The Forrester Wave™: Cybersecurity Consulting Services In Europe, Q4 2025
European CISOs are building cybersecurity strategies on the foundation of operational resilience shaped by EU regulations (NIS2, DORA), geopolitical shocks, economic volatility, and technological change. AI is expanding both the threat landscape and defense capabilities, making the ability to secure and apply emerging technologies a deciding factor for competitive advantage. Resilience and innovation must be complemented by strong data governance and embedded compliance safeguards as sovereignty requirements rise to board-level priorities. CISOs increasingly rely on cybersecurity consulting services providers to meet these demands at speed and scale.
No common features specified.
Vendors must, among other requirements:
A: This research evaluates 13 cybersecurity consulting services providers operating in Europe across three main categories: current offering capabilities, strategic positioning, and customer feedback. The evaluation examines how providers help European organizations address operational resilience, harness emerging technologies (AI, OT, quantum), ensure data governance and transparency, and navigate European regulatory requirements including NIS2 and DORA. Providers are categorized as Leaders, Strong Performers, or Contenders based on their performance across evaluation criteria.
A: Security and risk (S&R) leaders and European CISOs should use this research when selecting cybersecurity consulting partners. The report helps buyers evaluate providers based on their ability to: move resilience from compliance to competitive advantage; guide future-proof cybersecurity through emerging technologies; provide transparency in data governance and third-party dependencies; deliver pan-European services with local expertise; and align cybersecurity investments with business objectives. Organizations can use the detailed scorecards and vendor profiles to match their specific needs with provider strengths.
A: Mandatory features for vendors included in this market are: 1) Annual European cybersecurity consulting services revenue exceeding $10 million, 2) At least 10% of global revenue generated in Europe, 3) Demonstrated ability to deliver all core business scenarios (develop security strategies/operating models, threat/incident response, compliance with security/risk frameworks, identity and access management, offensive security engagements), 4) Capability to deliver all extended business scenarios (staff augmentation, AI model protection, tech stack consolidation/optimization, business case/metrics development, culture transformation), 5) Full service capabilities for both core and extended scenarios, and 6) Sufficient Forrester Mindshare demonstrating relevance to Forrester clients.
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A: Strength of Offering evaluates current capabilities and service delivery including alignment with client needs, resource allocation, data handling, project management, upskilling, emerging technology use, and specific service offerings (strategy, offensive security, resilience, GRC, optimization). Strength of Strategy assesses future-oriented elements including vision, innovation roadmap, partner ecosystems, pricing models, community engagement, talent development, and global delivery approach.