Whatever the size of your organization, a virtual CISO offers significant benefits. Here are the seven biggest advantages of these services. You get:
1. Strategic cybersecurity leadership
If you don’t have a CISO on staff, your cybersecurity strategy may have some holes in it—or you may have no strategy at all. You need that C-level expertise, both in terms of knowing the current threat landscape and knowing what best practices apply to your organization.
A vCISO fills this gap. The best consultants work directly with you, collaborating to develop, implement, and maintain your cybersecurity strategy.
2. A cybersecurity change agent
Cybersecurity is a whole-organization issue. From Betty in accounting to the C-suite, you need everyone on board. If your organization has significant cybersecurity vulnerabilities, or if you need to make changes to stay secure, the cultural side of that change can be difficult if you don’t approach it with a smart plan.
A vCISO brings soft skills alongside sophisticated cybersecurity expertise. The right consultant can help you implement change in a way that brings everyone into the fold so all concerns are heard.
3. Flexible, scalable engagement
If a full-time CISO is out of the question, a vCISO offers great benefits in comparison. A fractional CISO gives you a flexible, scalable engagement that’s ready to adapt with you on your journey. As your operational needs change, your vCISO can change with you, offering more or less service as needed.
4. Ownership of regulatory compliance
Regulatory compliance is a complex challenge for many organizations. You need someone on your side who knows the applicable regulations, knows how to audit your systems for compliance, and knows how to achieve and maintain compliance.
This is one of the strongest arguments for hiring a fractional CISO. Having worked with many clients, a fractional CISO comes with a clear framework for achieving and maintaining compliance. As the “owner” of compliance initiatives, they can also provide the necessary push across the organization to make compliance a reality.
5. On-demand access to an expert cybersecurity team
A decent service provider won’t only give you a vCISO.
They’ll also provide a team of cybersecurity experts to back up that C-level consultant. After all, a strategy isn’t much good if you can’t implement and maintain it.
This is a huge benefit to an organization that can’t justify hiring a full-time CISO (or a cybersecurity team). You get access to an entire team of experts for roughly the cost of one staff hire. If you need a SOC (Security Operations Center) alongside your C-level expert, you can even get a SOC-as-a-service package that includes vCISO consulting.
6. Independent perspective
By definition, a virtual CISO is an outsider.
While they’ll learn the ins and outs of your organization over time, ultimately, they’ll always maintain that independent perspective. And that’s a good thing. You don’t want a cybersecurity leader who’s going to get tunnel vision or be blinded by your organization’s traditional processes or culture. An independent voice can make insightful recommendations to end entrenched practices that are hurting your cybersecurity standing.
7. Great financial value
A vCISO is cheaper than a full-time CISO. It’s that simple.
How much cheaper?
That will depend on what services you need to support your vCISO. However, most organizations can get a fractional CISO plus an outsourced services team for roughly the cost of one staff hire. It’s an incredible value in today’s rapidly evolving threat environment.
Learn more here: Corsica Secure Service Bundle.
