{"id":2492,"date":"2021-06-23T17:53:03","date_gmt":"2021-06-23T17:53:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sectigostore.com\/blog\/?p=2492"},"modified":"2021-06-23T17:53:04","modified_gmt":"2021-06-23T17:53:04","slug":"what-is-a-vciso-are-vciso-services-worth-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sectigostore.com\/blog\/what-is-a-vciso-are-vciso-services-worth-it\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is a vCISO? Are vCISO Services Worth It?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What are the reasons behind the latest trend of hiring a virtual CISO? Are there any disadvantages of this practice?&nbsp;<\/strong><strong>Let\u2019s&nbsp;explore&#8230;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/resources.idg.com\/download\/2020-security-priorities-executive-summary%22%20\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Survey data from IDG<\/a>&nbsp;shows that executives of&nbsp;companies without a&nbsp;chief information security officer (CISO)&nbsp;feel&nbsp;their security posture and cyber training are not as effective as they could be. A CISO&#8217;s services are undoubtedly precious for any organization, but not every small business or organization can afford&nbsp;a full-time&nbsp;employee in this capacity. In these situations, a virtual CISO (vCISO)&nbsp;can be&nbsp;a&nbsp;blessing.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In this article,&nbsp;we\u2019ll&nbsp;answer the question \u201cwhat is a&nbsp;vCISO?\u201d&nbsp;Part of this discussion will explore what&nbsp;vCISOs&nbsp;do&nbsp;and why companies hire them.&nbsp;We\u2019ll&nbsp;also&nbsp;go through the advantages and disadvantages of hiring a virtual CISO.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What&nbsp;Is&nbsp;a&nbsp;vCISO?&nbsp;Virtual CISO&nbsp;Services Explained<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/sectigostore.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/what-is-a-vciso-illustration-virtual-CISO-1024x640.jpg\" alt=\"What is a vCISO illustration of five people with technology and security-related elements floating in the foreground\" class=\"wp-image-2497\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sectigostore.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/what-is-a-vciso-illustration-virtual-CISO-1024x640.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/sectigostore.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/what-is-a-vciso-illustration-virtual-CISO-300x188.jpg 300w, https:\/\/sectigostore.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/what-is-a-vciso-illustration-virtual-CISO-560x350.jpg 560w, https:\/\/sectigostore.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/what-is-a-vciso-illustration-virtual-CISO-1536x960.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/sectigostore.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/what-is-a-vciso-illustration-virtual-CISO-940x588.jpg 940w, https:\/\/sectigostore.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/what-is-a-vciso-illustration-virtual-CISO-480x300.jpg 480w, https:\/\/sectigostore.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/what-is-a-vciso-illustration-virtual-CISO.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>An illustration that represents virtual CISOs who work for organizations.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A virtual chief information security officer, also referred to as\u00a0a virtual CISO,\u00a0vCISO, or CISO-as-a-service provider, works as an outsourced or on-demand security\u00a0practitioner.\u00a0A\u00a0vCISO\u00a0role can be filled by a single individual or a team of virtual experts.\u00a0Although they typically work as\u00a0remote,\u00a0part-time contractors,\u00a0vCISOs\u00a0provide\u00a0many of\u00a0the benefits\u00a0of\u00a0a full-time CISO\u00a0but without the hefty price tag.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Consider&nbsp;a&nbsp;vCISO&nbsp;like&nbsp;a freelance&nbsp;chief information security officer.&nbsp;Companies&nbsp;often&nbsp;hire them on an ongoing basis, for a stipulated&nbsp;period, or for any&nbsp;particular project.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">vCISO&nbsp;are generally involved in deciding the security framework and policies of the companies, providing&nbsp;strategic recommendations, and assisting&nbsp;in the implementation. Sometimes, they represent companies in board meetings&nbsp;and&nbsp;work with executives to justify security measures and their budgetary&nbsp;requirements.&nbsp;But there are&nbsp;many&nbsp;other duties a virtual CISO can take on&nbsp;depending&nbsp;on the needs of&nbsp;your&nbsp;organization and&nbsp;the terms of their&nbsp;contract&nbsp;with you.