The Chief Information Security Officer-as-a-Service (CISOaaS) offers access to the skills needed to respond to today's threats and prepare for those of tomorrow as a part of our assistance services.

Hiring a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for some companies is cost-prohibitive, and it is difficult for others to recruit and retain the best talent. The consequence of a cyber-attack or data breach may still be important either way. Often, access to the right capabilities at the right time is simply what is needed.

What is CISOaaS?

Chief Information Security Officer-as-a-Service (CISOaaS) offers leadership in information security from a sufficient pool of experience and technical tools. CISOaaS provides senior management with compliance advice and guides the information security program of the company.

CISOaaS will help the company recognize the current maturity of its information security, the threat environment, what needs to be protected, and the level of protection needed, as well as the regulatory requirements it needs to satisfy. An information security policy will be developed by the CISO, ensuring that the fundamentals are applied and preserved, threats are minimized, and the maturity of information security is improved.

Why use CISOaaS?

The difficulty of finding a CISO with the right abilities and expertise is faced by organizations that are serious about security. The protection and enforcement plan must be owned by someone, but the requirement can stretch beyond the competence of operational IT and security managers.

Investing in a full-time CISO, however, may also have its drawbacks. What happens if the CISO is sick, goes on vacation, or is not up-to-date with the new laws or cyber threats? A lack of security talent can also prevent a full-time CISO from working efficiently and seeing the bigger picture. The extreme problem of having too few team members and not enough experienced talent will be faced by most CISOs.

Key Benefits of CISOaaS

The advantages of Virtual CISO (Chief Information Security Officer as a Service / CISO as a Service) include:

1. Digital access to strategic and operational cybersecurity / Resilience advice up to the minute from world-class Chief Information Security Officers and the vast Cyber, Cloud, and Information Security Practitioners team of Teceze (including accredited ethical hackers).
2. Cyber Security Vulnerability Assessments, with specific guidelines to mitigate cybersecurity threats that are likely to affect your sensitive assets and processing activities for personal data.
3. Cyber Security Awareness Training on-site and/or live online for the executives and staff.
4. Robust reviews of cybersecurity plans, processes, roadmaps, practices, and standard operating procedures for the organizations.
5. Design & review of Expert Security & Network Architecture.
6. Independent Maturity Assessments & Audits for cybersecurity (including training you for internal and external cybersecurity audits).

What are the Responsibilities of CISOaaS?

For the most part, the CISOaaS has the same tasks as an in-house CISO. They include:

1. Protection of data confidentiality, incorporation, and availability;
2. Development of cybersecurity long-term strategy;
3. GRC (Governance, Risk and Compliance) program development;
4. Awareness and training for security;
5. Developing safe practices for business and communication;
6. Security activities reporting;
7. Security Monitoring Operations;
8. Defining metrics to assess progress in the program;
9. Personnel and vendor relationship management; and
10. Integration of other third-party security providers and their management.

Since CISOaaS providers service several clients, vCISOs are additionally responsible for adjusting to each client company and servicing them according to their particular needs. To have strong customer service, and learn the needs of the client, a CISOaaS team needs to have good people skills.

CISOaaS's Cost Advantage

Not only is the cybersecurity skills shortage true, but it is also one of the biggest challenges IT leaders are facing today. It is difficult to find qualified workers who are both cyber information security experts and affordable, as Cybersecurity threats become more complicated.

PayScale estimates that the average salary for a CISO in the UK (including bonuses) is £100,000. In SMEs, this may extend to £280,000 at the top end. Long-term retention of such jobs is almost unlikely as other companies are still poaching them. It would likely take 3-5 months and an investment of 15-20 percent of the first-year salary of the right applicant to find them. Since a violation is a matter of when not if, companies that employ a CISO should safeguard their cash flow. A study by an Institute showed that the appointment of a CISO lowered the cost of a violation by £5 per record.

How can Teceze support you?

  1. Professional at ensuring that the company is equipped to deal with cyber incidents and data breaches.

  2. Expert people who have held CISO management positions and have a wealth of industry expertise.

  3. Experienced specialists who can provide data security training as part of the service.

  4. Ability to handle and consult with regulators on your behalf about all demands for data privacy and information security.

Chief Information Security Officer-as-a-Service (CISOaaS) offers leadership in information security from a sufficient pool of experience and technical tools. CISOaaS provides senior management with compliance advice and guides the information security programme of the company.