Virtual CISO - A New Role For Modern Business

Over the last several years, the rapid growth of technology has had a large impact in the daily operations of nearly every business. One of the many challenges associated with this growth has been the security and management of the technology that these businesses have become reliant on. As a result, the rise of jobs such as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Chief Information office (CIO) have been prominent. There is, however, another solution for businesses to turn to in order to keep up with evolving tech trends – the Virtual Chief Information Security Officer, or Virtual CISO. The Virtual CISO, often referred to as vCISO, is a third-party service that can manage a company’s cybersecurity needs and help keep it secure from the growing number of cyber threats that seek to harm businesses every day.

Many businesses don’t realize their need for a vCISO, as they may already employ a CTO or CIO. While these roles are crucial to the technological integrity of a business, they do not perform some of the vital tasks that are carried out by a vCISO. In most businesses, the role of a CIO is to build and implement new technology, while simultaneously making said technology available to whoever needs it. The vCISO’s role is to build security protocols around that new technology and to ensure that access to critical data is managed securely. In addition, the vCISO assesses security risk, manages partnerships and access between 3^rd party vendors, safeguards valuable data, and forms procedures and policies surrounding breach events. The vCISO also plays a key role in auditing and testing new technology, a process that must be kept independent from the CIO.

There are many pros to adding a vCISO:

A vCISO is a cost-effective solution to hiring a full time CISO. The vCISO can be kept on retainer and used on a part-time basis, rather than paying for a full-time high salaried position. This can be an essential tool for small businesses who may not have the budget for such full-time hires.
A vCISO can bring security experience to a wide range of business. Business owners rely on computers to keep track of important employee and client data, but often do not understand how to mitigate the security risks of using these systems. A vCISO can bring this knowledge to any type of business and assist with keeping information out of the wrong hands.
vCISOs are well versed and up to date with trends in the cybersecurity field.
vCISOs can act independently of a business, thus providing an unbiased and fair view on cybersecurity issues.

The vCISO position can bring many benefits to a range of businesses. With the growing reliance on technology, it is important for all businesses to ensure the protection and privacy of the data they store for themselves and on behalf of their customers.