Cybersecurity, GRC & Assurance

Defend. Govern. Prove it.

Attackers probe your defences. Regulators probe your evidence. Boards probe your risk. IonIdea connects cybersecurity, governance, risk & compliance and independent assurance on one backbone — so you can answer all three with confidence.

Talk to our experts Check your DPDP readiness
Defend, Govern and Prove rings protecting crown-jewel data

Since 1991

enterprise technology delivery

4 delivery hubs

India, US, Singapore, UAE

Three Lines Model

with independent assurance

Vendor-neutral

best-of-breed technology, chosen for you

Most organisations buy security, risk and audit from three different vendors. Attackers love the gaps in between.

Good risk management follows the Three Lines Model (formerly called the "three lines of defence"). The first line is the teams that own and run risk every day; our cybersecurity operations equip them to stop threats. The second line sets the risk framework, decides which risks matter and checks they are managed. The third line independently confirms that both are working. IonIdea connects all three — and keeps the third line independent.

Defend

Cybersecurity

Are we protected right now?

Who it serves

CIO, CISO, IT and security operations

What we deliver

Zero Trust access, identity, endpoint, cloud, data security, 24x7 monitoring, testing and incident response

Explore Cybersecurity

Govern

Governance, Risk & Compliance

Which risks matter, and are we within appetite?

Who it serves

CRO, CCO, DPO, business heads

What we deliver

Enterprise, operational, IT and third-party risk; compliance; policy; continuity; performance

Explore GRC

Prove

Audit & Assurance

Can an independent eye confirm it?

Who it serves

Chief Internal Auditor, Audit Committee

What we deliver

Internal audit enablement, controls testing, readiness and internal audits

Explore Audit & Assurance
“Security without governance is noise.
Governance without security is paperwork.
Together, they are resilience.”
Hand on a laptop with a glowing security shield

Attackers don’t keep office hours.
Neither do we.

The rules changed.
The clock is running.

You are no longer judged only on whether you were breached. You are judged on how fast you reported it, what you logged, who you let in and whether your board saw it coming.

CERT-In

6 hours

Your window to report a cyber incident to CERT-In — with logs kept in India for 180 days.

DPDP

May 2027

Full DPDP obligations apply under the notified Rules; Consent Manager provisions start in November 2026. MeitY has proposed bringing some obligations forward for Significant Data Fiduciaries.

SEBI CSCRF

1 score

SEBI’s CSCRF expects MIIs and qualified REs to score their cyber resilience — and keep improving it.

RBI · IRDAI

0 excuses

RBI and IRDAI now examine board-owned IT governance, vendor risk and resilience testing, not just policies on paper.

We build the control and the evidence at the same time — so the next incident, inspection or audit is already answered.

DPDP dates: PIB — DPDP Rules, 2025 notified. Regulatory wording is summarised; confirm applicability for your entity.

Stop threats before they become headlines

Eight capability areas on one backbone. Start where the risk is sharpest and add coverage without adding silos. Select a card to see what we deliver.

Analyst working on a laptop with cyber security overlays 24x7 SOC
Illustrative SOC console live feed showing events per hour and recent detections, each automatically contained

01

Zero Trust Access & Secure Workspace

The VPN had a good run. It is time to retire it.

What we deliver

01

  • Zero Trust Network Access to web, client-server and SaaS apps
  • Virtual apps and desktops on any cloud or on-premises
  • A secure enterprise browser with built-in DLP and phishing protection
  • Thin-client OS that turns old PCs into locked-down endpoints
  • SASE, secure web gateway and remote browser isolation · virtual computer labs for universities.

Every employee, vendor and student gets the apps they need — and nothing more — from any device, under one policy.

02

Identity Security

Hackers don’t break in anymore. They log in.

What we deliver

02

  • SSO, adaptive MFA and passwordless login
  • Privileged access with just-in-time admin rights
  • Identity governance and access reviews
  • Identity threat detection and response
  • Secrets, keys and certificates for apps, containers and AI agents
  • Customer identity with consent tracking

No standing admin rights, no hard-coded passwords, and a clean audit trail for every access decision.

03

Endpoint & Device Security

Every laptop is a front door. We lock it, watch it and fix it.

