As an organization grows, there is increasing pressure to develop and maintain an effective cyber security program in response to the rising number of persistent and sophisticated threats.
When combined with today’s evolving digital landscape and regulatory requirements, a robust methodology is needed to meet the challenges confronting already overburdened security leaders. Often compounded by a lack of resources, being vigilant about the risks to the business still means keeping all eyes firmly on the security prize, and improving upon or implementing sound security initiatives.
Choosing the right leadership fit is a difficult row to hoe as cyber security becomes a bigger priority, and as a result, defense surfaces must become more fluid. So, where does a business start?
One of two options is most often under consideration: either onboarding a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), or outsourcing a CISO-as-a-Service or virtual CISO (vCISO) vendor to manage security remotely.
While both certainly may be workable options given a company’s unique set of circumstances and needs, the full-security leadership solution provided with a fractional approach utilizing a vCISO, or CISO-as-a-Service, offers specific value that often outweighs cost.
Virtual CISO vs. CISOSHARE's Virtual CISO vs. Full-Time CISO
Whether for a long-term commitment to manage security services, or simply as an interim specialist to oversee key projects, both CISO-as-a-Service and/or a vCISO allow for leadership in conjunction with additional security resources. There is no need for the overhead costs associated with an in-house team, and any gaps in existing resources can be filled.
A purchasing decision is ultimately calculated in terms of price, but opting for CISO-as-a-Service and/or a vCISO brings more value to the table over hiring a single security leader or multiple resources for a number of reasons:
- The need to build an internal team and the associated payroll costs are eliminated.
- Outsourced experience and expertise is added without any turnover and retention challenges.
- A variety of experience across different industries is brought to the table. An outsourced security leader has likely seen similar problems and solutions.
- With a leader and the team, an off-site security program can bring multiple perspectives to any issues, with high and ground-level insights to better execute and optimize security program tasks.
- A vCISO and CISO-as-a-Service are both optimal for meeting specific cyber security requirements, particularly when the workload for a on-site CISO cannot be justified.
For SMEs, the overhead justification for a full-time, in-house CISO may lead to gaps in security processes, leaving the organization at risk. In today’s increasing threat landscape, a vCISO/CISO-as-a-Service option mitigates any potential risk, providing your business with a dedicated, cost-effective, and value-added weapon in your cyber security arsenal.
CISOSHARE’s CISO-as-a-Service offers everything necessary to efficiently, build, implement, and manage a complete security program. Our familiarity and experience with business goals across multiple types of organizations and industries has allowed us to craft an effective and complete solution. It includes a virtual CISO to plan and direct a security program with the support of a team to understand and manage each security program area. This allows you to adapt and scale security with your needs, so you can focus on the core of your business.