Fractional CISO Services

Why Vistrada’s Fractional CISO Services Stands Out

Vistrada’s Fractional CISO solutions offer your organization the flexible, on-demand leadership and expertise required to manage cybersecurity risk, enhance security posture, and maintain compliance. Transform your cybersecurity posture while staying in line with budgets.

Are you unsure about your cybersecurity posture?
Are you looking for information security leadership and guidance but do not need to invest in a full-time resource or team to meet your goals?

Today, businesses of all sizes are vulnerable to cybersecurity threats. Vistrada’s vCISO services offer tailored cybersecurity solutions that help safeguard organizations from digital disruptions, ensuring compliance, and protecting their digital assets and reputation. Leveraging the expertise of experienced Chief Information Security Officers, Vistrada ensures that your cybersecurity needs are met with precision and efficacy.

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The Vistrada Difference:

Vistrada’s Fractional CISOs can provide your organization with flexible IT risk management and regulatory guidance, allowing you to focus on core operations.

Our experienced cybersecurity professionals provide the following services:

What Vistrada’s Fractional CISO Services Offer	How They Benefit You
Risk Assessments	Identify and evaluate cybersecurity vulnerabilities and security posture.
Cybersecurity Strategy Development	Create a responsive plan to target identified risks.
Compliance Support	Achieve compliance with regulatory protocols, industry regulations, data protection standards, and audits.
Incident Response Coordination and Management	Design and manage processes to minimize the impact of a possible cyberattack.
Security Awareness Training	Conduct employee cybersecurity training to help recognize and manage cyber threats.
Ongoing Monitoring and Support	Provide ongoing monitoring and response strategy for security risks.
Vendor Risk Management	Ensure third-party vendors meet required security standards.
Security Policy and Procedure Review	Review policies and procedures to ensure compliance and industry alignment.
Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Planning	Design potential cyberattack protocols with minimized impact and downtime.

Why Use Fractional CISO Services

Not having comprehensive cybersecurity measures can have paralyzing consequences for an organization, leading to diminished trust and a ruined reputation. Businesses without an in-house IT security expert can lean on fractional CISOs to provide them with IT security leadership and solutions to protect themselves from cyber threats.

Fractional CISOs can provide organizations with the following benefits:

Access to a highly skilled CISO expert with industry experience and knowledge.
Cost-effective and flexible solution that can be scaled up or down.
Compliance and regulatory assistance to achieve and maintain industry-specific requirements.
Interim or transitional CISO leadership during periods of change or temporary gaps.
Impartial and objective advice given by an external consultant.

Fractional CISO Program Components

Vistrada’s fractional CISOs can take over the following components of your security operations:

Cybersecurity Program Development – create a customized cybersecurity program tailored to your needs and industry guidelines.
Risk Assessments – to identify risks and weaknesses.
Compliance Services – help prepare for compliance audits such as SOC 2 and ISO 27001.
Security Policies, Standards, and Guidelines – develop and implement policies, standards, and guidelines to address risks, navigate compliance, and adhere to best practices.
Security Processes, Procedures, and Plans – design security processes, procedures, and plans for effective incident response, disaster recovery, and continuity strategies.
Business Impact Analysis – guiding the organization through the recovery process.
Security Awareness Training – to build a strong security culture and educate employees on cybersecurity best practices.
Ongoing Cybersecurity Support – to ensure the effectiveness of the implemented program.

TESTIMONIALS

Vistrada is our go-to technology solution provider for complex problems that require custom crafted solutions that MUST be delivered on tight schedules, strict budgets, and to the highest quality standards. We have used the Vistrada team for delivering a number of solutions – some being completed in just a few weeks, while others have been ongoing efforts lasting many years.

Chief Operating OfficerBankruptcy Processing Firm, New York

The experts at Vistrada far exceed any technology company with whom I have worked with in the past. Their software engineers are peerless in a world of highly-trained experts. As a technology project manager for a non-profit organization I had a major challenge in getting a fully functional software program developed in a short time. Although I did not think it was possible to achieve, the Vistrada team not only delivered on time but provided an even better program.

Dr. Steven Yannicelli, PhD, RDTechnology Project Manager, GMDI Group

We have been partnering with Vistrada for our technology and business development needs, as well as the extraordinary technology needs of our clients, for over 10 years and look forward to building our business with Vistrada long into the future.

Managing DirectorProxy Solicitation Consultancy, New York

The Vistrada team was great to work with and we view Vistrada as partners who have our best interests in mind. Vistrada designed and delivered a single data model and supporting ETL architecture that met all our current needs with scalability to meet the future needs and asks of current and future customers all with less manual intervention, maintenance, and support than we needed for our past solutions.

Kelly UhlrichChief Operating Officer, Humach

Fractional CISO Service FAQs

Check out these frequently asked questions for additional information

What Is Fractional CISO? A Fractional CISO (Chief Information Security Officer) is a third-party senior-level cybersecurity professional or team hired on a part-time or project basis to fulfill the Chief Information Security Officer role. Based on an organization’s unique needs, they provide information security expertise, guidance, and strategic leadership. Working with a Fractional CISO provides organizations with a flexible and cost-effective solution to strengthen their security posture, protect themselves from cybersecurity threats, and navigate security audits and special projects.

How Does A Fractional CISO Differ From A Full-Time CISO?

While both roles are responsible for leadership, management, and implementation of security programs, they encompass different commitments, scopes of responsibility, and engagement terms.

Fractional CISOs take on temporary, part-time, or project-based roles that focus on specific areas or cybersecurity pain points of an organization. Working with a fractional CISO provides companies with a flexible and cost-effective solution without having to fill a full-time in-house leadership role.

A full-time CISO is a permanent in-house employee responsible for an organization’s overall security program management and leadership.

