Cerberus blocks the lethal trifecta at the tool boundary — see the 525-run evidence set.

Warden · Advisory

Most AI governance decisions are made in a meeting, not in a project

A retained advisory relationship: the team behind Cerberus, Argus and TraceLock available for the architecture reviews, vendor questions and go/no-go calls that arrive between engagements.

The questions do not arrive on a project schedule

A team proposes an agent with production database access on Tuesday and wants an answer by Thursday. Scoping an engagement takes longer than the decision does, so the decision gets made without the input.

  1. Architecture review is the highest-leverage momentChanging a design before it ships costs a conversation; changing it afterwards costs a quarter.
  2. Vendor claims need a technical readerAI security marketing is largely unfalsifiable, and telling the difference requires having built the thing.
  3. Precedent compoundsThe first agent approved sets the standard every subsequent team will point at.

How the retainer runs

1

Context load

We learn your estate, architecture and risk appetite up front so advice is specific rather than generic.

2

Standing availability

A named advisor and an agreed response time, reachable through your channels.

3

Scheduled reviews

A recurring session for architecture decisions, vendor evaluations and roadmap questions.

4

Written positions

Where a decision needs a record, a short written recommendation with reasoning you can circulate.

What the retainer includes

  • A named advisor with context on your estate
  • An agreed response time for advisory requests
  • Recurring architecture and design review sessions
  • Written recommendations for decisions that need a record
  • Vendor and tooling evaluation support
  • Advisory only — this is not legal advice

Available when the decision is being made

Advice after the fact is a post-mortem. The value is in being reachable on Tuesday.