Monthly Retainer Engagement

Enterprise security expertise. Without the full-time hire.

You need strategic security leadership, but you are not ready to hire a full-time CISO. Get CIO/CISO-level guidance on a monthly retainer that fits your stage and budget.

Explore vCISO Services

When you need a vCISO

Board is asking hard security questions

Investors and board members are asking about your security posture, risk management, and compliance status. You need executive-level reporting and credible answers.

Customer security reviews are blocking deals

Enterprise customers require security questionnaires, architecture reviews, and evidence of a security program. You need someone who can speak the language.

Security is everyone and no one

Your CTO, IT lead, and DevOps team are splitting security responsibilities. No one has the bandwidth or expertise to lead a cohesive program.

Compliance deadlines are approaching

SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, or CMMC certification is required. You need strategic oversight, not just tactical execution.

Not ready for a full-time CISO hire

Full-time CISOs command $200K-$400K+ in total comp. You need the expertise but do not have the budget or workload to justify the hire yet.

What a vCISO does for you

Security Program Strategy

  • Security roadmap aligned with business goals
  • Budget planning and tooling rationalization
  • Risk management framework design
  • Security metrics and KPI dashboards

Executive Reporting

  • Monthly board and leadership updates
  • Risk register maintenance and reporting
  • Incident post-mortems and remediation tracking
  • Compliance status dashboards

Vendor and Tooling Oversight

  • Third-party risk assessments
  • Vendor security review and due diligence
  • Security tooling evaluation and procurement support
  • Managed service provider (MSP/MSSP) oversight

Incident Response Planning

  • Incident response plan development
  • Tabletop exercises and scenario testing
  • Breach notification and communication planning
  • Crisis response coordination and playbooks

Engagement models

We offer flexible retainer models based on your company stage and security program maturity. All engagements include strategic advisory, risk oversight, and on-demand support.

Essentials

8 hours/month
Early-stage companies (Seed to Series A)
  • Monthly leadership sync and risk reporting
  • Quarterly security roadmap review
  • On-demand advisory for escalations
  • Vendor risk review (up to 2/month)

Standard

16 hours/month
Growth-stage companies (Series B-C)
  • Bi-weekly leadership sync and risk reporting
  • Monthly board reporting and deck preparation
  • Incident response planning and tabletop exercises
  • Compliance program oversight (SOC 2, ISO, HIPAA)
  • Vendor risk reviews (up to 4/month)

Strategic

24+ hours/month
Pre-IPO or high-growth companies
  • Weekly executive sync and strategic planning
  • Hands-on incident response coordination
  • M&A security due diligence support
  • Security team hiring and organizational design
  • Full compliance program leadership

Deliverables and ongoing support

  • Security program roadmap (30/60/90-day plans)
  • Monthly executive summary and risk reporting
  • Board-ready security metrics dashboards
  • Incident response plan and tabletop exercises
  • Third-party risk assessment framework
  • Security policy library and runbooks
  • Compliance audit support and evidence coordination
  • On-demand strategic guidance and escalation support

Why vCISO instead of a full-time hire?

Full-Time CISO

  • • $200K-$400K+ total compensation
  • • 3-6 month hiring process
  • • Equity and benefits overhead
  • • Limited scope if workload is part-time
  • • Risk of bad hire or culture mismatch

Virtual CISO

  • • Fraction of the cost (8-24 hours/month)
  • • Immediate engagement, no hiring lag
  • • No benefits, equity, or overhead
  • • Flexible hours as program matures
  • • Proven expertise from day one

A vCISO gives you strategic security leadership now — while you scale to the point where a full-time hire makes sense.

Ready to bring on strategic security leadership?

Book a 30-minute discovery call. We will discuss your security challenges, compliance needs, and which engagement model fits your business.

Schedule Discovery Call