The SHIRPA Framework

Written By Denny Dean

Welcome to SHIRPA.org — Where Trust Becomes Operational

SHIRPA.org is the home of the SHIRPA model—a modern, enterprise-grade approach to cyber risk governance designed for leaders who are done guessing and ready to govern with confidence.

SHIRPA stands for Security, Hygiene, Information, and Risk Posture Alignment. It was created to solve a problem that nearly every organization faces but few can name clearly:

·         Leadership intent, stated commitments, and day-to-day operations are rarely aligned—and cyber risk lives in that gap.


Why SHIRPA Exists

Most organizations already have plenty of frameworks, controls, tools, and reports. What they often lack is provable alignment between:

  • What leaders believe is happening

  • What teams are actually doing

  • What regulators, customers, and boards expect

  • What evidence truly supports decision-making

SHIRPA exists to bind those realities together.


What Makes SHIRPA Different

SHIRPA is not another compliance checklist or security framework. It is a meta-framework and operating model that helps organizations:

·         Translate executive commitments into clear control intent

·         Connect controls to real operational capabilities

·         Continuously confirm performance using evidence rooted in reality

·         Convert insight into prioritized, sustainable action


The SHIRPA model is organized as a five-domain lattice:

·         Commitment – What the organization promises and is accountable for

·         Control – How those promises are expressed as control intent

·         Capability – How work actually gets done

·         Confirmation – How performance is verified and trusted

·         Conversion – How insight drives change and resilience

Together, these domains form a trust-building system, not just a governance structure.

 

Who SHIRPA Is For

SHIRPA.org is built for:

·         Executive leaders and board members seeking clarity and confidence

·         CISOs and risk leaders navigating complexity without losing credibility

·         Transformation leaders aligning people, process, and technology

·         Advisors and practitioners delivering outcomes—not just artifacts

Whether you’re running a public company, a healthcare system, a government entity, or a fast-growing private organization, SHIRPA provides a common language and a shared operating truth.

What You’ll Find on SHIRPA.org

·         Clear explanations of the SHIRPA model and its domains

·         Practical guidance for applying SHIRPA at small scale or enterprise scale

·         Supporting tools, methods, and patterns from the SHIRPA ecosystem

·         Thought leadership on trust, governance, and cyber risk transformation

 

The Bigger Idea:

At its core, SHIRPA is built on a simple belief: Security is a feeling. Trust is earned. Governance should make both stronger.

SHIRPA.org exists to help organizations move from fragmented efforts to intentional, trusted, and resilient operations — where leaders know what’s true, teams know what matters, and decisions are grounded in reality.

 

Welcome to SHIRPA.

This is where cyber risk governance becomes a system of trust.

-Denny Dean

Denny Dean