What Services Does A Fractional CISO Provide?

Some of the common services provided by a Fractional CISO include the following:

Security strategy and planning that aligns with the goals, risk tolerance, and budget of the organization.

Risk assessment and management to help organizations identify cybersecurity weaknesses along with risk mitigation strategies.

Compliance and regulatory support to ensure alignment with data protection law, industry standards, and compliance with industry regulations.

Design and conduct security awareness training programs to enhance employees’ cyber security best practices understanding.

Incident response planning and management to minimize the impact of a cyberattack.

Vendor risk evaluation to ensure they meet appropriate security standards.

Ongoing monitoring and assessment process of emerging threats.

Implementation of data protection and encryption measures to reduce data breach impact.

Security incident investigation to determine the cause, impact, and remediation actions.

Cybersecurity improvement recommendations based on innovation, past breaches, and emerging threats.

Can Fractional CISOs Help With Compliance Audits Like SOC 2, ISO 27001, NIST, PCI, HITRST, HIPAA, And CMMC?

Fractional CISOs can assist organizations with SOC 2, ISO 27001, NIST, PCI, HITRST, HIPAA, and CMMC compliance requirements and audits. Before an actual audit, a fractional CISO will conduct a gap analysis to determine if the organization has non-compliance areas. If issues are identified, the cybersecurity expert will design a plan to resolve the flagged areas.

During an actual audit, a Fractional CISO helps the organization gather the required documentation and provide guidance and support to meet compliance requirements.

How Do Fractional CISOs Conduct Risk Assessments? An in-depth analysis of an organization’s IT systems helps Fractional CISOs evaluate IT systems, identify potential threats, and evaluate vulnerabilities. If cybersecurity threats are identified, a CISO will assign a risk level and priority to mitigate them. The results of the assessment, vulnerabilities, and plan of action are documented and monitored on an ongoing basis to evaluate the effectiveness of the mitigation strategy.

What Are The Benefits Of Hiring A Fractional CISO? Working with Fractional CISO provides organizations with cost-effective and flexible cybersecurity leadership without filing a costly full-time CISO role. This is especially beneficial for small and medium-sized organizations that don’t have a budget or a need for an in-house CISO. Fractional cybersecurity leaders provide their clients with expertise based on their unique industry or company needs, helping them navigate compliance audits, risk assessments, and other cybersecurity initiatives.

I Have An Existing Security Team And/Or Managed Security Services Provider In Place. Do I Still Need To Consider A Fractional CISO?

Most MSPs/MSSPs today focus on implementation and execution but lack the know-how or ability to assess, define, and plan a robust information security policy and strategy which in turn directs those implementation efforts. Some MSSPs provide Fractional CISO offerings under their umbrella; unfortunately, most of these providers are leveraging automated/generic tools with an inexperienced bench to run their fractional CISO program. All the above considerations aside, we are seeing businesses that adopt fractional CISOs take into account the need to also ensure neutral and unbiased checks and balances.

Consider this: How confident are you in your current team’s competency and ability to execute? What about the same for your MSP or MSSP? For many businesses, it is now considered a leading practice to separate the traditional Fractional CISO or vCISO responsibilities away from current teams and managed providers to ensure completeness of strategy and execution abilities to protect the business.

How Are Fractional CISO Services Priced?

The cost structure of a Fractional CISO depends on factors such as length and type of engagement, required services, industry and expertise level, scalability, market factors, and company size. Because there isn’t a fixed cost, organizations should discuss their project needs with third-party providers to clearly understand their pricing plans, cost breakdown, and the value of their services. Doing so will help choose a flexible solution that aligns with your company’s cybersecurity needs and budget.

Can Fractional CISOs Help With Cybersecurity Strategy Development? Yes, Fractional CISO can help with cybersecurity strategy development by working with organizations to strengthen their posture. Conducting an initial IT risk assessment gives them insight into an organization’s cybersecurity health. If cyber threats and vulnerabilities are detected, the fractional CISO works with internal IT departments to design and implement a responsive plan of action, safeguarding the organization from existing and evolving threats.

Do Fractional CISOs Provide Ongoing Cybersecurity Support And Guidance? Yes, Fractional CISO can help with cybersecurity strategy development by working with organizations to strengthen their posture. Conducting an initial IT risk assessment gives them insight into an organization’s cybersecurity health. If cyber threats and vulnerabilities are detected, the fractional CISO works with internal IT departments to design and implement a responsive plan of action, safeguarding the organization from existing and evolving threats.

Do Fractional CISOs Provide Ongoing Cybersecurity Support And Guidance? Working with a Fractional CISO provides organizations with flexible leadership based on their cybersecurity needs. Although Fractional CISOs tend to provide support on a project and part-time basis, their services can be scaled up to provide ongoing support and guidance. Fractional CISO services are fluid and composed of a team of experts, making it easy to adapt to an organization’s needs.

What Expertise And Experience Can Fractional CISOs Offer? Fractional CISOs possess a unique combination of consulting and operational experience, making them well-equipped to provide their clients with cybersecurity best practices, risk management, compliance, and regulatory requirements. Because they also have extensive backgrounds in information security, risk management, and IT governance, Fractional CISOs help organizations improve their security posture by conducting risk assessments, developing comprehensive cybersecurity strategies, and implementing effective security controls.

Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late

The time to enhance your program is now. Don’t wait until your next audit or the day after you experience a breach to strengthen your cybersecurity posture.

Are you curious about how it feels to have a team of experts guiding your cybersecurity program? Would you like a reliable partner to help reduce risk and ensure compliance?

We are dedicated to assisting our clients in implementing, managing, and continuously improving their cybersecurity programs. Reach out to us today for more information on how we can customize our Fractional CISO services specifically for your organization.

Why Vistrada’s Fractional CISO Services Stands Out