Blog

What to Expect When Using a CISO as a Service

We’ve found that some companies resist utilizing a CISO as a Service because they ultimately aren’t sure what to expect. They’ve heard that hiring a CISO could save them from paying a few high-dollar IT staff salaries, but they aren’t clear on the logistics.

What can a vCISO actually offer? More than you might think.

In this post, we’re previewing a few things you can expect when choosing a well-rounded vCISO team to take over your security initiative:

1. A vCISO will follow a robust methodology for running your info security program. 

A CISO as a Service will follow best practices and use tested tactics for keeping your assets safe; they won’t be making decisions without ensuring it’s inline with their trusted methodological roadmap. 

You won’t feel hesitant handing over the reigns to the right vCISO, as they will likely have years of knowledge and experience following an industry standard for maintaining your security.

2. A vCISO will take ownership of maintaining your policies, procedures and standards for info security.

A vCISO will take on a leadership role in managing your security strategy, making sure it’s efficient, appropriate for you and that it matches the reality of what’s actually happening behind your walls.  

It’s not going to be you asking your vCISO what to do— but CISO taking the lead and managing your information security strategy, autonomously. Not only will their methodology be robust and their management skills honed, but using a vCISO grants you access to a number of specialists, each focused on specific facets of your security that you likely otherwise couldn’t afford. 

3. A vCISO will come to the table with metrics and visibility of tracking.

Just as a vCISO won’t be making decisions without their methodological roadmap, they won’t be making changes to your security measures without evidence to justify changes. This expert team will ask you for any metrics you can provide as well as dig into whatever stats they can find about your business or your industry to make enlightened choices. 

After beginning their partnership with you, your vCISO should start tracking other areas of your company that you may not have been previously monitoring. Keeping a keen eye on these metrics will help the provider track time, progress, ROI and any and all achievements to improve your information security. 

4. A vCISO will maintain and monitor a list of security controls.

An effective vCISO will have a rounded understanding of your security risks and implement various controls to keep them safeguarded from threats. They will have a clear grasp on your company’s risk appetite, your risk tolerance and your risk capacity, with a clear register detailing how you are addressing each risk (if you choose to accept, transfer, mitigate, or avoid every risk) and how that affects your vulnerabilities moving forward.

In short, a vCISO can ensure you are meeting your compliance and risk management objectives and that controls are in place— and that they are diligently monitoring them for effectiveness.  

5. A vCISO will deliver executive-level reporting. 

Perhaps one of the biggest ways a vCISO can offer value is by providing reporting insights, not just in a spreadsheet to be filed away without analysis, but delivered in a way that you C-suite can understand. The right vCISO can and will align data and results in a language that translates to the executives (not in cyber speak, rather, in easy-to-consume terms in line with your decision-makers’ values and goals). 

Speaking in the language of risk and delivering these metrics to the chain of command in a way that they actually care about empowers your security department to reach their goals— because the goals are finally framed in a way that also resonates with your executives or sales team, not just your IT department.

Manage Your Security with Confidence

The right vCISO team should fill you with confidence that your information security program is air-tight. 

Trust the security experts with your business’ safety, in the same way your customers trust you as their industry experts. Here at Truvantis®, we offer the expertise you need. Contact us today.  

Related Articles By Topic

CISO vCISO

Contact Us
Chat with one of our specialists about our vCISO service.
Schedule a call
Contact Us