About Urbane
Our Vision , Mission, and Story
An Urbane Vision
Urbane Security exists to help organizations operate securely without losing focus on what matters most, the business of doing business. We provide deeply technical services, including offensive and defensive security testing, highly technical device testing, risk assessments, and compliance programs, delivered through a trusted-advisor model that ensures exceptional quality, unmatched expertise, and consistency across every engagement.
Founded in 2009 by a C-level security executive and a world-renowned security researcher, Urbane has grown into a team of specialists with extensive experience across a broad range of security disciplines. At our core, we are driven to elevate our clients and the security industry as a whole through education, collaboration, cutting-edge research, and community leadership.
Our Three Key Pillars
Ever since founding, Urbane has maintained the same founding principles for the level of service we deliver. Our three words that brings a previously unfounded impact:
Innovative
Through continuous investment in innovative, cutting-edge research and development, we stay ahead of both known and emerging threats. This expertise enables us to deliver highly technical, future-ready security solutions tailored to the real-world needs of enterprises, helping organizations reduce risk, strengthen resilience, and move forward with confidence.
Sophisticated
We apply effective resource planning and proven techniques to strengthen security strategies. Every team member is deeply passionate about technology and encouraged to pursue research initiatives that support personal and professional growth, translating directly into advanced, high-value solutions for our clients.
Refined
We are committed to exceeding industry standards through refined delivery, exceptional report quality, actionable hardening guidance, and deep technical expertise, each tailored to the client’s environment. Delivering unexpected value is central to our approach, and we strive to be a trusted partner at every stage of the security lifecycle.
Our Clients
Urbane believes in maintaining the highest levels of trust and discretion with our clients, including strict confidentiality around both current partnerships and historical engagements. References relevant to your industry and desired scope are available privately upon request. As a representative profile, Urbane has extensive global experience serving clients ranging from Fortune 500 organizations to large and mid-sized enterprises across the following key industries.
Retail
Tech Services
Transportation
Startups
Financial
Hospitality
Healthcare
IoT
Non-Profit
Entertainment
Legal
Utilities
Executive Leadership
Urbane Security is boutique in nature—but not in spirit. Our highly respected team of specialized consultants helps enterprises strengthen their security posture while remaining focused on core business objectives. As a home for experienced security professionals, Urbane attracts experts who actively contribute to the broader security community, regularly speaking at leading conferences including Black Hat, Microsoft BlueHat, DEF CON, RSA Conference, Hack in the Box, ISC² Congress, SOURCE Conference, ShmooCon, DerbyCon, SecTOR, numerous Security BSides events, and many more.
Our teams are grown and led by Erin Jacobs and Zack Fasel.
Erin Jacobs
CEO / Founding Partner Leads: People Operations, Flight Operations
Erin Jacobs brings a rare blend of technical depth, business acumen, and creative leadership to Urbane Security. Her technical curiosity began early as a BBS Sysop, and she went on to evolve from technologist to business leader, serving as a financial sector CIO before founding Urbane Security in 2009. Recognizing that organizations required more than one-size-fits-all security solutions, Erin built Urbane to deliver highly technical information security and compliance services with true boutique attention to detail, execution, and exceptional talent.
Through her work, Erin has helped shape industry best practices and is a respected voice in the global security community. She has presented at leading conferences including RSA, DEF CON, BruCON, DerbyCon, Hack In The Box, and the ISC² Congress. Erin is particularly passionate about fostering collaboration among business executives, security and risk practitioners managing day-to-day challenges, and the broader security research community—believing that shared knowledge is essential to strengthening the industry as a whole.
Zack Fasel
CTO / Managing Partner Leads: Compliance Services, Security Services, Technology Operations
Zack Fasel is a security industry leader whose cutting-edge research and diverse consulting background enable Urbane to deliver exceptional quality and efficiency for its clients. Joining Urbane in 2013 as the firm’s technical authority, he oversees technical business development and delivery programs, guiding security architecture, assessment methodology, and tooling strategy across Urbane’s service offerings. His deep expertise in offensive security testing and proven defensive implementations enables clients to translate complex technical findings into scalable, resilient security programs aligned with enterprise architecture and business objectives.
Recognized for his hands-on technical leadership, Zack bridges advanced research with real-world execution, ensuring Urbane’s solutions are not only innovative, but operationally sound, sustainable, and measurable at scale.
A highly sought-after security researcher and seasoned presenter, Zack is recognized for translating advanced technical insight into practical, high-impact outcomes. He has delivered influential talks at leading industry forums including DEF CON, Microsoft Blue Hat, ShmooCon, BruCON, DerbyCon, SecTOR, Security BSides, and numerous local information security meetups, including OWASP.
Our History
Urbane has grown and evolved over the past 17 years, from a home office in Chicago in 2009 to offices around the globe today. The following timeline highlights key moments in our history that have shaped our journey and continue to drive who we are and where we’re headed.
2009
Urbane Security Founded
Starting as a highly technical boutique risk and compliance firm, Urbane Security was founded in 2009. The name Urbane came from our founding maxim of "Sophisticated, Innovative, Refined". Other notable companies getting their start in 2009 include Uber, Nutanix, Stripe, and Cloudflare.
2010
Urbane Security on the move
After a steller first year, Urbane's team grew and moved into the first offices at State and Jackson in Chicago where Urbane remained until the building was sold.
2012
Urbane Enters the Enterprise
With three of the Fortune 100's most complex and expansive organizations, Urbane skyrocketed as the premier organization that is called for tackling compliance and security assessment and implementations for highly technical, globally diverse, and complex business environments.
2013
Urbane Security merges with dubsec Labs
To provide clients additional options from a single high-quality provider, Urbane and dubsec labs merge under the Urbane name, expanding the offensive security and defensive security services in addition to the existing risk and compliance services.
2014
Urbane's Mascot "Val" is born
Short for Valor, "Val" takes her first flight as Urbane's new logo and mascot. The rebranding provided an opportunity for us to take flight and soar beyond just a shield.
2015
Urbane expands into international markets
With the increased industry demands, Urbane grows their security and compliance practices to begin servicing Europe and APAC regions, including expansion of their PCI QSAC regions to include Europe.
2016
Urbane moves to 311 S Wacker in Chicago
Moving to the iconic Chicago sky scraper, Urbane's team growth demanded more space. The Chicago office packed up their monitors and chairs, gathered up the servers, and moved to 311 S Wacker, known in Chicago as the "white castle building" for its crown top.
2019
The world shifts - Urbane shifts with it
In 2019, Urbane Security embraced a shift toward remote work, transforming how our teams collaborated and delivered services in the emerging “new normal.” This transition increased operational resilience, challenged traditional assumptions about security assessments, and drove Urbane to develop cutting-edge assessment tooling to preserve the depth of former on-site engagements, enabling us to scale efficiently while maintaining the high-touch, boutique service model our clients expect.
2021
Urbane moves to the West Loop in Chicago
As pandemic shutdowns subsided, Urbane Security made a strategic shift from Chicago’s central business district to the West Loop, placing the firm at the heart of a thriving technology community. The new location enhanced collaboration, improved access to clients and partners, and provided a modern workspace aligned with how our teams operate, strengthening culture, innovation, and Urbane’s commitment to forward-thinking security services.
Today
Our journey continues on
The Urbane story doesn’t end here. 2026 has already presented new opportunities that are shaping our continued growth and expansion, while preserving the quality and technical depth we’re known for. We’re excited to have you on the journey with us.
Let's tackle it together and get something started
Get in touch with Urbane, either by reaching out to us on our Contact page, or by filling out the form below.