CSCF Research is an independent analyst publication covering the cybersecurity consulting market.

Why this exists

The cybersecurity consulting market is opaque. Firms have similar-sounding service lists, credentials are hard to verify independently, and pricing is almost never disclosed. Buyers spend 40–60 hours researching before making a decision — mostly reading marketing copy from firms with obvious conflicts of interest in how they present themselves.

CSCF Research applies a consistent analytical framework to each firm we cover. The CSCF Analyst Rating™ is a 0–100 score built from five equally weighted dimensions. It doesn't tell you which firm is "best" — it gives you a structured starting point for comparison based on criteria that matter for most buyers.

Editorial independence

Ratings are not influenced by advertiser status. Firms cannot purchase higher scores. Firms with featured listings are marked as such, and their ratings are determined by the same methodology applied to all firms.

We disclose our financial model: revenue comes from featured vendor listings and sponsored research reports. No firm pays to be included in ratings. No firm pays to be excluded from ratings.

What Phase 1 ratings represent

Phase 1 ratings are based on publicly available information: firm websites, press releases, job postings, regulatory filings, conference appearances, and practitioner community reputation. We have not conducted structured interviews with all rated firms or collected client references for Phase 1.

Phase 2 will incorporate structured vendor interviews, client reference checks, and direct methodology validation with each firm. Phase 1 ratings carry appropriate uncertainty and are labeled accordingly.

What we're not

We're not a lead generation service. We don't take referral fees when you contact a firm. We're not a review platform with user-submitted content. We don't claim to rank firms — "ranked" implies a single winner, and the right firm depends on your specific situation.

We're an analyst publication. The CSCF Analyst Rating is one data point, not a decision engine.