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As part of your organization\u2019s executive team,&nbsp;a&nbsp;virtual&nbsp;CISO&nbsp;can do some or&nbsp;all of&nbsp;the following:&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>evaluates\u00a0your organization\u2019s ability to detect, eradicate and\u00a0prevent\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/sectigostore.com\/blog\/the-top-7-information-security-threats-how-to-mitigate-them\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">cyber threats<\/a>,\u00a0\u00a0<\/li><li>spearheads\u00a0creating and\u00a0implementing\u00a0security programs\u00a0and initiatives\u00a0that incorporate\u00a0regulatory\u00a0compliance considerations,\u00a0<\/li><li>prepares your organization\u00a0and IT team for audits,\u00a0<\/li><li>provides guidance for\u00a0cyber security and\u00a0risk assessments,\u00a0<\/li><li>evaluates\u00a0and improves\u00a0your security-related policies and processes,\u00a0<\/li><li>evaluates cyber security vendors,\u00a0<\/li><li>provides\u00a0security training\u00a0to the existing staff,\u00a0<\/li><li>provides hands-on technical expertise\u00a0in the event of a\u00a0cyber\u00a0attack, and\u00a0\u00a0<\/li><li>carries out\u00a0other security-related\u00a0functions\u00a0when and\u00a0as required.\u00a0\u00a0<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But&nbsp;many companies&nbsp;aren\u2019t&nbsp;just looking for technical leadership expertise from&nbsp;their chief tech officers.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwc.com\/us\/en\/services\/consulting\/cybersecurity-privacy-forensics\/library\/global-digital-trust-insights\/cyber-talent-workforce.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">PwC\u2019s 2021 Global Digital Trust Insights report<\/a>&nbsp;shows that&nbsp;companies are increasingly looking for&nbsp;other skills and attributes as well, including:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>analytical skills (47%),&nbsp;<\/li><li>communication skills (43%),&nbsp;<\/li><li>creativity (42%), and&nbsp;<\/li><li>critical thinking skills (42%).&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Should You&nbsp;Hire&nbsp;a&nbsp;vCISO?&nbsp;Weighing the Pros &amp; Cons&nbsp;<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now,&nbsp;it\u2019s&nbsp;time to answer the&nbsp;million-dollar question:&nbsp;why&nbsp;should a&nbsp;company&nbsp;choose a&nbsp;vCISO&nbsp;over an in-house CISO?&nbsp;To answer this question,&nbsp;let\u2019s&nbsp;consider some of the advantages and disadvantages of relying on a virtual CISO in lieu of an in-house executive.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Advantage&nbsp;#1 of&nbsp;vCISO&nbsp;Services:&nbsp;Virtual CISOs Cost Less Than In-House CISOs&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.salary.com\/tools\/salary-calculator\/chief-information-security-officer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Salary.com&nbsp;reports<\/a>&nbsp;the median salary for&nbsp;CISOs&nbsp;was $224,305 in 2020. For start-ups&nbsp;and&nbsp;small&nbsp;to mid-size&nbsp;businesses, this can be a huge expense.&nbsp;In many cases, that kind of six-figure salary may cost more than&nbsp;the amount&nbsp;organizations dedicate&nbsp;to their&nbsp;entire&nbsp;annual cyber security budget!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">vCISO&nbsp;pricing is highly customizable as per your organization&#8217;s security needs and threat level. Companies pay them as per the time spent or the services rendered by them.&nbsp;One estimate&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ashersecurity.com\/how-much-does-a-vciso-cost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">from Asher Security<\/a>&nbsp;shows that you can have&nbsp;a&nbsp;vCISO\u2019s&nbsp;services&nbsp;on retainer&nbsp;for as little&nbsp;as $28,800 a year&nbsp;(plus a monthly service payment cost&nbsp;that could range between $2,400 and $29,167).&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Advantage&nbsp;#2:&nbsp;Hiring a&nbsp;Virtual CISO&nbsp;Reduces&nbsp;Recruitment Challenges&nbsp;&amp; Costs&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When you hire an in-house CISO, you&nbsp;have to&nbsp;rely on the local talent or pay a hefty&nbsp;relocation&nbsp;stipend&nbsp;to an outside candidate.&nbsp;A typical&nbsp;vCISO&nbsp;is&nbsp;a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.csoonline.com\/article\/3332026\/what-is-a-ciso-responsibilities-and-requirements-for-this-vital-leadership-role.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">highly qualified<\/a>&nbsp;professional&nbsp;with a bachelor&#8217;s degree in computer science or cybersecurity and has certifications like CISSP, CISM, CISA, and EC-Council&#8217;s CCISO. They also have&nbsp;seven to 10&nbsp;years of work experience in information security, programming, and\/or&nbsp;risk management.