The virtual CISO… What are the benefits

As the demand grows for vCISO services, it is getting more difficult to find a candidate who has the appropriate level of experience needed to fill that gap. This issue of supply and demand is getting worse as the number of security incidents rise each year. These changes within the Information Security space is causing organizations to rethink the necessity of implementing a proper security program, which is driving the competitive market for these specialized services.

Implementing a virtual CISO program can help fill that gap and really show the value to the organization that requires it. Organizations can obtain the expertise needed to fill the gap while enhancing their security posture. This can be done without increasing their head count or overhead. A large portion of organizations do not need to hire a full time CISO, they only require the independent and unbiased views needed to guide the organization into a more secure state.

There are great advantages to utilizing a vCISO, as mentioned previously, not hiring a full-time person can reduce the cost in terms of salary and benefits provided. The cost of a vCISO typically falls to about 40 percent of the standard industry salary, greatly alleviating the pressure to small and mid-size companies. They also provide specialized knowledge that internal IT Staff will not have. They can incorporate the experience in regulatory compliance and security while the IT Staff focus on their day to day operations. One over looked aspect of bringing a virtual CISO on board is the vendor agnostic view they hold. Since the vCISO is experienced in multiple industries, they typically have no agenda and tend to just complete the job of implementing a proper security program. They tend to look at their goals from an Independent View.

Those are just a few of the benefits of implementing a vCISO within your organization. Having the ability to tailor your requirements of the vCISO to your needs will make sure that you are getting the most value possible.