Remote IT Security Officer
Virtual chief information security officer, also referred to as a virtual CISO, vCISO, or CISO-as-a-Service provider, works as an outsourced or on-demand security practitioner. A vCISO role can be filled by a single individual or a team of virtual experts. Although they typically work as remote, part-time contractors, vCISOs provide many of the benefits of a full-time CISO but without the hefty price tag.
Consider a vCISO like a freelance Chief Information Security Officer. Companies often hire them on an ongoing basis, for a stipulated period, or for any particular project.
vCISO is generally involved in deciding the security framework and policies of the companies, providing strategic recommendations, and assisting in the implementation. Sometimes, they represent companies in board meetings and work with executives to justify security measures and their budgetary requirements. But there are many other duties a virtual CISO can take on depending on the needs of your organization.
Virtual CISO security program steps
Define Your Company’s
Security Maturity Level
vCISO service starts by performing a risk assessment and a maturity assessment. After assessing the organization, vCISO have conversations with leadership to understand where you want your security program to be, (i.e., what maturity level you want to be at). This can be determined by several factors, including which regulatory landscape your company falls under, any past incidents that have dictated some level of ongoing auditing, and – a factor many companies fail to include in their plans – what contractual obligations you have with clients. By utilizing this method, the organization decides how they want to mature their program and together we executive on that plan to deliver a security program that meets the organization’s needs.
Create Your
Security Strategy Plan
Next, a vCISO will work with your team to develop a strategic security plan. This plan may include things like establishing stronger policies and standards, getting a better idea of your unique threat landscape and library, vendor risk assessments, defining remediation timelines, creating a security awareness training program, and understanding your compliance landscape. Then, he will present it to your executive team and board in a way that even non-technical members may understand, modify, and contribute feedback to.
Operationalize & Implement a Security Program
vCISO service starts by performing a risk assessment and a maturity assessment. After assessing the organization, vCISO have conversations with leadership to understand where you want your security program to be, (i.e., what maturity level you want to be at). This can be determined by several factors, including which regulatory landscape your company falls under, any past incidents that have dictated some level of ongoing auditing, and – a factor many companies fail to include in their plans – what contractual obligations you have with clients. By utilizing this method, the organization decides how they want to mature their program and together we executive on that plan to deliver a security program that meets the organization’s needs.
Benefits of employing CISO as a Service
Unbiased analysis
- As an external third party, the vCISO may be able to evaluate an organization’s existing security program more objectively than an internal employee.
Cost-effectiveness
- Pay-as-you-go pricing allows organizations to pay for only the time and services they use. A vCISO is usually drastically cheaper than having a salaried CISO in house and saves on capital expenditures.
On-demand service
- Using a service provider allows for constant, flexible availability of security resources. As demands change, clients can alter their services accordingly.
Long- and short-term benefits
- In the short term, vCISOs can make organizations more secure by identifying immediate risks and introducing or tightening controls. In the long term, they can help lay the groundwork for a future in-house security program through training and improvement of core processes and infrastructure.
Experience
- Many vCISOs have had extensive experience working with a wide array of diverse organizations.
Additional benefits of hiring a vCISO:
- Experienced Security Talent Hiring a third-party vCISO solves immediate staffing needs by bringing the resources needed to implement or enhance the programs. In today’s cybersecurity market, there is a huge shortage of resources to fill the roles organizations need and vCISO service providers like VerSprite have the resources to do the job for you.
- Cost effectiveness Hiring a traditional CISO can range from 50k€ to 150k€ per year and may not be in the budget for every company. Additionally, not every company needs a full-time CISO on staff. Hiring a vCISO means you are not paying a premium salary to get the benefits of having the necessary actions of a CISO. It also means you are not tasking someone in IT who does not have the knowledge or the experience to fulfill this role. As your budget changes throughout the year, projects can easily be maneuvered to meet the requirements. There is no overhead as there is with a full-time employee, such as health insurance, worker’s comp, payroll, benefits, and related HR costs.
- No training necessary for the vCISO A Virtual CISO has such vast experience that they can come in and get the program running immediately.
- Virtual CISO services give flexibility A vCISO can be setup on a retainer, a block of hours, or for a specific project. The service is tailored to your business needs.
- A vCISO has experience working with boards to make security a business priority vCISOs because of their experience, know what information is important and how to present it at a board level. They can present risks to leadership and boards to gain financial and executive support of the cybersecurity program, something many in-house CISOs struggle with. Every leader in an organization needs to be aware of the cybersecurity risks to a company and what that could potentially mean to revenue.
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