What we deliver

03

  • AI-driven EDR and XDR that catches fileless and ransomware attacks
  • One-click isolation and rollback to a pre-attack state
  • Unified endpoint management for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android
  • BYOD protection without full device takeover
  • Zero-touch provisioning
  • Continuous vulnerability scanning

Threats contained in minutes, across company and personal devices.

04

Network, Cloud & OT Security

Your perimeter is now everywhere — including the factory floor.

What we deliver

04

  • Next-generation firewalls, SD-WAN security, NAC and DDoS protection
  • Cloud security posture management across AWS, Azure and GCP
  • Kubernetes and container security
  • Code and infrastructure scanning before release
  • OT and ICS visibility, segmentation and anomaly detection aligned to IEC 62443

One security posture score for data centre, multi-cloud and plant.

05

Data Security & Privacy

You can’t protect personal data you can’t find.

What we deliver

05

  • AI-driven discovery and classification across databases, files, SaaS and mainframes
  • Database activity monitoring and real-time blocking
  • DLP for email, endpoints, USB and cloud apps
  • Encryption, tokenisation, masking and key management
  • Post-quantum cryptography readiness
  • Consent and Data Principal rights workflows

A living map of personal data and DPDP safeguards you can evidence on demand.

06

Application & AI Security

Ship fast. Ship safe. Including your AI.

What we deliver

06

  • SAST, DAST, SCA, API and mobile testing inside your CI/CD pipeline
  • Software bill of materials to CERT-In guidelines
  • Secure code review
  • AI red teaming, prompt-injection and data-poisoning tests
  • AI agent security and on-premises LLM guardrails

Vulnerabilities fixed in the pipeline, and AI features that clear security review first time.

07

Security Operations: SOC, MDR & Threat Intelligence

We watch while you sleep. And we don’t blink.

What we deliver

07

  • 24x7 SOC and managed detection and response
  • AI-driven SIEM, SOAR and user behaviour analytics
  • Automated playbooks that isolate devices and revoke sessions in seconds
  • Threat intelligence, dark web and brand monitoring
  • AI-enabled deception and continuous threat exposure management
  • Log retention built for CERT-In and SEBI

Fewer, sharper alerts and faster response — with evidence ready for your regulator.

08

Offensive Security & Incident Response

Think like an attacker. Recover like a pro.

What we deliver

08

  • VAPT for web, mobile, API, network, cloud, wireless, OT/IoT, telecom and automotive
  • Red teaming mapped to MITRE ATT&CK
  • Phishing simulation
  • Ransomware and email-compromise response
  • Digital forensics and system restoration
  • Rapid discovery of exposed Aadhaar, PAN and bank data after a breach
  • Tabletop exercises

Tested defences, a rehearsed response and faster recovery when it counts.

Retire the spreadsheets.
See every risk in one place.

Risk is connected, so your risk programme should be too. We implement and run AI-powered GRC platforms that bring strategy, risk, compliance, policy, vendors and resilience onto one backbone — configured to your organisation, not the other way round.

Illustrative enterprise risk heat map plotting four risks by likelihood and impact Risk register top 4 with annualised loss exposure in rupees: customer data breach ₹42 Cr, critical vendor outage ₹18 Cr, ransomware on plant OT ₹11 Cr, missed CERT-In 6-hour report ₹3 Cr

01

Enterprise & Operational Risk

See the whole risk universe — top-down and bottom-up.

  • A central risk register mirrored on a digital twin of your organisation, assets and processes
  • Risk and control self-assessments, key risk indicators, loss and near-miss events
  • Risk appetite tracking, heat maps and Monte Carlo scenario analysis, aligned to ISO 31000 and COSO

02

IT & Cyber Risk Management

Talk about cyber risk in rupees, not jargon.

  • IT and cyber risk registers mapped to ISO/IEC 27001, NIST CSF 2.0 and NIST SP 800-53
  • Cyber risk quantification with the FAIR model, so the board sees financial exposure
  • Threats and vulnerabilities pulled from your security tools and scored against asset criticality

03

Compliance & Regulatory Change

Know which rule changed — and what you must do about it — the day it changes.