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Finding a talented CISO can be challenging in small towns and remote places. Plus, to convince a CISO to relocate to your office location, you&nbsp;have to&nbsp;attract them by&nbsp;giving a&nbsp;higher salary&nbsp;and\/or greater&nbsp;benefits&nbsp;than what&nbsp;they are already receiving at their current&nbsp;employer. Your recruitment&nbsp;and on-boarding expenses also&nbsp;may&nbsp;increase.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And even after doing so much, CISOs have high job turnover rate.&nbsp;There\u2019s no denying that being a CISO is a high-pressure and stressful job.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/media.nominetcyber.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Nominet_The-CISO-Stress-Report_2020_V10.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Nominet Cyber Security<\/a>&nbsp;reports that&nbsp;an in-house CISO lasts for an&nbsp;average&nbsp;of&nbsp;26 months&nbsp;in a job&nbsp;due to burnout. That means, you&nbsp;could&nbsp;have to&nbsp;repeat&nbsp;the entire recruitment cycle again&nbsp;nearly&nbsp;every two years!&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When you hire a&nbsp;vCISO&nbsp;who&nbsp;works remotely, you can find and hire someone from any corner of the world! It gives you a wide range of options and an opportunity to negotiate the contract price.&nbsp;This enables you to:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>save\u00a0relocation allowances,\u00a0\u00a0<\/li><li>reduce recruitment costs, and\u00a0\u00a0<\/li><li>avoid\u00a0paying\u00a0extra benefits like 40k, insurance, paid leaves, parental leaves, etc.\u00a0\u00a0<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Advantage&nbsp;#3:&nbsp;vCISOs&nbsp;Can Provide General or Niche&nbsp;Expertise&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sometimes,&nbsp;companies&nbsp;need&nbsp;a&nbsp;CISO&#8217;s expertise for specific tasks&nbsp;only&nbsp;such as:&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>reviewing security concerns\u00a0at the time of\u00a0mergers and acquisitions,\u00a0\u00a0<\/li><li>dealing with compliance or insurance,\u00a0or\u00a0<\/li><li>doing a post-attack analysis to prevent a recurrence.\u00a0\u00a0<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In such circumstances,&nbsp;hiring&nbsp;a&nbsp;vCISO&nbsp;will be a cost-efficient choice than hiring an in-house CISO.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><em>Hiring a&nbsp;Virtual CISO to&nbsp;Deal&nbsp;with&nbsp;Insurance&nbsp;<\/em>&nbsp;<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Having a&nbsp;vCISO&nbsp;strengthens&nbsp;your organization&#8217;s cyber&nbsp;security landscape and&nbsp;helps to&nbsp;shift&nbsp;your company into&nbsp;a lower-risk category. If your virtual CISO reports directly to your board or another department (such as Compliance), this may&nbsp;result in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.secure-24.com\/blog\/reduce-insurance-premiums\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reduced&nbsp;cybersecurity insurance premiums<\/a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Plus, when a&nbsp;cyber attack&nbsp;occurs,&nbsp;a&nbsp;vCISO&nbsp;works as a trusted representative of the organization, deals with insurance disputes, and tries to fetch maximum benefits from the insurer.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><em>Hiring&nbsp;a&nbsp;vCISO&nbsp;for&nbsp;Compliance&nbsp;Needs&nbsp;<\/em>&nbsp;<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Compliance rules can be&nbsp;overwhelming&nbsp;and&nbsp;many organizations&nbsp;need an experienced CISO to deal with those regulations. On one side, many companies&nbsp;can\u2019t&nbsp;afford to hire a full-time CISO, but on the other side, non-compliance penalties can be&nbsp;financially devastating.<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To aid the situation, companies hire virtual CISOs&nbsp;to avoid non-compliance penalties. In general, virtual CISOs have a wide range of compliance experience with regulations such as&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thesslstore.com\/blog\/hipaa-compliance-technical-safeguards\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">HIPAA<\/a>,\u00a0\u00a0<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/sectigostore.com\/blog\/what-is-pci-dss-a-quick-guide-to-the-12-pci-dss-requirements\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">PCI DSS<\/a>,\u00a0\u00a0<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www2.ed.gov\/policy\/gen\/guid\/fpco\/ferpa\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">FERPA<\/a>,\u00a0\u00a0<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/sectigostore.com\/blog\/what-constitutes-a-gdpr-data-breach-definition-meaning\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">GDPR<\/a>,\u00a0\u00a0<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cybersaint.io\/blog\/meeting-nerc-cip-cyber-security-requirements\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">NERC\u00a0CIP<\/a>,\u00a0\u00a0<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/nvlpubs.nist.gov\/nistpubs\/SpecialPublications\/NIST.SP.800-53r5.