Virtual CISO cost is based on several variables such as the size and complexity of your organization, the number of devices in your network, and estimated time spent working with you as a client. You should expect to spend $3k-$6k or more per month based on these factors. This price includes annual assessments, roadmapping, vulnerability scanning, consulting services, and access to portal software for tracking and communication purposes. Our typical virtual CISO cost less over time as our clients’ security programs go into “maintenance mode,” where the consistent building effort is no longer a factor.

A virtual CISO is an assigned resource with experience building and improving information security programs. Starting with a risk assessment, a vCISO first gets an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of an organization’s security program. Based on the results, the vCISO then works with executive leadership teams to understand goals, budget, and bandwidth—allowing them to provide actionable recommendations, or a roadmap, based on the business’s goals and the risk assessment’s findings. With the roadmap in place, they work with the organization’s internal security team to train staff and make the recommended improvements, improving the ability of the organization to protect its sensitive information and increase its operational efficiencies. Over time, they simply become a sounding board for the organization’s staff to bounce questions and challenges off of.

CISO as a service is another name for virtual CISO consulting services. A provider like Marigold Security assigns organizations a proven and certified information security professional to help organizations protect sensitive information and achieve related business goals along the way.

Lower Cost Over Time

Virtual CISO cost can be expensive depending on your business’s size and needs. But, most of the work is preliminary, so the involvement (and therefore what a virtual CISO costs) decreases over time.

Extensive Industry Knowledge and Skill

Does your “security” person wear a ton of hats in the organization? It’s not uncommon for companies to assign security roles as a secondary function of an employee’s primary role. Because of this, they’re often not true experts.

vCISOs, especially those at Marigold Security, are highly skilled and certified experts with years of information security experience. A virtual CISO is going to be able to enhance the internal capabilities of your employees tasked with handling security through the techniques they’ve learned.

Limited Turnover

Let’s face it, the security job market is as competitive as ever. We have to worry about employees leaving anyway, but that only adds to it. With an Marigold Security vCISO, you equip your team with the expertise, methodologies, and resources to avoid losing a step—either as you work to hire a new CISO, or if you want our team to occupy that role.

Marigold Security's vCISO services are meant to be flexible in order to meet the needs of each of our clients. Engagements typically follow a cycle of assess, plan, and remediate.

Whether you need high-level guidance on a monthly or quarterly basis or need hands-on help several days per week, our vCISO’s will be able to build a solution for you.

Typical objectives of vCISO engagements include:

Information security leadership and guidance
Steering committee leadership or participation
Security compliance management
Security policy, process, and procedure development
Incident response planning
Security training and awareness
Board and executive leadership presentations
Security assessment
Internal audit
Vulnerability assessments
Risk assessment
And much, much more.

In our case, there is no difference other than the name. An Marigold Security fractional CISO is the same as a vCISO—a security expert we provide that gives guidance for your current business and security objectives. While they are the same to us, sometimes a fractional CISO is on-site personnel or staff and may have other IT or security roles within the organization.