  • Obligation libraries for RBI, SEBI, IRDAI, CERT-In, DPDP and global standards
  • Curated regulatory change alerts with automatic impact assessment
  • Regulator engagement tracking: inspections, queries, commitments and deadlines

04

Policy & Document Management

One version of every policy — read, attested and linked to the controls it governs.

  • Full policy lifecycle: draft, review, approve, publish, attest, retire
  • Policies linked to regulations, risks, controls and business units
  • Automated review reminders and attestation campaigns

05

Third-Party & Vendor Risk

Your vendors’ breaches become your breaches. Know them first.

  • Vendor onboarding, tiering and due-diligence questionnaires
  • Continuous monitoring of security, financial, continuity and data-protection risk
  • Remediation tracking and concentration-risk views for regulators

06

Business Continuity & Operational Resilience

When the worst happens, the plan should already be running.

  • Business impact analysis and critical-process mapping, based on ISO 22301
  • Recovery plans, scenario exercises and crisis coordination across regions
  • Resilience testing evidence for RBI, SEBI CSCRF and DORA-style regimes

07

Governance, Performance & Strategy

Link every risk to the goal it threatens.

  • Strategy maps, OKRs and KPIs connected to risks and controls
  • Board and management dashboards generated automatically
  • ESG risk assessment and disclosure support

08

Case, Incident & Issue Management

Every incident, complaint and finding — tracked to closure.

  • Single intake for incidents, whistle-blower cases, complaints and audit findings
  • Root-cause analysis, action plans and escalation workflows
  • Security incidents flow straight in from security operations, linking the first and second lines
One taxonomy One risk register Board-ready reports on demand SaaS, private cloud or on-premises

Audit season shouldn't feel like a fire drill.

The third line gives your board and regulators independent confidence that the first two lines work. We equip internal audit teams with modern tools and provide readiness and internal-audit support where an outside view helps.

Illustrative finding timeline: privileged access not reviewed — raised on day 0, linked day 1, remediated day 12, retested day 17, closed day 19
Security operations room with rows of monitoring screens Independent Assurance

Independent assurance is delivered by a separate team that has not built or run the controls it reviews.
Where you need a certification, we bring in accredited certification bodies — we never certify our own work.

01

Internal Audit Management

From audit universe to closed finding, in one workflow.

  • Risk-based audit planning, fieldwork, work papers and reporting
  • Findings linked to the risks and controls they affect in your GRC platform
  • Audit committee dashboards and follow-up tracking to closure
02

Controls Testing & Continuous Monitoring

Test whole populations, not just samples.

  • SOX and ICFR control testing and management-assessment support
  • Continuous control monitoring on full system-generated data, where the control allows it
  • Control rationalisation to remove duplicate tests and effort
03

Independent Security & Privacy Audits

An outside eye your regulator will trust.

  • Readiness assessments, gap analysis and internal audits for ISO/IEC 27001, ISO 22301, ISO/IEC 42001, SOC 2 and PCI DSS v4.0.1 — with certification and attestation audits through accredited partners
  • DPDP privacy reviews and data protection impact assessments (mandatory for Significant Data Fiduciaries; good practice for everyone else)
  • SEBI CSCRF, RBI IS audit and IRDAI cyber audit support, including VAPT evidence
  • Cyber resilience, ransomware readiness and network architecture reviews
Evidence collected once, reused many times
Findings that get closed, not left to linger
Audit committees that see risk trends, not just reports

Three lines. One nervous system.

The value is not in any single tool. It is in the signals that flow between them. Here is how an incident moves through an organisation running on the IonIdea backbone.

Continuous loop: Detect, Quantify, Comply, Assure, Improve
  1. 01

    Detect

    Security operations spot suspicious access to a customer database at 2 a.m. and contain it automatically.

  2. 02

    Quantify

    The incident lands in the GRC platform, linked to the asset, the risk and its rupee exposure.

  3. 03

    Comply

    Obligations are triggered: CERT-In’s six-hour report, DPDP breach notice, board alert. Owners and deadlines are assigned automatically.

  4. 04

    Assure

    An independent assurance team, separate from the people who built the control, tests the fix and closes the finding with evidence.

