UnderstandKeston Pulse.
What the Platform does, how it works with your organisation, and what to expect when working with Keston.
About Keston Pulse
What is Keston Pulse?
Keston Pulse is an executive intelligence platform that brings performance, risk and value into one decision-ready view. It connects Business, Technology, Cyber, AI, Investment and Portfolio intelligence so leadership teams can see what matters, understand why it matters and decide what to do next.
Is Keston Pulse a dashboard?
No. Dashboards typically report information that has already been structured elsewhere. Keston Pulse goes further by bringing evidence, interpretation, risks, opportunities, actions and decisions together into an executive intelligence layer.
What are the different Pulse products?
The Keston Pulse suite includes Business Pulse, Technology Pulse, Cyber Pulse, AI Pulse, Investment Pulse and Portfolio Pulse. They share a common executive intelligence model while addressing different business and investment questions.
Do we need to use every Pulse?
No. Organisations can start with the areas most relevant to them and expand over time.
Business value
What problem does Keston Pulse solve?
Leadership teams often have plenty of information but no single, trusted executive picture. Reporting is fragmented across functions, systems, presentations, spreadsheets and advisers. Keston Pulse turns those signals into a structured view of performance, risk, value, priorities and decisions.
What does the Board actually get?
A concise executive view of what is performing, what is changing, where risk is increasing, where value can be created, which actions matter and which decisions require leadership attention.
How is this different from management reporting?
Management reporting usually explains individual functions or historical performance. Keston Pulse is designed to connect those signals across the organisation and present them through the questions executives and Boards need answered.
How do you demonstrate ROI?
Value depends on the organisation and use case. Keston Pulse is designed to make value visible through clearer prioritisation, risk reduction, avoided cost, investment decisions, transformation outcomes and value-creation opportunities. Keston does not manufacture financial benefits where evidence does not support them.
Data & evidence
Where does the information come from?
Keston Pulse can combine structured assessments, existing business information, documents, operational data and connected systems. The appropriate evidence model depends on the organisation and Pulse products being used.
Do we need to replace our existing systems?
No. Keston Pulse is designed to sit above existing operational and reporting systems rather than replace them.
Can Keston Pulse integrate with our existing tools?
The Platform has an evidence and integration architecture designed to support multiple business and technology data sources. Integration requirements are agreed during onboarding based on the systems and information that will materially improve the executive picture.
How do we know where an insight came from?
Keston Pulse is designed around evidence, provenance, freshness and confidence. Where appropriate, users can understand the evidence supporting an executive signal rather than being presented with an unexplained conclusion.
AI & intelligence
Does Keston Pulse use AI?
Keston Pulse includes an intelligence layer designed to assist with interpretation, executive briefs, questions, risks, opportunities and recommendations. AI is an aid to decision-making, not the system of record.
Does AI make decisions for us?
No. Keston Pulse supports human decision-making. Important outputs can remain subject to human review and approval.
Can AI invent our scores or financial value?
No. AI interpretation is separate from authoritative scoring and evidence. Keston Pulse is designed not to invent financial benefits or replace governed source data.
Is our information used to train public AI models?
AI processing arrangements depend on the capabilities enabled for your organisation and are addressed explicitly during onboarding and security review.
Implementation
How long does implementation take?
Implementation depends on scope, the Pulse products selected, evidence availability and integration requirements. Keston uses a structured onboarding process and can begin with a focused executive baseline before expanding the evidence and automation model.
Do we need a major transformation programme to implement it?
No. Keston Pulse is intended to work with the organisation you already have. It can start with available evidence and mature progressively rather than requiring a large replacement programme.
How much client time is required?
Keston is designed to minimise demands on leadership teams. The precise commitment depends on scope, evidence availability and the Pulse products selected.
Can we start small?
Yes. A focused deployment can establish the initial executive picture before additional Pulses, evidence sources, integrations or portfolio capabilities are introduced.
Security & trust
How does Keston protect our information?
