What Is a Virtual Chief Information Security Officer (vCISO)?

A virtual Chief Information Security Officer (vCISO) is an expert in cyber security advisory services. They work with your organization to develop a custom Cyber Security Program (CSP) that can help your business: reduce cyber risk, meet compliance benchmarks, and align your daily operations with security best practices. By partnering with a vCISO, your business can better protect critical and confidential information system assets and safeguard your company's financial well-being in the face of rising cyber attacks. 

How a Virtual Chief Information Security Officer (vCISO) Can Benefit Your Business: 

Understanding the Role of a vCISO

At its core, a virtual Chief Information Security Officer provides highly adept security advisory consulting. These advisory services may focus on a range of security topics including, but not limited to:

• Vendor Management
• User Testing and Training 
• Threat Monitoring and Hunting
• Risk Management and Mitigation
• IT Governance and Regulatory Compliance
• Information Security Policies and Documentation
• Incident Response and Business Continuity Planning 
  
  

Our security team begins each vCISO partnership with a comprehensive risk assessment, which allows us to determine how we can add value and prioritize projects. This risk assessment is designed to meet the following objectives:

1. Provide realistic and cost-effective recommendations for improvement
2. Identify, classify, and risk assess your information, processes and related systems
3. Pinpoint security weaknesses within the deployment, management, operation, and utilization of your networks and information systems

We want to make sure our security team has a complete understanding of your IT infrastructure, so we can make the best recommendations for your business.

In-house Versus Outsourced vCISOs

If you're running a small or medium-sized business, a Chief Information Security Officer can be a huge strain on your budget. According to Glassdoor, the average salary for a CISO starts at $171,000, with more competitive salaries in metropolitan areas such as Boston, New York, and Philadelphia. For most SMBs, the combination of salary and benefits simply isn't tenable. A vCISO provides security advisory services for a fraction of the cost, and: 

• You can easily adapt your security solutions to changing demand
• You don't have to worry about employee turnover impacting your security goals
• You gain outside perspective from experts who work in a range of industries and compliance frameworks
• You receive consistent, high-quality consulting and deliverables that have been reviewed by a team of experts
• Our risk assessments provide an objective third-party view of your current operations and recommendations for improvement

Our vCISOs will work with your team to develop a comprehensive Cyber Security Program (CSP) to keep your business secure and operating at maximum capacity.

Additional vCISO Advisory Services

Cybersecurity is an ongoing effort that requires regular attention, as threats and bad actors are evolving daily. Below are critical elements that iCorps believes are crucial to the success of any CSP. This is by no means a comprehensive list of security services we can help your team implement:

• Active and engaged executive management
• Clearly delineating critical areas of responsibility
• Enforcing policies through security tools and sanctions
• Communicating in a clear, understandable manner to all parties
• Implementing a robust role-based cybersecurity awareness training program for all employees
• Obtaining employee certification that they have read and understood relevant acceptable use policies
  
  

Do you think that iCorps vCISO would be a good fit for your business? Reach out to our team for a free consultation.