  5. 05

    Improve

    Lessons update policies, risk scores and detection rules, so the same attack fails next time.

Others sell you a tool for each line.We give you one loop that learns.

Some challenges don't fit in one box.

01

DPDP Readiness

Be ready by May 2027, not scrambling after it.

Start this programme
  • defendPersonal-data discovery, consent and Data Principal rights workflows, DLP, encryption
  • governPrivacy policies, DPIAs, vendor data clauses
  • proveIndependent DPDP privacy review

02

Cyber Resilience for Regulated Finance

Meet SEBI CSCRF, RBI and IRDAI in one programme.

Start this programme
  • defend24x7 SOC, VAPT, red teaming
  • governIT and cyber risk, BCM, resilience testing
  • proveSEBI CSCRF, RBI IS audit and IRDAI cyber audit support, with Cyber Capability Index evidence where applicable

03

AI Trust & Governance

Adopt AI without adopting its risks.

Start this programme
  • defendAI red teaming, LLM guardrails
  • governAI risk register and policy aligned to ISO/IEC 42001 and NIST AI RMF
  • proveISO/IEC 42001 readiness and internal audit

04

Third-Party Trust

Your supply chain is your attack surface.

Start this programme
  • defendSecure vendor access without VPNs
  • governVendor tiering and continuous monitoring
  • proveVendor security reviews

05

Virtual CISO & Risk Leadership

Senior security and risk leadership, without the full-time hire.

Start this programme
  • defendFractional CISO, security roadmaps, awareness programmes
  • governFractional CRO support, board reporting, cyber maturity assessments

Build it, assess it, run it - your choice.

System Integration (SI)

BUILD

Architecture, licensing, deployment and integration of security and GRC platforms into your IT, cloud and OT — with migration and knowledge transfer, from one accountable team.

BEST FOR - New builds, GRC roll-outs, replacing legacy VPN, VDI, SIEM or spreadsheets

Professional Services (PS)

ASSESS

Assessments, VAPT, red teaming, compliance readiness, GRC configuration, incident response and vCISO support — fixed scope or retainer.

BEST FOR - Deadlines, board questions, one-off testing

Managed Services

RUN

24x7 SOC and MDR (delivered with partner security operations centres), managed security infrastructure, vulnerability management and managed GRC operations, against agreed SLAs.

BEST FOR - Lean teams, round-the-clock coverage, predictable opex

Most clients combine all three: SI to build, PS to assess, Managed Services to run. Independent assurance sits outside all three, with its own team.

Our five-step method

  1. 1

    Assess

    Map assets, data, risks and obligations. Get a ranked gap report.

  2. 2

    Architect

    Design a vendor-neutral target state and a phased roadmap sized to budget and deadlines.

  3. 3

    Integrate

    Deploy and connect security and GRC platforms to what you already run.

  4. 4

    Operate

    Run detection, response and GRC workflows, or co-manage with your team.

  5. 5

    Assure

    Independent testing of controls and reporting to leadership, regulators and auditors.

Start from the regulation.
Work back to the control.

Your auditors want a clause-by-clause map, not a product brochure. We deliver both the control and the evidence trail.

Regulation (India) What it demands DEFEND GOVERN PROVE
CERT-In Directions, 2022 6-hour incident reporting, 180-day logs in India, VASP record-keeping Security operations, log retention, incident response Incident and obligation workflows Log and response readiness review
DPDP Act, 2023 & Rules, 2025 Security safeguards, consent, Data Principal rights, breach notice; DPIAs and independent audits for Significant Data Fiduciaries Data discovery, DLP, encryption, consent tooling Privacy policies, DPIAs, vendor data risk Independent DPDP privacy review
SEBI CSCRF, 2024 Governance, asset inventory, SOC, resilience testing; Cyber Capability Index for MIIs and qualified REs SOC, VAPT, asset discovery, identity IT and cyber risk, BCM, policy CSCRF audit support
RBI IT Governance Master Direction & cyber directions Access control, patching, monitoring, vendor risk, BCP/DR Zero Trust access, PAM, EDR, SOC Third-party risk, BCM, IT risk IS audit support, controls testing
IRDAI Information & Cyber Security Guidelines, 2023 SOC, DLP, NAC, identity governance, vulnerability management, annual cyber audit SOC, DLP, NAC, IGA Compliance and risk registers Cyber audit support
Sectoral: PFRDA, NCIIPC, Telecommunications (Telecom Cyber Security) Rules 2024, CEA power-sector guidelines Critical infrastructure protection, OT security, log management OT security, security operations Critical-process risk mapping Resilience reviews

