Secure by Design | Hampden Consultancy Group

A large battleship sitting in the middle of a body of water

Secure

by Design

for Public Sector Organisations

What is Secure by Design?

Secure by Design is a government-led approach that ensures security is built into digital services and technology systems from the very beginning rather than added later as an afterthought.

At its core, Secure by Design means embedding security, risk management and assurance throughout the entire lifecycle of a service: from initial concept and design, through delivery and operation, to ongoing change and improvement. Mandated by the Government Digital Service (GDS), part of DSIT. These principles are essential for protecting government assets, safeguarding government data, and being ready and resilient for cyber attacks.

Our Expertise

HCG enables organisations to meet mandated Secure by Design requirements by embedding security throughout the lifecycle of digital services providing clear, repeatable evidence, accelerating approvals, and ensuring services remain compliant, resilient and assurance-ready. We take a structured, delivery-focused approach to Secure by Design moving beyond one-off compliance to a continuous, embedded capability aligned to government policy and NCSC principles.

Our Approach

Assessment and Planning

Identify adherence gaps and create a tailored roadmap to address them.

Governance & Tooling

Design policies, tools, and assurance frameworks to monitor compliance, manage risk, and support governance.

Framework Implementation

Implement and provide expert consultancy throughout project lifecycles. Offer actionable guidance for secure system design and development along with project/programme risk management.

Continuous Assurance

Build tools and dashboards to track SbD adoption building and reinforcing governance and assurance processes.

What We Deliver

Confidence for delivery and leadership
Giving SROs, programme leads and boards assurance that Secure by Design is being met and evidenced effectively.
Faster approvals and reduced friction
Structured assurance and clear evidence accelerate spend controls, approvals and audit processes.
Stronger alignment to government frameworks
Ensuring consistency with Secure by Design policy and NCSC CAF principles for GovAssure.
Audit-ready by design
Maintaining a live, traceable evidence base always ready for second-line assurance or external scrutiny.
Practical, delivery-aware expertise
We embed alongside teams, ensuring SbD supports delivery rather than inhibits it.
Sustainable security maturity
Moving organisations beyond compliance to a repeatable, scalable Secure by Design capability.

SbD Operating Model
Establishing the policies, governance, templates and processes needed to embed Secure by Design across your organisation.
Embedded Delivery Support
Direct support to delivery teams, project managers and SROs through design reviews, planning, governance and assurance activities.
Workstream Ownership
Managing the SbD plan, actions and dependencies to ensure alignment with programme delivery.
Coordinated Delivery
Aligning internal teams and suppliers so Secure by Design is implemented effectively without slowing delivery.
Evidence Packs & Artefacts
Developing and maintaining a live, traceable evidence base that reflects design changes and assurance requirements.
Assurance Cadence
Defining and running assurance activities across the lifecycle, including readiness for second-line assurance and external audit.
Governance & Reporting
Running working groups and governance forums, with clear reporting for boards and SROs on status, risks, decisions and next steps.
Risk Decision Support
Supporting risk owners to make and document proportionate, defensible decisions aligned to organisational risk appetite.

How We Add Value

Teacher lecturing students in a classroom setting

How We Deliver

A simple model that embeds SbD into delivery and keeps it running.

We deliver end‑to‑end, or as standalone work packages to fit your need and pace.

Gap analysis & roadmap

Rapid discovery to understand your programme, delivery rhythm and supplier landscape. We review existing artefacts and evidence, run targeted interviews and baseline gaps against SbD expectations. This provides a prioritised roadmap, top risks, and an “evidence‑ready” plan for the next 30/60/90 days

Operating model & artefacts

We design the Secure by Design operating model that works in practice: governance cadence, risk ownership, decision points and assurance touchpoints. We then produce the programme’s SbD artefacts and evidence structure so delivery teams and suppliers know what “good” looks like and how to prove it

SbD delivery into the project/programme or organisation

We embed SbD into the delivery lifecycle, not alongside it. We integrate SbD into planning, design reviews, supplier working and governance so security requirements and evidence are produced in real time. We co-ordinate delivery teams and suppliers, maintain the artefacts & evidence pack as designs change

Ongoing assurance

We run continuous SbD assurance through delivery and change. We review evidence, control implementation and risk decisions, provide clear findings and prioritised actions, and keep leadership updated with simple reporting (status, top risks, decisions needed). This results in fewer surprises and stronger, assured confidence