Trying to improve your organization’s cybersecurity? Thinking of Hiring a virtual CISO?

Find out the top benefits of a vitrtual CISO (chief information security officer) here!

Hiring a virtual chief information security officer (vCISO) is essential for banks and credit unions that need to protect their organization from cyber threats. A CISO can strategically lead your organization in cybersecurity to help ensure your organization is protected.

Below we’ll look at the top ways that hiring a virtual CISO can help your organization.

1. Independence

One of the best things about hiring a vCISO is that they will be able to remain independent from other parts of your organization.

It’s important that a CISO is independent of the IT operations of your business and that they are free from the restraints and potential pitfalls of office politics. This will allow them to do the best job possible while strategizing effectively.

2. Cost-Effectiveness

Another excellent benefit of hiring a vCISO is that doing so will be much more cost-effective than hiring a CISO internally.

Salaries for full-time CISOs can be over $150,000 and not every organization is able to keep one on staff easily. It can be difficult to worry about paying salaries, benefits, bonuses, and training.

Plus a vCISO does not require an office as they work remote from their office but can visit in person as needed this means more savings. 

Luckily, a virtual CISO service is usually more than enough for many types of organizations. A vCISO can be a great alternative since your organization will only pay for what it actually needs.

3. Expertise

A CISO can do many things to help protect your business. When working with a vCISO, you’ll get access to experts who have advanced know-how to improve cybersecurity and protect your business.

Hiring the right CISO, training them, and retaining them can all be difficult tasks. With a vCISO, you’ll get access to all of the expert knowledge that you need without needing to go through the trouble the management and hiring of a full-time CISO.

Typical CISO objectives for vCISO include: 

    •    Information Security Governance leadership and strategy.

    •    Steering committee leadership

    •    Security compliance management.

    •    Data privacy.

    •    Security policy process and procedure development.

    •    Incident response and DR/BCP planning.

    •    Security awareness training.

    •    Security risk assessments.

    •    Internal audit.

    •    Penetration testing

    •    Social engineering

    •    Plus any of your top business technology management concerns.


4. Specialization

In addition to having plenty of general knowledge, some virtual CISOs will also have more specialized knowledge as well.

Some virtual CISOs will be extremely experienced with specific topics. IE: Our vCISO’s have broad industry experience across multiple business sectors and compliance frameworks. We also have experience with HITRUST, FISMA, NIST, PCI DSS and data privacy.

This kind of specialized expertise can be very valuable for your organization and can help fill in the gaps where your organization may be lacking.

Additionally, even if you have a full-time CISO already, a vCISO with specialized knowledge can be very beneficial.

5. Flexibility

Another great thing about hiring a vCISO is that doing so will give you a huge amount of flexibility in the way you operate.

While strong cybersecurity is crucial, it’s not always necessary to have a full-time employee. With a vCISO, you’ll be able to call on them only when you need them and the services will be crafted for your organization’s unique needs. This means you  only pay for the CISO services you need.

Additionally, scaling will also be easier as well. You’ll be able to get access to as much or as little CISO support as you need at any given time.

Making the Decision to Hire a Virtual CISO

Hiring a virtual CISO is essential for financial institutions and probably come with more benefits than you may have realized. Make sure to consider the above points if you’re wondering if it’s time for you to hire a vCISO for your organization. The bottom line is that we are successful because we provide unmatched customer service, efficient and precise technology management and compliance solutions every time. When it comes to your CISO demands, everything matters!

Ready to hire professional virtual CISO services? Contact us today to learn more about what we can do for you.