Keston Pulse uses secure identity, role-based access, tenant isolation and controlled administrative access, supported by security and assurance practices appropriate to the Platform.
Is Keston ISO 27001 or SOC 2 certified?
Keston's security controls and operating practices are designed with reference to recognised frameworks including ISO/IEC 27001, SOC 2 and OWASP guidance. We do not claim certifications or independent assurance that we do not hold.
Has Keston Pulse been penetration tested?
Independent security assessment and penetration testing form part of Keston's assurance roadmap. We do not claim independent penetration testing until it has been completed.
Advisory
Is Keston a software company or a consultancy?
Keston Pulse is Keston's executive intelligence Platform. Keston Advisory provides expert intervention around that intelligence when clients want help addressing the issues, risks and opportunities the Platform identifies.
Do we have to buy Advisory to use Keston Pulse?
No. Keston Pulse and Keston Advisory are distinct but complementary. The appropriate model depends on what support the organisation requires.
Can our existing advisers work with Keston Pulse?
Yes. The Platform is designed to improve the executive picture, not force organisations to replace trusted advisers or specialist partners.
Private equity & portfolios
How does Keston Pulse work for private equity?
Investment Pulse supports investment and value-creation questions at company level, while Portfolio Pulse provides authorised multi-company intelligence across a portfolio.
Can investors compare portfolio companies?
Portfolio Pulse is designed to provide authorised cross-company views of performance, risk, value and attention while preserving company-level access controls.
Can management teams see other portfolio companies' data?
Access is controlled through explicit permissions and portfolio membership. Company users do not automatically receive cross-portfolio access.
Commercial
How is Keston Pulse priced?
Keston Pulse is configured around the organisation, products, scope and level of support required. We therefore discuss commercial structure following an initial conversation or demonstration rather than publishing a fixed price list.
Is pricing per user?
Keston uses a commercial model appropriate to the organisation and scope rather than positioning Keston Pulse as a simple per-seat software product.
Can we see the Platform before committing?
Yes. Keston provides controlled demonstrations using illustrative information so prospective clients can understand the Platform without exposing another organisation's data.
Why Keston?
Why not use Power BI or another BI platform?
BI tools are excellent at visualising structured data. Keston Pulse addresses a different problem: connecting evidence, executive interpretation, risk, value, actions and decisions across multiple business domains. It can complement existing BI rather than replace it.
Why not use our GRC platform?
GRC platforms are typically designed around governance, controls, risk and compliance workflows. Keston Pulse takes a broader executive view across business performance, technology, cyber, AI, investment and value creation.
Why not use ChatGPT, Copilot or another AI assistant?
General-purpose AI can help analyse information, but it does not inherently provide Keston's governed Pulse structure, evidence model, executive lenses, controlled scoring, portfolio model, decision workflows or human governance.
Couldn't we build this ourselves?
Potentially. The question is whether building and maintaining the methodology, executive model, evidence architecture, governance, intelligence layer and ongoing product capability is where the organisation wants to invest its time and resources.
How is Keston different from a traditional consultancy?
Traditional consulting engagements often produce a point-in-time assessment or presentation. Keston Pulse creates an ongoing executive intelligence capability, with Advisory available when expert intervention is required.
Working with Keston
Who owns our data?
Customer data rights and processing responsibilities are defined contractually during onboarding. Keston does not claim ownership of a customer's underlying business data.
What happens if we stop using Keston Pulse?
Keston has a structured offboarding process covering access removal, customer exports where agreed, retention and deletion requirements.
What support do we receive?
Support and service arrangements are agreed as part of the commercial scope and onboarding process.
Security & assurance
Built for trust.Designed for assurance.
For a fuller view of identity, tenant isolation, evidence controls and assurance posture — including what we do and do not claim — see Trust & Security.
See Keston Pulse in a demonstration.
Controlled demonstrations use illustrative information so your team can evaluate the Platform without accessing another organisation's data.