Your Strategic Partner for Cyber Resilience
and Scalable Digital Growth

CISO Advisor, Interim CISO, IT/OT Security Project Lead &
Enabler for Your Process Digitalization Journey

About Markus Starke

 

Based in Hamburg, northern Germany, I work with leading organizations to secure their business against growing cyber threats and to accelerate their process digitalization journey.

 

As independent consultant I focus on CISO and cybersecurity advisory for IT and OT as well as guiding through process optimization, digitalization and transformation. My clients especially value my experience in managing complex projects and programs and pragmatically guiding through challenging decision-making processes.

 

Since 2010 I have worked with a large number of clients from various industries, including some of the largest multinational corporations, but also comparably small companies with highly critical and challenging projects and programs. A majority of my engagements take place in Cybersecurity, IT, OT/manufacturing IT and Digitalization functions, however I also work frequently in other functional areas such as HR, sales/marketing or service organizations.

 

In addition to consulting work, I aim to be a good husband and father to three kids, do limited work as freelance classical and jazz trombonist and from 2020 managed my own high-quality brand of trombone mouthpieces, sold to a new owner in Japan in Q1 2026.

"The combination of strong project management and consulting methodology
with a clear orientation towards innovation potentials,
but still a realistic view on feasibility have been essential for supporting our internal team."

Core Advisory Services

CISO and Cybersecurity Advisory

  • Cybersecurity transformation advisory, strategy development and organizational design
  • Process and organizational development and implementation (e.g. Security Operations/SOC, Critical Incident Management, Posture Management)
  • Management of programs and projects in IT and OT (e.g. Intrusion Detection Systems, SIEM, Vulnerability & Patch Management, Antivirus, EDR and APT Solutions)
  • Consulting on cybersecurity frameworks and regulations (e.g. NIST CSF, MITRE, NIS 2, ISO)
  • Interim / Virtual / Fractional CISO / VCISO / CISO-as-a-service

- Certified Chief Information Security Officer/CCISO and ISO/IEC 27001 Senior Lead Implementer - 

Digital Process Transformation

  • Assessment of process and process management readiness/maturity
  • Innovation, digitalization and transformation strategy development
  • Lean and six sigma-based analysis and optimization, business process reengineering
  • RfP preparation and management, business case development
  • Managing evaluation and implementation of technologies (e.g. process mining, BPM, workflow & service management, RPA/robotic process automation) 

- Certified Strategy Implementation Professional -

Selected Project Examples (further examples, details and reference contacts on request)


CISO and Cybersecurity Advisory

  • Management of a cybersecurity program and multiple projects, advisory on solutions and processes, incl. SIEM, critical incident management, SOC development, posture & vulnerability management, RPA security
  • Optimization and transformation of SOC/Security Operations Center, implementation critical incident management
  • Management of an innovation program in IT security and infrastructure for production and R&D
  • Management of a cybersecurity sub-program in production and R&D, incl. IDS, SIEM, patch management, vulnerability management, security incident management, threat landscape analysis, antivirus, asset management

Digital Process Transformation

  • Analysis, blueprint and roadmap development for transformation and digitalization in HR business services
  • Process analysis to prepare development of new digital solution offerings in management of medical supplies
  • Development of a digitalization strategy for a digital tax blueprint, alignment of implementation roadmap and initiation of implementation projects
  • Evaluation and development of a solution strategy for HR service management
  • Management of RfP for outsourcing of accounting services
  • Detailing and preparation of implementation of a new organizational concept within a major restructuring

Network and Partners:

Over the years I have worked with a broad range of partners and can build on a network of specialized consultants and consultancies, IT and cybersecurity specialists, service and technology providers.