Protection of data is one of the biggest challenges for companies today. Your firm can be into software development, healthcare, manufacturing or retail, whichever the type of firm, Information Security is one of the biggest challenges today. The tons of information your company generates daily is critical for business growth and reputation. To keep the data secure it requires sound knowledge and implementation of proactive safety measures.

An in-house Chief Information and Security Officer (CISO) or a virtual CISO (vCISO) takes the responsibility of managing safety and confidentiality of all information. A vCISO can help you plan and execute security maps and strategies, establish and manage ISMS and regulatory compliance, review your security architecture and host security steering committee meetings.

Here’s a list of vCISO Services that we offer:

• Define security goals and strategies
• Security policies development and review
• Security governance
• Compliance management
• Risk management
• Security architectural review
• Process health check
• Security awareness and trainings

While a CISO works only for you on a full-time basis a vCISO would work as an independent consultant. Choosing between the two is critical to lay the foundation of data and information security for your business.

In this blog, we will discuss five important parameters and help you make better decisions when you choose cyber security expert services

Cost: Any conversation of getting a cyber security expert begins with cost. Many small and mid sized companies remain vulnerable to threats, as they are unable to afford the total compensation of a CISO. The cost to company for CISO varies between 5 million to 10 million Rupees per year. On the contrary, you can get all the expertise and required help with a vCISO at 25% of the total cost yet performs similar functions to that of an inhouse CISO. A vCISO is a smart choice for companies struggling to the get the best service at economical price.

Training: Invention of new technology regularly requires us to stay updated and to be aware of new threats in the world of cyber security. CISO too needs training and certifications to safe guard your data. The training investments you need to make will be an additional expenditure. However, when you hire a vCISO, you can save the cost you spend on training. vCISOs are independent professionals who keep themselves updated.

Employee Turnover: There is always a risk of losing your in-house CISO to a competitor. However in case of a vCISO, you would only hire them when you need them.

Flexibility: Fluctuations are common in a business. Depending upon expansion plans, you need to ensure adequate resources are allocated to take care of increasing or decreasing effort required to safeguard your data. Example, if you are expanding and one person is not able to handle security operations, you might need to hire a another member in the team. It is difficult for organizations to maintain right amount of resources at all times to ensure the process does not suffer. An alternative to this is to go with vCISO services. Depending on the size and scope of the requirement, you can hire vCISO services at comparatively less price and this also provides you the flexibility to discontinue the services when you do not need it.

Experience: When you hire an employee for a senior position, your organization benefits from previous experiences and knowledge. If a full-time CISO joins your company you definitely have someone working only for your organization. On the other hand a vCISO brings a much wider range of experience to the table. Our pool of vCISOs come with a minimum of 15 years of experience in the Information Security field.

The final decision to choose a CISO or vCISO definitely depends on organizational needs. At SiriNiti, we encourage our clients to weigh in both the options carefully and compare services and costs associated before coming to a conclusion.

If you are still looking for more clarity and need an expert opinion to choose between the two, we are here to help. Our consultants would be happy to assist you.Email us info@siriniti.net