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Career consulting

Your next step.
From a CISO's perspective.

A conversation with decision-makers who carry hiring responsibility and budget: where you actually stand, which path fits your market, and which role is realistic within 24 months. With pushback where your plan does not hold.

  • Vendor-independent
  • No commissions, no kickbacks
  • Auditable recommendation with sources

Who advises

Full-time CISO and founder.
Advice from the field.

CertMap works with handpicked practitioners. Each brings their own focus, all on the same principle: vendor-independent, fact-based, no sales pitch. Daniel Thomas Heessel is the first.

Daniel Thomas Heessel holding the CISO of the Year award at secIT DACH 2026
Daniel Thomas Heessel
At secIT DACH 2026, awarded CISO of the Year by the CISO Alliance.

Threat-Informed Cybersecurity Solutions

Daniel Thomas Heessel

Daniel Thomas Heessel has led cybersecurity at international corporations and has been an ISMS auditor for years in parallel. Since 2024 he runs his own firm, Threat-Informed Cybersecurity Solutions GmbH, specialised in Threat-Informed Defense. His practice book on the topic is published in 2027 by Rheinwerk Verlag.

For years he has decided on two sides: as CISO, which certifications he requires for his team, and as auditor, which ones are actually recognised in an audit. What comes together there is the data basis behind CertMap.

CISSP · CISM · ISO 27001 LA · T.I.S.P.
Daniel Thomas Heessel on LinkedIn

How it works

From enquiry to conversation. In three steps.

Every package follows the same scaffolding. What you receive afterwards depends on the package and is listed with each package below.

  1. You send a non-binding enquiry.

    Three packages for three occasions: question, decision, turning point. Pick your package, tell us briefly what it is about, and submit the form. No payment, no appointment commitment. We will get back to you personally with proposed dates and the invoice.

  2. You fill in the short questionnaire.

    Once you have booked, you receive a link to eight questions about your situation: current role, goal, certifications held. ~5 minutes. We use it to build your briefing or prepare the conversation, depending on the package.

  3. We talk and you get what the package says.

    A one-to-one conversation, structured around your topics. Duration and deliverables per package: the conversation alone, a written recommendation, or an executive memo with a second session.

Three contexts

Pick the consulting format
that matches your situation.

A question, a decision, or a turning point. Each format corresponds to a specific context, not a career stage.

Do you have a specific question you want to clarify?

60 minutes of straight talk

Answers you won't find on Reddit.

60 min · 1:1 live video call

You have a specific career question and want an honest senior take before you invest money or time. Typical contexts:

  • Which certification first?
  • Is a degree worth it for me?
  • What do you make of this job posting?
  • Which education leave fits my path?

In the call we sort it out, without vendor ties, without sales pressure.

An unanswered career question quickly leads to dead ends that cost you thousands of euros and a year. 60 minutes of personal conversation with a CISO give you the clarity that free forums cannot deliver.

TOPICS

Certification question · Degree decision · Funding programmes · Career switch

NOT INCLUDED

  • Written outcome document or recommendation
  • Follow-up call to go deeper
  • Job placement or application preparation
  • Guarantee for a specific job, position, or salary

Do you have a decision to weigh in a structured way?

Decide with a plan

A recommendation without vendor ties.

60 min · 1:1 + written recommendation

You're facing a concrete career decision with several options:

  • Which direction to specialise in?
  • Which certification now, which later?
  • Switch roles or go deeper in your current field?

You need not just a conversation but a documented recommendation you can revisit and discuss with a partner or mentor.

A career decision isn't made in a single conversation alone. It needs reflection. 60 minutes of personal conversation plus written recommendation give you both: the direct discussion and the documented outcome to think it through.

TOPICS

Specialisation · Certification path · Career roadmap · Role switch

NOT INCLUDED

  • Follow-up call to go deeper
  • Application preparation or interview support
  • Job placement or training-provider referrals
  • Guarantee for a specific job, position, or salary

Do you want to strategically reposition your career?

Strategy for your turning point

Strategy from someone who has walked the path.

60 + 30 min · 1:1 + executive memo

You're at a career turning point:

  • Jump toward leadership
  • Industry switch
  • Fundamental repositioning

A one-off conversation isn't enough, because new facts surface as soon as you take the first steps. You need a structured strategy and a second call to reflect on the execution.

At your level, things other than certifications decide. Two personal conversations plus an executive memo with an active CISO.

TOPICS

C-level jump · Strategic positioning · Network leverage · Turning-point strategy

WHAT YOU GET

  • Two concrete role paths for the next 24 months
  • Transition from operational to strategic profile
  • Concrete next steps for your senior presence (publications, talks, profile sharpening)

NOT INCLUDED

  • More than the two agreed calls
  • Preparation of specific applications or interviews
  • Placement into specific positions or training-provider referrals
  • Guarantee for a specific job, position, or salary

Frequently asked

Before you book.

Is this a coaching programme or training?

No. You're booking a one-off 1:1 consulting call: no curriculum, no exam, no certificate, no mandatory programme spanning weeks. This is consulting in the conventional sense, not distance education under the German FernUSG: there is no learning supervision, no ZFU registration requirement and no enrolment in a training contract. If you need ongoing coaching with learning supervision, this is the wrong offer.

What exactly do I receive?

It depends on the package. "Question" delivers the 60-minute call itself; "Decision" adds a written recommendation; "Turning point" includes an executive memo plus a follow-up session. What each package explicitly does not include is listed directly on each package card on this page, so you know what you're getting before you book.

Can I deduct the consulting from my taxes?

Yes, in most cases. Employees claim it as work-related expenses (Werbungskosten), self-employed as business expenses (Betriebsausgaben) under German tax law. The condition is professional motivation, meaning career or certification strategy in your current or intended field. The invoice includes the VAT disclosure and all mandatory details for the tax return. At the top tax rate, the effective cost drops accordingly.

What if I need help with applications, LinkedIn profile or life direction?

There are specialised application coaches and career coaches focused on personality work; that is deliberately not our offer. We work on the professional and strategic questions of your career: qualification, specialisation, positioning, next role. Application documents, LinkedIn profiles and psychological career counselling are not part of it. If your concern fits better elsewhere, we will tell you that directly before you book.

What if you read my enquiry and see that you cannot help me?

Then we say so before any invoice is issued. That is exactly why the non-binding enquiry comes first: you pay nothing before both sides know it fits. We do not give guarantees of success, that would be dishonest; but we will not sell you a session you get nothing out of either.

Still unsure?

A conversation with data and a practitioner, or fifty hours on Reddit.

The tools on CertMap stay free. But if you want the puzzle pieces assembled, this conversation is the fastest way there.

Launch phase
View the packages
    1:1 Career and Cert Consulting Cybersecurity · CertMap