Global frameworks we also map to

ISO/IEC 27001ISO 22301ISO 31000ISO/IEC 42001 NIST CSF 2.0NIST AI RMFCOSOSOX PCI DSS v4.0.1SOC 2HIPAAIEC 62443 GDPRNIS2DORA
Download the India Cyber & GRC control map (gated PDF)

Built for regulated industries - and the fast movers regulators are catching up with.

Regulated

Banking

RBI directions, 24x7 digital channels, insider risk

We lead with

Zero Trust and VDI for branches, PAM, SOC, operational risk, vendor risk

Regulated

Financial services & capital markets

SEBI CSCRF, Cyber Capability Index for MIIs and qualified REs, trading uptime

We lead with

SOC and MDR, VAPT, IT and cyber risk, BCM

Regulated

Insurance

IRDAI cyber security guidelines, policyholder data, annual cyber audit

We lead with

Identity governance, DLP, compliance management, third-party risk

Regulated

Fintech & payments

RBI PSO directions, API exposure, rapid releases

We lead with

API and AppSec, SBOM, cloud posture, regulatory change tracking

Regulated

Education

DPDP rules for children’s data, BYOD campuses, lab costs

We lead with

Virtual labs, consent management, secure browser, privacy reviews

Regulated

Healthcare & hospitals

Patient data under DPDP, legacy medical devices, ransomware

We lead with

Data discovery and DLP, endpoint protection, incident response, BCM

Regulated

Aeronautical & aviation

Safety-critical OT, supplier software, regulator audits

We lead with

OT security, SBOM, supplier risk, audit management

Regulated

Government & public sector

CERT-In and MeitY guidelines, citizen data, sovereign hosting

We lead with

Clientless ZTNA at scale, on-premises SOC, policy and compliance management

Regulated

Defence

Air-gapped networks, classified data, insider threat

We lead with

Isolated VDI, PAM, deception, internal audit enablement

Regulated

Shipping & maritime

Vessel OT, port connectivity, IMO cyber-risk rules

We lead with

OT segmentation, secure remote access for crews and vendors, BCM

Regulated

IT & ITeS

Client audits (SOC 2, ISO/IEC 27001), remote delivery teams

We lead with

VDI and secure browser for delivery centres, audit readiness, vendor assurance

Regulated

Power & energy

CEA guidelines, NCIIPC critical infrastructure

We lead with

OT and ICS security, 24x7 monitoring, resilience testing

Regulated

Manufacturing

IT/OT convergence, ransomware downtime, IP theft

We lead with

OT security, EDR with rollback, BCM, supplier risk

Emerging

Startups & SMBs

Investor and enterprise-customer due diligence, lean teams

We lead with

All-in-one bundles: identity, endpoint, managed SOC, vCISO, SOC 2 readiness

Emerging

Crypto & Web3

FIU-IND registration, CERT-In record-keeping, key theft

We lead with

Secrets and key management, AppSec, threat intelligence, 24x7 monitoring

Rooted in India. Ready for the markets growing fastest.

Every region has its own regulators. We localise the control map, hosting model and support hours, so one defence satisfies many rulebooks.

Teams who know CERT-In, DPDP, RBI, SEBI and IRDAI from the inside.

Our home market · data-sovereign hosting options

CERT-In DirectionsDPDP Act & RulesRBI IT Governance Master DirectionRBI PSO cyber resilienceSEBI CSCRFIRDAI guidelinesPFRDANCIIPC Telecommunications (Telecom Cyber Security) Rules, 2024CEA power-sector guidelinesFIU-IND (VASPs)

Served from our Singapore hub, with India-scale delivery behind every engagement.

