & Intune MDM, M365 Copilot security, NCSC Cloud Principles

### GRC & Frameworks
ISO 27001, NIST CSF, CAF (NCSC), ONR SyAPS, Cyber Essentials Plus, NIS2 / UK CSR Bill, Third-party SRA, Risk register design, Audit evidence packs

### Detection & Response
KQL (advanced), Microsoft Sentinel, Tenable One, Carbon Black EDR, Splunk SIEM, Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, IR plan design, Threat hunting

### CNI & OT Security
IT/OT convergence, Purdue model, OT risk assessment, ONR regulatory assurance, ICS/SCADA governance, Nuclear (Sizewell C), Oil & Gas CNI, SC Cleared delivery

### Network & Infrastructure
Zero Trust architecture, Network segmentation, Cisco firewall estate, VPN design & migration, IDS/IPS architecture, Hybrid estate security, Active Directory hardening, CIS benchmark hardening, Patch management pipelines

## Credentials & Clearance
- SC Security Clearance (active)
- ISO 27001 implementation experience
- Cyber Essentials Plus assessor/implementor
- NIST CSF / CAF framework specialist
- ONR SyAPS (nuclear security)
- NIS2 / UK CSR Bill compliance

## Engagement Model
Brian Stephens is an independent consultant, not a staffing agency. He is not the right fit for every project and will say so upfront. Best suited to:
- Regulated organisations with complex GRC programmes
- CNI operators requiring senior independent assurance
- Boards and leadership teams needing credible security advisory
- Cloud environments requiring defensible security architecture (Azure / M365)

## Case Studies & Resources
- **Case Studies:** https://brianstephens.co.uk/case-studies
- **AI Assistant:** https://brianstephens.co.uk/faq
- **Privacy Policy:** https://brianstephens.co.uk/privacy