VIRTUAL CHIEF INFORMATION SECURITY OFFICER
(VCISO)
Hiring a CISO can be cost prohibitive for many SMBs. However, a virtual CISO (vCISO) gives you all the advantages of a CISO and their team for a fraction of the cost! We can help you find the right vCISO for your business!
WHAT IS A vCISO?
In its simplest terms, a vCISO, or sometimes referred to as CISO-as-a-Service, is an outsourced, or 3rd party, highly trained cybersecurity expert. vCISOs are contracted by organizations to manage and oversee IT security, define your strategy, design a comprehensive plan, implement best practices, maintenance, and sign off on necessary legal documents required for certain compliance programs. vCISOs add depth and breadth to your organization by bringing an entire team of experts, resulting in an array of advanced and effective practices, for less than the cost of one full-time employee.
Do I Need a vCISO?
If you aren’t following a CISO, who are you following? The best cybersecurity posture begins with a plan and someone (or a team) who can be held accountable for executing that plan. Depending on your needs, you can hire a vCISO for a short-term fix for a specific issue or for a long-term solution that may include developing an entire security program. vCISOs are typically a pay-as-you-go and on-demand type of service paid for on a yearly subscription basis as a retainer.
BENEFITS OF A vCISO
- Dedicated Response Team – Your vCISO will oversee monitoring and identification of incidents in real-time, lead mitigation tactics, issue diagnostic cause and response protocols, assign resources and personnel in mitigation strategies, and then complete further analysis into the root cause after incident resolution.
- Unbiased Analysis – Get an objective evaluation of current security program.
- Define a Clear Strategy – Know where you can go and how to get there. Your vCISO will strategize, plan, and execute a security program to align with your business.
- Regulatory Compliance – If you follow any regulatory frameworks such as PCI, HIPAA, etc., a vCISO will determine the strategies and resources needed for implementation and maintenance.
- Cost Effectiveness – Pay only for the time and services you use. Save up to 60% from a typical industry salary.
- On-Demand Service – This allows for constant, flexible availability of security resources. As your needs change, you can alter services accordingly.
- Long and Short-term Benefits – vCISOs identify immediate risks, introduce or tighten controls thus making your business more secure.
- Address Attrition – With issues of supply and demand, SMBs struggle to find qualified full-time CISOs. vCISOs offer a creative solution.
- Experience – Enjoy extensive experience from a whole team of cybersecurity professionals with a wide array of diverse organizational backgrounds.
Organizations That Need a vCISO
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All businesses who do not have a security team already in place and want to comply with applicable regulations and protect their sensitive data, infrastructure, people, and customers.
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Startups and SMBs without the capital to hire a full-time, in house CISO
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Need to temporarily fill a CISO gap
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Urgent need to meet security or compliance goals.
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Those looking to upgrade their cybersecurity program.
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Do not have a permanent security team and wants to lay the foundation for a new, long-term program.
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Looking for cybersecurity insurance.
