Security Consulting is the broad term for the expert advice provided to businesses to improve Network Security Performance by means of innovative solutions to their problems. Businesses with or without full scale IT departments turn to Security Consultants for vulnerability assessments, intrusion detection, IT architecture reviews, load testing, security policies, as well as base-level system engineering and design. E-commerce Security Consulting addresses issues like custom encryption, transactional security, authentication, key escrow, algorithm design, and Public Key Infrastructure solutions.

Security Consultants either operate on a fee per service basis or are retained permanently by their clients. Security Consultants may install, maintain and update their clients' entire security infrastructure.