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">NIST 800-53<\/a>,\u00a0\u00a0<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.iso.org\/isoiec-27001-information-security.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ISO 27001<\/a>,\u00a0\u00a0<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.acq.osd.mil\/cmmc\/draft.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CMMC<\/a>, or\u00a0\u00a0<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/csrc.nist.gov\/CSRC\/media\/Publications\/sp\/800-71\/draft\/documents\/sp800-71-draft.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">NIST 800-71<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Advantage&nbsp;#4:&nbsp;&nbsp;CISO-as-a-Service&nbsp;Often Gives You Access to a Team of Pros&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many&nbsp;security&nbsp;consulting&nbsp;firms&nbsp;and managed detection and risk (MDR) service providers hire a large team of in-house security professionals. They provide&nbsp;what\u2019s known as&nbsp;\u201cCISO-as-a-Service,\u201d&nbsp;meaning you&nbsp;don\u2019t&nbsp;need to find, evaluate, hire, and negotiate with a&nbsp;vCISO. You just need to hire such an agency, and&nbsp;they\u2019ll&nbsp;assign a qualified&nbsp;vCISO&nbsp;to you&nbsp;based on&nbsp;your&nbsp;organization\u2019s&nbsp;requirements.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the biggest benefits of such agencies is that&nbsp;vCISOs&nbsp;often have access to&nbsp;many advanced-level tools and have a&nbsp;team of experts at their disposal&nbsp;(such as&nbsp;threat hunters, compliance specialists, security analysts, and penetration testers). Hence, the workload is evenly balanced, and you can get the benefit of a full-fledged security team at a&nbsp;lower&nbsp;fixed cost.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now that we\u2019ve covered the advantages of&nbsp;virtual CISO services, we\u2019d be remiss if we didn\u2019t also talk about some of the disadvantages.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Disadvantage&nbsp;#1:&nbsp;Their Time &amp; Attention Are&nbsp;Divided Among Multiple Clients&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An&nbsp;in-house CISO would&nbsp;focus&nbsp;100%&nbsp;on your organization\u2019s security.&nbsp;But when you hire&nbsp;a virtual CISO,&nbsp;they&nbsp;have multiple companies to look after simultaneously&nbsp;and&nbsp;can\u2019t&nbsp;devote special attention&nbsp;to&nbsp;your&nbsp;company. You&nbsp;can\u2019t&nbsp;tell them not to work on multiple projects and how they should divide their time.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If your&nbsp;vCISO&nbsp;has taken more projects than they can handle, it might cause negligence&nbsp;or&nbsp;deteriorate the quality of work.&nbsp;Also, if&nbsp;there\u2019s&nbsp;an emergency,&nbsp;like you notice an unusual threat approaching or&nbsp;a sudden&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/sectigostore.com\/blog\/10-different-types-of-cyber-attacks-how-they-work\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">cyberattack<\/a>&nbsp;takes place, your on-call CISO may or may not be available to respond immediately due to their other engagements.&nbsp;As such, you may not be able to&nbsp;rely on a&nbsp;vCISO&nbsp;in&nbsp;an emergency situation.&nbsp;The exception here might be virtual CISO services that provide 24\/7\/365 access, but then you\u2019re looking at contracts that often involve significantly&nbsp;higher costs.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Disadvantage&nbsp;#2:&nbsp;They Lack&nbsp;In-Depth&nbsp;Knowledge of Your Systems&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Virtual&nbsp;CISOs&nbsp;aren&#8217;t&nbsp;intimately familiar with your organization&#8217;s IT infrastructure, policies or procedures because they split their time between multiple clients, whereas a full-time CISO works solely for you.&nbsp;In other words, in-house CISOs are already aware of your company&#8217;s vulnerabilities and threat patterns, while the&nbsp;vCISOs&nbsp;have to&nbsp;start everything from scratch.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Full-time CISOs know your company\u2019s security posture so closely that they can detect any usual signs of attacks more quickly than a virtual CISO.&nbsp;In the same way, the in-house&nbsp;CISO can do a post-attack investigation and damage control more efficiently and rapidly than a&nbsp;vCISO&nbsp;because they have an in-depth knowledge of each component of your technical infrastructure.