Cyber Insurance Readiness
Get Approved. Pay Less. Defend Your Renewals.
Quick Answer
Optimum prepares your security documentation, controls evidence, and penetration test attestation for cyber insurance applications. We handle the underwriter questionnaire on your behalf, identify gaps before submission, and defend your answers through clarification rounds. Aligned with standard underwriter questionnaires from AIG, Hiscox, Beazley, Chubb, Travelers, and Lloyd's syndicates. From €800 per service. Approval rates 60–80% higher than self-prepared applications. Recurring annual renewal packages available.
Why Cyber Insurance is Harder to Get
Enterprise contracts require it
B2B contracts increasingly include cyber insurance evidence as a condition of signature. Without active policy, you cannot sign — or you sign with personal director liability instead.
Boards demand it
D&O duties under UK Companies Act 2006 and equivalent EU statutes are interpreted to include reasonable cyber risk management. Active cyber insurance is now a standard board governance expectation.
Insurance is harder to get
Since the 2021 ransomware wave, underwriters have tightened questionnaires dramatically. 60% of applications are declined or rated up due to insufficient security evidence.
Who requires this from you: Cyber insurance underwriters — AIG, Hiscox, Beazley, Chubb, Travelers, Lloyd's syndicates, Allianz, Zurich · Enterprise customers (vendor security review) · Board / D&O insurance · NIS2 regulators (demonstrable risk transfer) · Pre-Series-B/C investors
Our Four Services
Whether you need a full evidence build, a quick questionnaire completion, or annual renewal support — we have a fixed-price service for your situation.
Cyber Insurance Readiness Assessment
Full controls assessment + pen test + documentation pack. Everything you need for your first application.
Underwriter Questionnaire Completion
We complete the underwriter's questionnaire on your behalf. AIG, Hiscox, Beazley, Chubb, Travelers formats.
Post-Claim Remediation Package
Technical remediation + evidence pack for underwriter renewal consideration after a claim.
Annual Renewal Evidence Package
Annual refresh of your evidence pack ahead of renewal. Sign up once, we deliver before each renewal date.
How We Work With Insurance Brokers
We work alongside (not against) your insurance broker. Our role is technical evidence preparation; your broker's role is policy negotiation.
- Coordinate directly with your broker on technical evidence
- Map controls evidence to multiple underwriter formats simultaneously
- Provide expert technical responses during broker-mediated underwriter Q&A
- Maintain quarterly evidence refresh for renewal periods
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do cyber insurance applications get denied?
Most cyber insurance denials in 2025-2026 are due to: (1) missing or inadequate MFA — underwriters require MFA on all admin access and email, (2) no endpoint detection and response (EDR) tool, (3) no tested backup and recovery process (backups must be offline or immutable), (4) no penetration test in the past 12 months, (5) no incident response plan. Our Readiness Assessment identifies all gaps before you apply.
What controls do underwriters actually require?
The core underwriter controls matrix (2025) includes: multi-factor authentication (all admin, remote access, email), privileged access management, endpoint detection and response (EDR/XDR), email filtering and anti-phishing, backup with offline/immutable copies and tested recovery, patch management (critical patches within 30 days), penetration test within 12 months, and a documented incident response plan. We evidence all of these.
How much does cyber insurance readiness cost?
Our services start at €800 for Underwriter Questionnaire Completion. Full Readiness Assessment (gap analysis + pen test + documentation): €2,500–4,500. Post-claim remediation: €2,000–3,500. Annual renewal evidence refresh: €1,500–2,500. For comparison, a single cyber insurance claim costs an average of $4.9M (IBM 2025). Our cost is 0.03–0.09% of that.
What is a cyber insurance underwriter questionnaire?
A 50–200 question technical security assessment that underwriters require to price your policy. It covers: access controls, endpoint security, email security, network security, patch management, backup and recovery, incident response capability, vendor management, and recent pen test evidence. AIG, Hiscox, Beazley, Chubb, and Travelers each have slightly different formats. We handle all of them.
Why do I need a security firm for an insurance application?
Modern cyber insurance underwriter questionnaires are highly technical — 50–200 questions across controls, technology, incident response, vendor management, encryption, MFA, backups, and pen testing. Companies that complete these forms themselves typically over-state controls (creating future claim risk) or under-state them (getting declined). We answer accurately and supply evidence — increasing approval rates and protecting against future claim disputes.
Do you have relationships with specific underwriters?
We are not insurance brokers and do not represent any specific underwriter. We are a security firm. Our role is to deliver the technical evidence and documentation underwriters require. Your insurance broker handles policy placement and underwriter negotiation. This separation is in your interest — our incentive is solely the quality of your security posture, not commission on policy placement.
What if I've never had cyber insurance before?
Start with the Readiness Assessment (€2,500–4,500). This builds the full documentation baseline you need for any application. After the assessment, you can apply to multiple underwriters with the same evidence pack.
What if my application was declined?
Most declines are due to incomplete evidence rather than fundamental security gaps. We can review your previous application (under NDA), identify the gaps the underwriter flagged, and prepare a stronger re-application. Contact us for a free 30-minute consultation.
What if I've had a claim?
After a cyber claim, underwriters typically require evidence of remediation before renewing coverage. Our Post-Claim Remediation Package (€2,000–3,500) addresses both: completing the remediation work and producing the evidence pack the underwriter needs for renewal consideration.
How is this different from a regular penetration test?
A pen test produces a report. Our Readiness Assessment produces a complete evidence pack — pen test + controls documentation + underwriter questionnaire answers + Attestation Letter formatted for underwriter submission. The pen test is one component of the package.
Ready to Start?
Schedule a free 30-minute consultation. We'll review your situation — first application, renewal, or post-claim — and recommend the right service.