Case Studies
How leaders at Kent State University, Youngstown State University, and Pima Community College used the Cyber Heat Map® methodology and peer benchmarking to focus on what matters, streamline planning, and earn board-level confidence.
Real examples from peer institutions
Every engagement grounded in the Cyber Heat Map®
Each study downloads as a PDF for board or committee use
Success stories
Each of these leaders came to CampusCISO at an inflection point: a new CISO, a leadership transition, a program that needed focus. Each left with a prioritized, board-ready plan grounded in how they compare to their peers.
When Kent State’s CISO announced his departure, John Rathje and Jim Raber needed to keep the security program moving. Rather than an interim CISO, Chris proposed a CISO coaching program: the Cyber Heat Map to evaluate the university’s existing capabilities and prioritize improvements, then recurring coaching sessions to build the team’s own confidence to lead. Chris also helped develop a repeatable security program summary report for consistent board-level reporting.
“Chris was uniquely positioned to provide an assessment of where Kent State was in relation to our peers and to identify potential steps forward. Unlike others in the cybersecurity market, he has a deep understanding of both industry and higher ed and knows what is pragmatic and actionable.”
— John Rathje, VP of IT & CIO
Results
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A single, prioritized view of capabilities and gaps via the Cyber Heat Map
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Recurring CISO coaching that built the team's own confidence and capability
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A repeatable security summary report for consistent board reporting
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Documented controls supporting cybersecurity insurance attestations
Stepping into the CISO role, Justin Bettura needed to move fast against YSU’s distributed architecture, BYOD policies, and remote users. The Cyber Heat Map took four to six hours to populate and immediately surfaced opportunities to strengthen the university’s posture, turning into a prioritized roadmap and board-level reporting, with Chris’s coaching helping Justin adopt the CISO mindset.
“The Cyber Heat Map service is amazing. It only took us four to six hours to input our data, and it immediately uncovered a number of opportunities to strengthen our security posture. The heat map helps me zero in on our strengths and weaknesses, prioritize needs, roadmap security rollouts, and produce board-level reporting.”
— Justin Bettura, CISO
Results
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Enhanced email and web application security
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Improved logging, tracking, and reporting capabilities
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A remediation plan built on gap analysis and threat insights
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A faster transition from individual contributor to strategic risk advisor
After its CISO departed, Pima needed to keep its cybersecurity program moving without a leader in place. Weekly strategic guidance from Chris helped Isaac Abbs establish a Cybersecurity Steering Committee and improve board-level communication, while benchmark reporting closed compliance gaps in the GLBA safeguards provision.
“The guidance I received from Chris was so effective I view him as a partner rather than a vendor. Being without a CISO at Pima, the ability to meet weekly with someone who has broad experience in our field was incredibly valuable.”
— Isaac Abbs, Assistant VC for IT & CIO
Results
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A structured Cybersecurity Steering Committee
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Improved compliance with GLBA safeguards
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Pima's first formal information security strategy
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Momentum that led to successfully recruiting a permanent CISO
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