Why Cliffside?
The edge between opportunity and catastrophe.
Adri has always been drawn to cliffs. Not despite the danger — because of it. There is something about standing at the edge, where the view is breathtaking and the fall is fatal, that captures exactly what it means to run a business in the modern threat landscape.
A cliff is not just beautiful. It demands respect. To stand there and watch a sunrise, you have to manage the risk of the ground beneath you. Step carelessly, and the same place that offered you that view becomes the thing that ends you. The line between reward and catastrophe is not wide — it is a single, careful step.
That is what cybersecurity is, when done properly. Not fear. Not theatre. Not a checkbox. A clear-eyed understanding of where you actually stand, what the real risks are, and what it genuinely takes to stay safe while still moving forward. The businesses that thrive are the ones that stand at the edge with confidence — not because they ignore the drop, but because they understand it.
Cliffside was built to be that partner. Founded in 2014, and grown 250% in the last two years, we work with organisations across financial services, energy, government, healthcare and education — not with predetermined answers, but with honest assessment and practical advice that reflects where you actually stand.
The frustration that drove Adri to start the firm was always the same: security vendors arrived with a proposal before they understood the problem. The assessment was theatre. The recommendation was inevitable. Cliffside exists to do the opposite — and it always will.
Adri has spent nearly three decades on both sides of the security equation — as a global cybersecurity manager for a major European corporation, embedded in the Visa payment network across South America, and as a trusted adviser to countless Australian organisations in government, financial services, energy, education and beyond. Having lived the client side of security decisions, he brings a clarity that most consultants can't: he knows what a board actually needs to hear, not what a technical team wants to say.
Off the clock, Adri is still somewhere in the Middle Ages — probably being ambushed in Age of Empires II. He is passionate about mentoring the next generation of cyber professionals and hosts Cliffside's free fortnightly sessions on our YouTube channel (opens in new tab).