CISO As A Service

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CISO-AS-A-SERVICE (CISOaaS)

In 2020, businesses in the UK faced an average of 686,961 attempts to breach their systems online, equating to an attempted attack every 46 seconds, making information security a top concern for businesses of all sizes.

Cyber security must now be at the forefront of every organization’s business strategy, and the role of a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) is critical if cyber security is to be taken seriously.

Expert Led Cyber Security Advisory Services

Our virtual CISO-as-a-Service provides strategic security advice as and when you need it:

Knowledgeable board-level experts who have CISO experience across a wide range of industry sectors, helping individuals and organisations to understand and improve their cyber security
Trusted advice and effective decision making to address evolving and emerging security threats
Top-level guidance for senior management teams on cyber security strategy and the impacts across business functions; IT, finance, training and development, recruitment, PR, internal communications
Established know-how and leadership skills for ensuring governance and regulatory compliance across the whole organisation
Professional and credible representation for liaising with clients, regulators, banks and other parties
Due diligence insight in the appointing and auditing of managed security services providers, supply chains and 3rd parties
From regular guidance, to project assistance, to leadership of response for critical incidents, we offer a flexible approach to meet your business needs

Key deliverables across your entire organisation

Infosec Partners vCISOs are on hand to oversee a cyber security framework across your whole organisation:

Implement a business level risk methodology and measurement program to continually measure the risks and to monitor improvements
Utilise a standard based methodology as the framework to define a baseline level of control environment, often ISO 27001 is chosen as the baseline standard
Define a framework for the organisation as a whole and encompasses all other controlled requirements such as service, site, team, contract, client
Enable a framework to be customised/enhanced for your ‘crown jewels’, such as operating areas, divisions, data sets, where appropriate
Encompass third party suppliers to ensure they meet associated security requirements concerning people, processes and technology
Provide terms of reference and approach for responding to security incidents, and rehearses the ‘what if’ scenarios

ARRANGE A FREE VIRTUAL CISO CONSULTATION TODAY!

THE TRANSFORMATIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF A CISO

A CISO’s goal is to make cybersecurity relevant to the company’s top management. Their role as the senior executive in charge of security and compliance extends beyond the expertise of operational IT managers. They are responsible for establishing and maintaining the enterprise vision, strategy, and programs to ensure that information assets and technologies are adequately protected from both internal and external threats. However, as the scale, sophistication, and seriousness of cyber threats has increased in recent years, so has the role of the CISO in ensuring cyber security is given a seat in the boardroom and is part of strategic conversations and priorities.

THE ROLE OF A CISO

As the trusted security advisor, the CISO is responsible for developing and implementing a solid security strategy that covers all end-to-end security operations:

Stakeholder liaison and engagement at a senior level
Securing the necessary funding and resources
Evaluating the threat landscape
Defining security objectives and metrics
Identifying and monitoring all information security risks
Devising policies and controls to reduce risk
Conducting testing and digital forensic investigations
Leading all auditing activities
Implementing employee security awareness training
Choosing and purchasing security products from vendors
Ensuring Compliance with all necessary legislation
Ensuring company wide adherence to security practices
Defining and managing disaster recovery and business continuity in the event of a breach
Managing the Computer Security Incident Response Team

CISO DEMAND AND SUPPLY

One of the most pressing issues confronting business leaders today is a shortage of cyber security skills. With the rise of cybercrime and businesses continuing to invest in technology to support business growth and remote working, there has never been a greater need for CISO skills.

CISOs typically have a strong combination of business acumen and technological knowledge, as well as recognized information security certifications. However, the CISO is now expected to play a critical role in managing brand perception, employee engagement, and the strategic adoption of new technologies, in addition to protecting against threats and managing risk.

As a result, CISOs earn the third-highest average salary in the UK, their work is notoriously demanding, and their diverse skill sets are difficult to obtain. Finding and retaining a CISO is often one of the biggest challenges for organisations that take cyber security seriously.

According to IDG’s 2020 Security Priorities Study, 61 percent of surveyed companies have a CISO (rising to 85 percent for large global organizations), and those without a CISO are more likely to say their security strategy is not proactive enough.

According to a Ponemon Institute study, appointing a CISO reduced the cost of a breach by £5 per record. Given that a breach is a matter of when, and not if, hiring a CISO is particularly advantageous.

Arrange a vCISO Consultation

ARRANGE A FREE VIRTUAL CISO CONSULTATION TODAY!

WHY YOUR BUSINESS MAY NEED CISO-AS-A-SERVICE

Given the complexities of recruiting and retaining individuals with such diverse and in-demand skill sets, businesses are now enjoying the benefits of a more flexible approach to securing CISO expertise.

The emergence of “Virtual” or “Fractional” CISOs via the CISO-as-a-Service (CISOaaS) model offers businesses a cost-effective and flexible way to add leadership, value, and commitment to their information security.

COST EFFECTIVE, FLEXIBLE AND COMPREHENSIVE VIRTUAL CISO EXPERTISE

Our flexible and comprehensive CISOaaS model provides cost effective cyber security expertise, enabling your business to access business acumen, strategic security experience and valuable technical skills:

Provides a cost-effective way of accessing strategic senior security experience and technical skills without the cap-ex costs
Offers an affordable method of proactively maintaining information your security systems and managing risk
Provides the ability to access resources quickly
Extends your organisation’s information security capabilities
Lowers your costs as you only pay for the support required
Ensures an ongoing security presence, meaning risks and incidents and business losses are reduced
Leaves you free to focus on your core business objectives

The model is most suitable when:

Your business is not large enough to justify a full time CISO
You are having trouble recruiting a suitable individual
You have an internal skills gap
You are leveraging emerging technologies and you require project based expertise
You require expertise to scope and develop the role and strategy
You simply need some extra short term/interim support in your leadership team