5 markets · Singapore hub

MAS TRMSingapore PDPAMalaysia Cyber Security Act BNM RMiTIndonesia PDP LawThailand PDPA Vietnam PDP Law

Supporting Gulf enterprises from our UAE hub.

14 markets · UAE hub

UAE PDPLUAE IA StandardsNCA ECC (KSA) SAMA CSFQatar NIABahrain PDPL

For multinationals and their India-based centres, we map to the international frameworks your headquarters already uses.

Global enterprises · India-based centres

GDPRNIS2DORANIST CSF 2.0 SOXPCI DSS v4.0.1SOC 2

One partner. Three lines.
Zero finger-pointing.

One team owns the outcome, from the first control to the last audit finding.

01

All three lines under one roof.

Cybersecurity, GRC and assurance designed to work together, with independent teams for assurance so audit never reviews its own work.

02

Vendor-neutral by design.

We pick best-of-breed technology for your environment, budget and regulator — not a sales quota.

03

Compliance first, never bolted on.

Every control ships with its regulatory mapping and audit evidence.

04

India-built value.

Enterprise-grade outcomes at India delivery economics, with data-sovereign hosting options.

05

Specialist depth on demand.

Testing and incident response delivered with CERT-In empanelled and CREST-accredited partners.

06

Enterprise delivery since 1991

From India, the US, Singapore and the UAE.

How this works in practice.

Four walkthroughs showing how the lines work together. They are illustrative scenarios, not client case studies.

Defend

CyberSecurity

SITUATION - Ransomware lands on a Friday night at a firm with no weekend security cover

OUR APPROACH - 24x7 monitoring with automated playbooks that isolate affected servers and alert on-call staff; forensics and a CERT-In-ready incident timeline

THE RESULT - Containment before the attack spreads, and reporting within the six-hour window

Govern

Governance, Risk & Compliance

SITUATION - A listed company runs risks, controls and audits across dozens of spreadsheets; the board wants one view

OUR APPROACH - An integrated GRC platform with a shared risk taxonomy, automated KRIs and board reporting

THE RESULT - One risk register and board packs produced without manual assembly

Data & DPDP

Audit & Assurance

SITUATION - A professional-services firm holds client PAN and bank data in email and shared drives

OUR APPROACH - Automatic classification of personal data, DLP across email, endpoints and collaboration tools, and Data Principal rights workflows

THE RESULT - Leaks blocked at source and DPDP evidence available on request

Prove

Audit & Assurance

SITUATION - An audit committee wants assurance that new access controls actually work

OUR APPROACH - A separate assurance team tests controls on full system data and links findings to the risk register

THE RESULT - Findings tracked to closure, with evidence the committee can rely on

Questions we hear first.

No. Start with either. Both run on the same backbone, so adding the other later is an extension, not a rebuild.

Never with the same people. Independent assurance is delivered by a separate team that has not built or run the controls it reviews. For certifications and attestations such as ISO/IEC 27001, SOC 2 or PCI DSS, we work with accredited certification bodies and assessors.

No. We keep what works, integrate it, and recommend consolidation only where it cuts cost or risk.

A readiness assessment typically takes three to four weeks. It gives you a data map, a gap report and a phased plan to comply before May 2027, the date in the notified Rules. If you may be classed as a Significant Data Fiduciary, plan for earlier obligations: MeitY has proposed bringing some forward.

A first module, such as risk or compliance management, typically goes live in weeks using pre-built frameworks. Further modules follow in phases.

Both. We can build and hand over, run as a managed service, or co-manage with your team. 24x7 SOC and MDR are delivered with partner security operations centres under IonIdea service management.

Yes. On-premises, private cloud and India-hosted options are available to meet CERT-In log localisation and data-sovereignty needs.

Yes. We map controls to regulations in South East Asia and the Middle East, and to the international frameworks multinationals use.

Assessments are fixed-price. Platforms are priced by users, devices or modules, and managed services by agreed SLAs. The free health check gives you a firm quote.

Book my free health check

Find out where you stand —
across all three lines.

Our free Cyber & GRC health check benchmarks your security controls, risk programme and audit readiness against the regulations that apply to you. You get a prioritised, costed roadmap. No obligation, no product pitch.

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