Virtual CISOServices

Cybersecurity is no longer just an IT problem. It is a board-level risk that demands strategic ownership. Buyers, regulators, primes, insurers, and customers expect a named security executive who can articulate the company's risk posture in plain English, run the compliance program, sign off on incident response, and translate every dollar of security spend into measurable risk reduction.

Without that role, three things happen. Security decisions default to the IT team, who are paid to keep systems running rather than to manage risk. Spending becomes reactive: a breach, an insurer demand, a failed pen test, then a panic purchase of yet another tool. And when the inevitable security questionnaire arrives from an enterprise buyer, no one is qualified to fill it out, so the deal stalls or vanishes.

Hiring a full-time CISO solves the problem at the wrong price. A qualified candidate with CISSP, CISM, or equivalent credentials, plus three to five years in your vertical, is a six-figure hire that takes six to nine months to close. You also need to give them a budget, a team, and time to build the program. Most mid-market companies do not have that runway.

The virtual CISO model collapses the timeline. We embed an experienced security leader at the cadence you need, anywhere from a few hours a month for a small team on a single framework, up to a part-time embedded executive carrying multiple programs.

The retainer is fixed for the term you select. Deliverables are scheduled. Board memos arrive on time. When something explodes, your retainer absorbs the response instead of triggering a change order.

Pricing is scoped to your environment. We size the engagement to your framework count, team size, and risk posture, then quote a flat monthly fee. No surprise hourly bills. Call (919) 348-4912 or schedule a discovery call to start.

Pricing is scoped to your environment. Actual retainer is confirmed during a free scoping call based on framework count, headcount, audit cadence, and incident response coverage. We quote a flat monthly fee with no surprise hourly bills.

Cancellation requires 30-day written notice. We do not refund unused time within the agreed minimum term. You can upgrade tiers at the next billing cycle without penalty; the minimum term resets to the new tier on upgrade.

Pair any tier with our productized ComplianceArmor offers for documentation deliverables to compress your time-to-audit-ready by months. Call (919) 348-4912 or schedule a 30-minute discovery call to scope your engagement.

CMMC L1, L2, and L3. We consult on all three Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification levels. Level 1: Federal Contract Information, 17 basic safeguarding requirements, annual self-attestation.

Level 2: Controlled Unclassified Information, the 110 controls of NIST SP 800-171 Rev 2, third-party C3PAO assessment for prioritized acquisitions. Level 3: higher-risk CUI with controls from NIST SP 800-172 plus L2, government-led DIBCAC assessment.

Pair the vCISO retainer with our CMMC L2 readiness package for SSP authoring, POAM remediation, and evidence binder construction.

HIPAA Security Rule. The HIPAA Security Rule at 45 CFR Part 164 requires a Risk Analysis under 45 CFR 164.308(a)(1)(ii)(A) plus 18 standards across administrative, physical, and technical safeguards. We have walked covered entities, business associates, and SaaS-vendor BAA subcontractors through Risk Analysis cycles.

There is no HHS-issued HIPAA certification. Our work aligns documentation to NIST SP 800-66 Rev 2 and the HHS Office for Civil Rights audit protocol. Self-attestation only. We never claim certification authority we do not hold.

NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 and NIST CSF 2.0. NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 covers 20 control families across more than a thousand individual controls and enhancements. NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0 was released in February 2024 and added a sixth function (GOVERN) to the original five (IDENTIFY, PROTECT, DETECT, RESPOND, RECOVER).

For state agencies, regional governments, and commercial enterprises that want a maturity model rather than a hard regulatory mandate, CSF 2.0 is usually the right entry point.

SOC 2 Type I and Type II. The AICPA SOC 2 framework covers five Trust Services Criteria: Security, Availability, Processing Integrity, Confidentiality, Privacy. Most SaaS buyers ask for Type I to start, then Type II once you have six to twelve months of evidence.

Our vCISOs handle auditor liaison, evidence collection, and control mapping. Pair the retainer with our productized SOC 2 Type I package for both documentation and program management. The CPA fee for the actual audit is paid separately to a third-party auditor and varies by auditor and scope; we coordinate auditor selection during the engagement.

ISO 27001:2022, DFARS, and PCI DSS. ISO/IEC 27001:2022 is the international standard for Information Security Management Systems with 93 Annex A controls under four themes. DFARS 252.204-7012 covers safeguarding of covered defense information; DFARS 252.204-7019 requires a current NIST SP 800-171 self-assessment posted to the Supplier Performance Risk System.

PCI DSS v4.0.1 covers 12 control areas across cardholder data environments. We also routinely work with CCPA, state privacy laws, CJIS Security Policy, GDPR, FedRAMP Moderate, and FERPA.

Days 1 to 7: discovery and onboarding. You receive a written engagement letter with the tier you selected, the named vCISO assigned to your account, the lock-in term, the cadence calendar, and the secure document portal credentials.

We start an inventory of your current security posture: existing policies, last audit reports, current control implementations, vendor list with BAAs and MSAs, incident history if any. The first week also includes a kickoff call with the executive sponsor and the working sponsor, typically your IT director or operations lead.

Days 8 to 30: baseline and roadmap. We deliver a written current-state assessment within 30 days. It maps your existing controls to whatever framework you carry, identifies gaps with priority ranking, and produces a 90 to 180 day remediation roadmap.

The roadmap is written for the executive reader, not a control-level checklist. The assessment is honest. If you have spent a year telling your board you are 80 percent ready for SOC 2 and the truth is closer to 45 percent, the assessment says 45 percent. We do not deliver a sugar-coated baseline.

Days 30 to 60: first execution cycle. We begin executing the highest-priority gap remediation work alongside your team. Depending on your tier, we run monthly or bi-weekly cadence calls.

We start the policy refresh cycle and open the vendor risk review queue. If you carry HIPAA, we start the Risk Analysis. If you carry CMMC L2, we begin the SSP and POAM build. If you carry SOC 2, we open the control matrix and start gathering evidence in your secure document portal.

Days 60 to 90: first board memo and program rhythm. Your first quarterly board memo lands at day 75 to 90. Two pages, executive summary on top, plain English. We attend the board meeting on Plus and Enterprise tiers, or stand by for questions during the agenda item on Standard.

The cadence is now established: monthly review call, quarterly written memo, semi-annual tabletop on Plus and Enterprise, annual program refresh, continuous vendor risk and incident readiness.

Steady state: months four onward. The work shifts toward continuous monitoring, audit prep when assessment cycles arrive, vendor risk review on every new contract, incident response coordination if an event occurs, and ongoing executive education.

The first time your auditor or assessor walks in, the program is already audit-ready. Evidence is collected, policies are signed, artifacts are versioned, and gaps are documented in a current POAM. We run through the audit prep with you twice before the assessor arrives. Surprises during the assessment are rare and recoverable. That predictability is what the retainer pays for.