What Is a Virtual CISO (vCISO) and Does Your Company Need One?
When you can’t afford a full-time CISO, but can’t afford to ignore security. Hiring a full-time CISO is expensive and often unnecessary for startups and growing businesses. That’s where a virtual CISO (vCISO) comes in. What a vCISO does (and doesn’t do), The benefits of hiring a vCISO, and How to know if it’s right for your business. Learn how you can strengthen your security posture, win client trust, and stay compliant — without the overhead of a full-time hire.
Updated July 7, 2025.
The budget needed to keep a qualified, full-time CISO is beyond what a lot of startups can afford. Security should definitely be a high priority, but it’s not cost-effective to take money out of development, marketing, and sales, to pay for a single role to be filled. In addition to the steep salary, an in-house CISO will require a sizable budget to achieve the points on his or her agenda. Overall, even if you can find a proven CISO who’s available, the costs are simply too high. vCISO services give you immediate access to elite cybersecurity professionals who can bring your business what it needs at a dramatically reduced cost.
What is a vCISO?
A virtual Chief Information Security Officer (vCISO) is a team or individual with high-level cybersecurity expertise that you can procure to design and support your security programs. The vCISO works with your existing security management structure to achieve measurable improvements in your security posture, which you can then leverage in attracting new leads and closing new deals.
What Does a vCISO Do?
An experienced vCISO will start with an analysis of your existing security system. This evaluation identifies weaknesses in the system and gives the vCISO a foundation to start from. From there, the vCISO will work with your management and technical teams to address cybersecurity challenges and achieve compliance. If existing practices are outdated or ineffective, your vCISO will direct your in-house information security teams and engage with executive management to set new privacy and security policies and standards. He or she will also carry out risk assessments to determine the strength of your operational security.
What Does a vCISO Don't Do?
A vCISO is not a cybersecurity program manager. They do not implement and execute your cybersecurity system or any of its functions. Your vCISO is a top-tier cybersecurity professional who is engaged to assess your cybersecurity system and design solutions for any inadequacies that might be making your business or your clients vulnerable, inhibiting business growth, or preventing compliance.
The Benefits of vCISO
The primary and most obvious benefit of working with a vCISO is the unbeatable expertise you’ll be able to leverage to increase the value of your company with better cybersecurity and certified compliance. Security is too important to be managed as a secondary role by the CTO or VP R&D. Your clients and prospects expect a higher level of prioritization for your security procedures and programs. Independent cybersecurity experts are familiar with the challenges of managing information security across a wide range of sectors and industries.
Cost-Effectiveness
The ability to carry out assessments, analyses, and communication remotely dramatically reduces the cost of CISO services compared to hiring and training an in-house CISO. The average salary of a CISO in the U.S. is $229,480 with benefits. Avoiding that expense enables you to optimize your cybersecurity program while making a decent return via increased leads and sales.
Faster Results
The experience and expertise of your vCISO enable him or her to get familiar with your system more quickly and begin directing improvements to your programs and procedures much faster than what could be achieved with in-house team training. The speed of vCISO services improved ROI with reduced startup times and reduced time to compliance.
Increase Team Value
Your teams will work closely with your vCISO, facilitating the sharing of knowledge and experience that will continue to provide value to your company long after your vCISO service arrangement ends. Your vCISO can also identify weaknesses within your team where more training might be needed. Throughout your service arrangement with your vCISO, your in-house team will have additional time to spend on other tasks.
What Does a Virtual CISO Cost?
The cost of a virtual CISO depends on the scope of your needs, your company size, and the complexity of your environment, but it’s typically a fraction of the cost of a full-time CISO.
On average, a vCISO engagement starts from $4,000–$8,000 per month, compared to a full-time CISO salary of $230,000+ annually, not including benefits, bonuses, and the budget they’ll need to execute their initiatives.
This flexible pricing model allows you to control costs while still benefiting from top-tier expertise.
vCISO vs. Full-Time CISO
Choosing between a vCISO and a full-time CISO comes down to cost, flexibility, and what your business really needs. Here’s a quick comparison to help you see the differences at a glance:
| | vCISO | Full-Time CISO |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Monthly retainer, much lower than full-time | High salary + benefits + operational budget |
| Expertise | Access to a team of experts and professionals | Dependent on a single hire's experience |
| Flexibility | Scale up or down as needed | Fixed commitment |
| Speed | Can start immediately and focus on priorities | long hiring and onboarding process |
| Focus | strategic oversights and execution | Strategy + daily management |
With a vCISO, you pay only for the strategic leadership you need — without the overhead, risk, and long-term commitment of a full-time hire.
How Long Does It Take to Get Started?
One of the biggest advantages of a vCISO is how quickly you can bring them on board.
Unlike hiring a full-time executive, which can take 3–12 months of recruiting and onboarding, a vCISO can often begin within 1–2 weeks of your decision, with a full onboarding process completed in just 1–2 months.
From the initial kickoff, your vCISO will:
- Assess your current security posture
- Identify immediate risks
- Start building a roadmap for your business goals
This means you can start strengthening your security and working toward compliance almost immediately.
Is vCISO Right for Your Business?
If you’re a startup without an in-house, specialized cybersecurity team, an established business that struggles to obtain or maintain security compliance certifications, or if you need to be able to prove to your clients and prospects that you take security seriously, a vCISO could be the best solution for optimizing your security practices. Engage a vCISO service if you require security, but you don’t have either the time or the money to establish professional-level cybersecurity programs and practices on your own.
Industries That Commonly Utilize vCISO
Any business that deals with client or customer information should have a level of cybersecurity that is adequate for the type of information. A vCISO can help you determine the appropriate strength of your security and the path to achieving and maintaining that strength, along with any certifications required in your industry.
- FinTech
- HealthTech
- AdTech
- Gaming
- AI
FAQs
What is the cost of a virtual CISO in 2025?
The cost of a virtual CISO in 2025 typically ranges from $5,000 to $8,000 per month, depending on the scope of responsibilities, the size and complexity of your business, and the time commitment required. This is significantly more cost-effective than hiring a full-time CISO, whose total annual cost (including salary, benefits, and budget) often exceeds $250,000.
What responsibilities does a virtual CISO handle?
A virtual CISO provides strategic security leadership without being embedded as a full-time employee. Their responsibilities often include:
A) Assessing your current security posture and identifying risks.
B) Developing and overseeing your cybersecurity strategy and roadmap.
C) Advising on compliance with frameworks like ISO 27001, SOC2, PCI DSS, and others.
D) Guiding your internal team on policy, process, and technology improvements.
E) Conducting risk assessments and recommending mitigations.
F) Providing executive-level reporting and representing security in board discussions when needed.
How quickly can a vCISO be onboarded?
A vCISO can typically begin supporting your business within 1–2 weeks of your decision, much faster than hiring a full-time executive. The full onboarding process, including discovery, planning, and aligning with your team, is usually completed within 1–2 months, so you can start seeing meaningful progress quickly.
Who will we work with when engaging a vCISO?
When you engage our vCISO service, you’ll work directly with an experienced virtual CISO, who serves as your strategic security advisor and point of contact. Supporting the engagement is a dedicated project manager (PM) who ensures everything stays on track, deadlines are met, and communication flows smoothly.
Your vCISO has access to a team of specialized experts, such as cloud security specialists, compliance auditors, and penetration testers, who are brought in as needed, depending on the specific challenges, topics, and effort required at each stage of the engagement.
This model gives you the expertise of an entire security team, coordinated through a single, trusted partnership.
