A practical look at the virtual CISO providers that deliver executive-level security leadership without a full-time salary, plus a simple framework you can use to vet any firm yourself.
Key Takeaways
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What Is a Virtual CISO (vCISO) Company?
A virtual CISO company runs your security leadership from the outside, on a part-time or retainer basis. Hiring a full-time CISO is expensive. Total compensation often clears $200,000 and can run past $400,000. A vCISO gets you that same level of direction for a fraction of the price.
Most engagements cover four things. First, security strategy and governance: risk assessments, a roadmap, and reporting to leadership. Second, compliance across frameworks like SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, PCI DSS, CMMC, and GDPR. Third, the policies and processes behind a real program, including incident response and vendor risk. Fourth, the leadership itself, whether that means mentoring your internal staff or running point during an incident.
There is an important line between a vCISO and an MSSP. An MSSP watches your logs and sends alerts. A vCISO sets the strategy, builds the program, owns compliance, and explains risk to your board in language they understand. Plenty of companies use both. The vCISO decides what matters, and the MSSP handles the day-to-day.
Why Companies Are Hiring vCISOs
Demand keeps climbing, and four things are behind it.
- The talent gap is real. Something like 3.5 million security jobs sit unfilled worldwide, and experienced CISOs cost a premium. For most mid-market companies, that hire simply is not realistic.
- Compliance keeps stacking up. SOC 2 is now expected before most enterprise buyers will sign, and it overlaps with HIPAA, PCI DSS, CMMC, ISO 27001, GDPR, state privacy laws, and the SEC’s disclosure rules. Sorting out how they fit together takes real judgment.
- Boards and investors are paying attention. Security governance is a business conversation now, and they want a named leader who can frame risk in business terms rather than IT terms.
- Insurers are stricter. Before they will write or renew a cyber policy, insurers want documented programs, risk assessments, and executive oversight. No named security leader often means higher premiums or a flat no.
How We Evaluated These Companies
We looked at team depth and continuity, how each firm actually runs an engagement, the range of compliance work they handle, experience in specific industries, whether their advice is free of vendor kickbacks, how clearly they price, and what their clients end up with. We also spread the list across provider types, from dedicated vCISO firms to platform-backed specialists to managed-service providers with a mature security practice, so companies of different sizes can find something realistic.
Top 10 Virtual CISO Companies
1. Compass IT Compliance (Top Pick)
Best for: SMBs and mid-market companies that want a full security program, leadership and hands-on work both, run by a team instead of a single person.
Compass IT Compliance started in 2010, is based in Rhode Island, and has been doing virtual CISO work for more than a decade. They now serve over 1,000 clients around the country in financial services, healthcare, higher education, technology, manufacturing, retail, and government. What stands out is how the work is staffed. You do not get a lone consultant. You get the whole bench, which removes the risk of one person walking out the door and takes some of the bias out of any given recommendation.
Engagements open with a gap assessment and a roadmap tied to your business goals and whatever compliance you are on the hook for. From there it is the real work: writing policies, managing risk, handling vendor reviews, answering security questionnaires, monitoring, and reporting to the board. Compass also runs a broad security and compliance practice, including SOC 2, PCI DSS, HIPAA, CMMC, NIST, ISO 27001, and GLBA work plus penetration testing, so you can meet a wide range of needs through one experienced partner. They work with you rather than grading you pass or fail. About a quarter of the staff are military veterans, and the team holds more than 50 certifications between them. If you need it, Compass can also step into Virtual Compliance Officer and Virtual Chief Privacy Officer roles.
Pricing: monthly retainer, usually 30 to 40 percent less than a full-time CISO. Terms: flexible and scalable. Vendor-neutral: yes. What sets it apart: a team behind every engagement, a full-service shop, and a collaborative approach.
2. Truvantis
Best for: Companies that want an experienced vCISO team with real PCI DSS and ISO 27001 depth.
Truvantis staffs its vCISO work as a team and pitches it plainly: a whole team for less than one full-time CISO. Its roots are in hands-on compliance and building programs from the ground up, especially PCI DSS, ISO 27001, SOC 2, and NIST CSF. The consultants tend to roll up their sleeves and fix things rather than advise from a distance. It is a solid fit if you want visible progress and practical remediation.
3. Rivial Data Security
Best for: Banks, credit unions, and other tightly regulated financial institutions.
Rivial (Rivial Data Security) has focused on cybersecurity for banks and credit unions for about 15 years. It blends a GRC platform with hands-on services, IT audits, risk assessments, and penetration tests, and pairs quantitative risk analysis with continuous compliance monitoring mapped to FFIEC, NCUA, GLBA, and PCI DSS. The firm points to results like roughly $5 million in average annual risk reduction and about 80 percent less time spent on audits. If examiner-ready evidence and putting a dollar figure on risk are what you care about, this is a strong option.
4. Sedara Security
Best for: Northeast SMBs and mid-market companies that want strategy and monitoring from the same provider.
Sedara, based in Buffalo, New York, combines virtual CISO leadership with managed detection and response, so you get both the plan and the day-to-day coverage in one place. Its vCISO work maps programs to the NIST Cybersecurity Framework. That setup works well for teams who would otherwise have to line up a strategy consultant and a separate security operations center and hope the two talk to each other.
