SERVICE

Virtual Chief Information Security Officer (vCISO) Services

Q: How much does a vCISO cost?

Current vCISO rates are estimated to be about 30% of what it would cost to hire a full-time CISO, potentially less than $30 thousand annually. The exact cost of a vCISO will vary depending on the individual or team contracted and the needs of the organization.

Q: What does a Virtual CISO do?

A Virtual CISO helps organizations manage their information security program by providing executive-level cybersecurity expertise. They oversee risk management, security policies, compliance, and incident response, without the cost of a full-time, in-house CISO.

Q: How will a Virtual Chief Information Security Officer help?

A Virtual CISO helps by developing tailored security strategies, ensuring regulatory compliance, mitigating risks, responding to threats, and training employees to strengthen overall security posture.

Q: What are the benefits of vCISO vs CISO?

A vCISO provides the same strategic cybersecurity leadership as a traditional CISO but at a fraction of the cost. Businesses benefit from flexible, on-demand access to expertise without the long-term expense of a full-time executive.

Q: What are the pros and cons of a vCISO?

Pros of a vCISO include lower cost, access to a team of experts, and flexibility. Cons may include less day-to-day integration compared to an in-house CISO, though many vCISO services now use AI tools to bridge that gap.

Q: How do vCISOs leverage AI?

AI-assisted vCISOs use artificial intelligence and machine learning to automate risk mitigation, compliance checks, incident response, and threat intelligence, making security governance faster and more efficient.

Q: Why are vCISOs becoming more popular?

vCISOs are gaining popularity because they make executive-level cybersecurity expertise affordable and accessible to businesses of all sizes. With increasing cyber threats and compliance demands, organizations can scale security leadership without the full-time cost.

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Protect Your Organization with Virtual CISO Services

Are you a small-to-medium sized business that takes data, systems, and information security seriously, but doesn’t have the resources for a dedicated executive?

If so, a Virtual Chief Information Security Officer (vCISO) is the right solution for your business. Here’s how RSI Security’s virtual CISO services can help protect your business:

By using our vCISO services you're not just getting one security expert, you're enlisting a team of Security Advisory experts.
Our CISO services can address information security needs related to your business so that your technical team can stay focused on areas they’re best at impacting.
RSI Security’s CISO as a service provides high-level guidance in terms of information security objectives, as well as deep analysis of potential areas at risk.
Using our vCISO services acts as a semi-permanent information security executive fixture within your organization, focused on meeting both short and long term goals.
The CISO as a service model allows you to conduct critical information security activities like penetration testing and vulnerability assessments at a fraction of the cost.
You’ll be able to conduct employee training and develop information security best practices more efficiently with a virtual CISO.
Be secure that your critical systems and data are in compliance with the relevant regulations via our virtual CISO consulting.

What is a vCISO?

A virtual Chief Information Security Officer (vCISO) is a security professional who works on behalf of organizations to help them manage their information security program. While a CISO is typically a full-time employee, often a member of the c-suite, a vCISO is an individual or team that brings their expertise and experience to the table on-demand as a contractor.

The best vCISO options leverage the power of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to supercharge their governance and advisory services. AI-assisted vCISOs can automate risk mitigation, incident response, compliance, and other elements of overall cyberdefense.

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Why you need a Virtual CISO

Hiring a virtual chief information officer is a no-brainer for companies that don’t already have an internal, dedicated cybersecurity executive. Virtual CISO consulting services are critical to helping you think strategically about your information security practices, policies, and procedures. A vCISO will also provide a realistic roadmap towards helping you stay protected.

Your virtual CISO team will get to know your business inside and out, dive deep into your current information security policies, and come up with solutions tailored to your business. And what makes virtual CISO advisory services so effective is that your virtual CISO team will be available on a moment’s notice in the event of a threat or breach detection.

And, with an AI-assisted vCISO, you can count on all of these benefits happening faster and more cost-effectively. AI and ML tools allow vCISOs to collect, analyze, and operationalize data at rates and scales above what many traditional vCISOs can handle. Get the most out of your own data and available threat intelligence, and use it to automate security governance.

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WHAT WE OFFER

Our vCISO Services Overview

Security Advisory Team

RSI Security’s virtual CISO consulting service is your dedicated resource and lifeline for all of your strategic cybersecurity needs. Your virtual CISO will be a team of strategic cybersecurity executives, at a fraction of the cost. You’ll receive comprehensive, strategic advice from experts who truly understand your business. And, using AI, they’ll automate governance and oversight processes to maximize efficiency.

