About Gray Eagle Security Advisors
The Name
Gray
Security isn't black and white, it's about working in the gray -- especially with SMBs and startups that are early in their security program development and focused on delivering value and innovations to their customers. It's also about the concept of a "gray man" who is able to adapt and blend into the environment, whether it's diving into technical discussions with development and IT experts or providing strategic insights to business leaders.
Eagle
The eagle has long been a symbol of strength, patriotism, and an innovative spirit (e.g. "Houston, the Eagle has landed.") The son of a career U.S. Naval Officer, our founder is a supporter of our military personnel, veterans, and families.
Security
Information Security is a key business enabler for organizations that hold or process customer information. It's an increasingly complex field. Cybersecurity -- the protection of digital assets and information -- is a key component along with protection of physical information and human knowledge.
Advisors
Advisors partner for the longer term whereas consultants often come and go. By partnering with you for the long haul, Gray Eagle Security Advisors is better positioned to know your business, risk tolerances, and compliance needs in order to better enable your business success.
Why Choose Us?
Gray Eagle Security Advisors takes a relationship-first approach. We focus on building strong partnerships and delivering customized advisory services that align with your business needs.
Based in the Willamette Valley of Oregon between Portland and Salem, Gray Eagle Security Advisors was founded in 2025 with a goal of helping SMBs, startups, and non-profits develop and implement risk-based security guardrails to enable business growth and innovation.
Through the use of risk-based analysis, Gray Eagle Security Advisors provides security program guidance that aligns with the needs, risk tolerance, and goals of the business to deliver a set of security guardrails that ensure the protection of customer, employee, and business information.
Whether helping design an overall security program strategically or advising on risks specific to a business or technology project, Gray Eagle Security Advisors is your long-term security partner.
Founders Background
David Johnson is an information security professional with broad experience partnering with business and technology leaders to deliver security risk reduction and satisfy compliance requirements and enabling business goals.
After starting his career in a technical role, David shifted his focus to security advancing from a junior level analyst to a senior level security architect. He was then asked to help set up a security innovation team for a major financial institution. In this role, he led investigations into emerging technology and encouraged corporate innovation, including investigating the intersection of AI and security – how security teams could use AI, enabling the enterprise to securely adopt AI, and how adversaries might employ AI.
He has a B.S. in Business Administration focused on management information systems and international business from Oregon State University, studied abroad at Universitet i Agder in Norway, and completed an M.S. in Information Assurance at Norwich University. He maintains multiple industry certifications including CISSP, CISM, CISA, CRISC, and CDPSE and has completed certificates focused on security architecture, cloud security, zero trust, and business change management.