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When you hire&nbsp;a&nbsp;vCISO&nbsp;for&nbsp;individual&nbsp;projects, they&nbsp;may&nbsp;be apathetic&nbsp;about the overall security&nbsp;structure of your company&nbsp;and just focus on their specific tasks. They may not&nbsp;recognize or bother to inform you&nbsp;of&nbsp;any&nbsp;big loopholes that need&nbsp;to be addressed. At the same time, a full-time CISO will have a holistic approach and take responsibility for the entire&nbsp;defense&nbsp;mechanism of your company.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Disadvantage&nbsp;#3:&nbsp;No Blending with&nbsp;an&nbsp;Organization&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An in-house CISO is an&nbsp;authoritative figure and an&nbsp;integral part of your organization. When they outline any policy changes and&nbsp;recommendations,&nbsp;the other IT staff tend to take those suggestions seriously and implement them&nbsp;relatively quickly. But a&nbsp;vCISO&nbsp;might be considered an &#8220;outsider&#8221; and maybe not taken seriously by others unless management intervenes.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the same way, if a full-time CISO suggests security measures that management deems &#8220;too-much-hassle&#8221; or expensive, they are&nbsp;still&nbsp;answerable to CISO for rejecting any proposals.&nbsp;A&nbsp;full-time&nbsp;in-house&nbsp;CISO holds a louder voice in budgetary discussions and negation than a&nbsp;vCISO. Management can easily deny any recommendations of a&nbsp;vCISO, many times, due to trust issues.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For example, management can consider a&nbsp;vCISO\u2019s&nbsp;recommendations&nbsp;as a means to&nbsp;extend&nbsp;the length of their&nbsp;contract or increase the scope of the project to charge more money. Due to such reasons, even the highly crucial security suggestions stay on the shelf and put companies at risk in the long run.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>However, being an \u201coutsider\u201d can also be a positive attribute depending on&nbsp;your&nbsp;perspective. If a virtual CISO isn\u2019t part of your organization\u2019s internal culture, they can serve as an impartial third party. As&nbsp;such, they\u2019re less likely to be susceptible to&nbsp;internal&nbsp;or political&nbsp;pressures than an internal CISO may&nbsp;experience, which can make them more effective.&nbsp;<\/em>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Final Words on&nbsp;vCISO&nbsp;Services<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In cyber&nbsp;security, no matter how many advanced tools you use, human intervention is&nbsp;still a necessity.&nbsp;The threat actors who carry out attacks&nbsp;are real humans with&nbsp;unique&nbsp;motives and agendas. And to understand their mindsets, you must employ qualified, well-trained cyber&nbsp;security staff.&nbsp;A key part of this includes&nbsp;having&nbsp;a leader&nbsp;in place who can strategize&nbsp;and lead your organization\u2019s&nbsp;cyber security&nbsp;initiatives from the front.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While hiring a full-time CISO in house is an option that many companies consider, there are some obvious disadvantages to this approach.&nbsp;This is why&nbsp;many organizations, including small businesses,&nbsp;opt to hire a virtual CISO to meet their needs.&nbsp;But hiring a&nbsp;vCISO&nbsp;may not&nbsp;be the best course of action&nbsp;for every business, and you must choose the right path based on&nbsp;your organization\u2019s specific&nbsp;needs.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Regardless of whichever route you choose to take, having an in-house CISO or a virtual CISO in place speaks volumes. Having someone in this type of role&nbsp;demonstrates that you\u2019re taking steps to improve your organization\u2019s cyber&nbsp;security&nbsp;and are committed to protecting your organization\u2019s&nbsp;sensitive data and IT resources.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What are the reasons behind the latest trend of hiring a virtual CISO? Are there any disadvantages of this practice?&nbsp;Let\u2019s&nbsp;explore&#8230;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Survey data from IDG&nbsp;shows that executives of&nbsp;companies without a&nbsp;chief information&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":2494,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","tve_updated_post":"","tve_custom_css":"","tve_user_custom_css":"","tve_globals":{},"tcb2_ready":1,"tcb_editor_enabled":0,"tve_landing_page":"","_tve_header":"","_tve_footer":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[197,198],"class_list":["post-2492","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cyber-security","tag-vciso","tag-virtual-ciso","post-with-tags"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What Is a vCISO? 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