Security Awareness

Part of any solid cybersecurity and breach prevention plan is making security awareness a priority within your organization. Our virtual CISO managed services can play a crucial role in conducting training, formulating policies, and raising the overall level of cybersecurity awareness within your organization. With AI and ML, your vCISO can process the most up-to-date threat information efficiently and update risk mitigation processes accordingly.

Incident Response

The harsh reality is that cyber-attacks, incidents, and breaches do occur. A virtual CISO will not only help you in developing an organization-wide breach response plan but will be there by your side in mitigating and responding to the incident. RSI Security’s vCISO consulting services will ensure that the breach is patched as soon as possible and create a roadmap to preventing future ones. AI-assisted vCISOs supercharge immediate response and ongoing recovery efforts, minimizing damage and ensuring long-term security and compliance.

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Virtual CISO Responsibilities & Requirements

The responsibilities and requirements of a virtual chief information officer are similar to those of a regular CISO, only on a virtual, lower-cost basis. This includes assisting with:

Security Operations: Conducting real-time analysis of potential and immediate security threats, neutralizing threats and breaches as they appear with automated monitoring.
Cyber-risk Analysis: Maintaining awareness of developing security threats and assisting management in understanding the risks by comparing against all available intelligence.
Security Architecture: Helping leaders plan and implement critical cybersecurity hardware and software tailored to your specific risks and applicable regulations.
Loss Prevention: Training and educating staff to create and cultivate a culture of awareness and vigilance so that data isn’t stolen or misused on their watch.

Access Management: Ensuring only the right individuals and programs have access to sensitive systems and data by regularly monitoring new and existing access points.
Governance & Compliance: Achieving and maintaining compliance with regulatory frameworks with targeted implementation, guided assessments, and automated scans.

Virtual CISO FAQs

How much does a vCISO cost?

What does a Virtual CISO do?

A virtual CISO assists with an organization's security program. This can include:

Security strategy planning and management
Information security policy creation
Incident preparation and response
Audits, security assessments, and penetration tests

Virtual CISO responsibilities will vary depending on the security needs of the organization, so they will work with you to determine precisely what vCISO services they should provide.

How will a Virtual Chief Information Security Officer help?

A virtual chief information security officer will provide a range of security services:

Manage your organization's security program
Secure systems and data
Mitigate and respond to threats
Test and improve security controls and procedures
Prepare for audits and security reviews
Automate critical cyberdefense practices

A vCISO can provide these and other agreed-upon security services on an as-needed basis.

What are the benefits of vCISO vs CISO?

While a CISO is a full-type employee who is dedicated to managing information security, there are many benefits to relying on a vCISO instead:

Cost – Contracting a vCISO costs less than hiring a CISO, which makes virtual CISO services more accessible to smaller organizations that may have lower budgets.
Independent experts – A vCISO harnesses diverse experiences to add to their expertise, and they are independently responsible for maintaining and advancing their knowledge.
On-demand availability – Finding the right full-time CISO can be a long process and, once hired, they must be retained year-round. But a vCISO can work from anywhere and provide services when needed.
Automation – Using AI and ML, vCISOs can streamline cybersecurity operations by harnessing and processing data at scale and configuring scans and other best practices to happen at frequent, regular intervals automatically—all without human supervision.

What are the pros and cons of a vCISO?

As with any decision, there are pros and cons to relying on virtual CISO consulting services.

A virtual CISO is a more affordable alternative to hiring a full-time Chief Information Security Officer but, as a contractor, they will not be solely dedicated to providing vCISO services to your organization alone. They will be available to provide services at times agreed upon, or as-needed, but not necessarily on a standby basis as a full-time employee would be.

A vCISO can provide services on an as-needed basis and can provide them virtually, making them a useful option for organizations that are fully remote or unable to find local talent. But it may be difficult for a remote vCISO to handle challenges that require on-site presence.

How do vCISOs leverage AI?

Why are vCISOs becoming more popular?

Why Choose RSI Security for vCISO Services & Consulting

RSI Security’s virtual CISO consulting model ensures that all businesses have access to executive cybersecurity expertise, anytime, anywhere.

By choosing RSI Security’s vCISO services, your business can:

Quickly assess risk and security gaps via a virtual CISO team that knows your business

Immediately access senior-level executive cybersecurity talent within our organization

Have expertise available at your fingertips in the event of a cyber attack

Gain an unbiased, outside perspective of you cybersecurity best practices

Tap into RSI Security’s over 10 years of experience across multiple industries