A vCISO (Virtual Chief Information Security Officer) provides strategic security leadership on a part-time or fractional basis. You get senior security expertise without the £150,000+ salary of a full-time CISO.
Quick answer: A vCISO (Virtual Chief Information Security Officer) provides strategic security leadership on a part-time or fractional basis. You get senior security expertise without the £150,000+ salary of a full-time CISO.
What a vCISO Does
Security strategy Developing and maintaining your security programme. What risks do you face? What controls do you need? How do you improve over time?
Risk management Identifying, assessing, and managing information security risks. Ensuring leadership understands the risk picture.
Compliance oversight Managing compliance with frameworks like ISO 27001, NIS2, CAF, or industry requirements. Keeping you compliant, not just certified.
Board and stakeholder reporting Translating security into business language. Helping leadership understand cyber risk and make informed decisions.
Incident oversight Strategic oversight of incident response. Ensuring you're prepared and providing guidance during incidents.
Vendor and third-party management Assessing supplier security. Responding to customer security questionnaires. Managing security in contracts.
Security programme development Policies, procedures, awareness programmes, security culture. Building mature security capabilities.
Who Needs a vCISO
Organisations too small for a full-time CISO You need security leadership but can't justify £150k+ for a dedicated role. A vCISO provides expertise at a fraction of the cost.
Organisations with compliance requirements NIS2, CAF, ISO 27001, customer requirements—you need someone owning security compliance. A vCISO provides that ownership.
Organisations without security expertise Your IT team keeps things running but doesn't have security strategy experience. A vCISO adds strategic capability.
Organisations facing board/customer pressure Boards asking about cyber risk. Customers sending questionnaires. A vCISO gives you credible answers.
Growing organisations You've outgrown ad-hoc security. You need structured approach but aren't ready for full-time hire. A vCISO bridges the gap.
vCISO vs Full-Time CISO
| vCISO | Full-Time CISO | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | £1,500-5,000/month | £150,000+/year |
| Availability | Part-time/scheduled | Full-time |
| Expertise | Senior, broad experience | Dedicated to you |
| Flexibility | Scale up/down easily | Fixed commitment |
| Best for | SMEs, compliance needs | Large organisations, complex security |
What vCISO Isn't
Not day-to-day IT support vCISOs work at strategic level, not fixing computers or managing firewalls.
Not just writing policies Policies are part of it, but vCISO is about leadership and decision-making, not just documentation.
Not a one-time engagement Security needs ongoing attention. vCISO is typically a retainer relationship, not a project.
How We Deliver vCISO
Service levels:
Essential
- 2 hours/month strategic guidance
- Quarterly risk review
- Email support for security questions
- Starting point for smaller organisations
- 4-8 hours/month
- Board reporting support
- Compliance programme oversight
- Supplier assessment support
- Incident response guidance
- 2+ days/month availability
- Full security programme ownership
- Regulatory liaison
- Customer security responses
- Strategic partner
- Named senior consultant (CISSP)
- Direct access when needed
- Security leadership you can reference to customers
Why DSC for vCISO
We're not just consultants who advise—we can implement too. Strategy backed by delivery capability:
- Security assessments
- Compliance implementation
- Technical controls
- Managed security services
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about vCISO services.
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