5. Workstreet
Best for: Startups and fast-growing SaaS companies going after their first certifications.
Workstreet is built for startups, and its client roster includes names like Cursor, Clay, and Granola. It wraps vCISO leadership together with privacy, GRC, internal audit, and Vanta implementation (it bills itself as Vanta’s number-one MSP), all organized around a proprietary maturity framework it calls GUARD. Workstreet emphasizes zero onboarding and fast audit readiness, as little as 30 to 60 days for a SOC 2 Type I. If you are venture-backed and need to clear SOC 2, HIPAA, or NIST without pulling engineers off the product, it is worth a look.
6. TrustedCISO
Best for: SMBs and government contractors dealing with CMMC and FedRAMP.
TrustedCISO helps smaller companies and government contractors get ready for SOC 2, ISO 27001, CMMC, and FedRAMP audits. Engagements are founder-led: the firm says you work directly with Debra Baker, an Air Force veteran, former CISO, and published author with more than 30 years in the field, rather than a rotating bench. It is a certified woman-owned and veteran-owned small business, reports a 100 percent first-attempt audit pass rate, and prices packages from $3,000 a month. Best if you would rather have one senior person who knows your account.
7. RSI Security
Best for: Companies that want vCISO leadership inside a broad compliance shop.
RSI Security offers vCISO consulting next to a wide compliance and testing practice. It is an accredited PCI Qualified Security Assessor and Approved Scanning Vendor, and it also handles HITRUST, CMMC, HIPAA, and SOC 2. That means strategy, assessment, and fixes can all come from one vendor. It is a good match if you are juggling several overlapping requirements and would rather not stitch together a handful of specialists.
8. Ntiva
Best for: Companies that want security leadership bundled with managed IT.
Ntiva delivers 24/7 U.S.-based vCISO services on top of an established managed-services business. You get seasoned, certified security leaders who handle the executive side, security maturity assessments, roadmaps, audit readiness, and board reporting, and who will also roll up their sleeves to implement and maintain the controls they recommend. That closes the common gap between good advice and actually getting it done.
9. Framework Security
Best for: Mid-market companies that want vCISO leadership with a strong AI-governance bent.
Framework Security offers fractional executive security leadership led by co-founder Jerry Sanchez, a former Fortune 500 CIO and CISO, backed by a team with 65-plus years of combined experience. The firm is vendor-agnostic and leans hard into AI governance (ISO 42001 and the NIST AI Risk Management Framework) alongside the usual SOC 2, NIST, ISO 27001, HIPAA, and PCI work. It has also earned outside recognition, including a number-one Clutch ranking in North America and repeat vCISO Solution of the Year honors. A fit for mid-market and growth-stage companies that want board-ready leadership without enterprise overhead.
10. Dataprise
Best for: Mid-market companies that want security leadership lined up with their broader IT.
Dataprise is a national managed IT and security provider, and its vCISO engagements are delivered by senior consultants who set high-level strategy and program oversight. Because that practice sits inside a larger IT and infrastructure business, it suits companies that want security governance working hand in hand with whoever already runs their day-to-day IT.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Company | Best For | Model | Compliance Strength | Flexible Terms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compass IT Compliance | SMB & mid-market, full program | Team-backed | SOC 2, PCI, HIPAA, CMMC, NIST, ISO 27001 | Yes |
| Truvantis | Program build-out | Team | PCI, ISO 27001, SOC 2, NIST | Yes |
| Rivial Security | Banks & credit unions | Platform + team | FFIEC, NCUA, GLBA, PCI | Yes |
| Sedara Security | Northeast SMB/mid-market | vCISO + MDR | Multi-framework | Yes |
| Workstreet | Startups & SaaS | Team + automation | SOC 2, HIPAA, NIST | Yes |
| TrustedCISO | SMB & gov contractors | Founder-led | CMMC, FedRAMP, SOC 2 | Yes |
| RSI Security | Multi-framework compliance | Team | PCI (QSA), HITRUST, CMMC | Yes |
| Ntiva | Security + managed IT | MSP + vCISO | Multi-framework | Yes |
| Framework Security | Mid-market + AI governance | Team | SOC 2, ISO, ISO 42001 | Yes |
| Dataprise | Mid-market IT alignment | MSP + vCISO | Multi-framework | Yes |
The compliance columns highlight each firm’s noted strengths. They are not a full list of what every provider supports.
How to Choose a Virtual CISO Company
Rate each firm on the eight points below. If a provider comes up short on team depth, honest vendor advice, or clear pricing, dig deeper before you sign, no matter how well-known the name is.
- Team depth and continuity: Is there a team behind the work, or does it all hinge on one person?
- Industry and compliance experience: Can they point to real work in your sector and the frameworks holding up your deals?
- Methodology: Do they have a set way of onboarding, assessing, and building a roadmap, or is every project made up on the fly?
- Tangible deliverables: Will you end up with working policies, assessments, and reports, or just conversations?
- Flexibility: Are the terms month-to-month or quarterly, with room to scale up or down?
- Pricing clarity: Is the scope spelled out up front, with add-ons named?
- Vendor independence: Do they take commissions on the tools they suggest? Good advice should not come with a sales incentive.
- Communication: Can they explain risk to your executives and board without drowning them in jargon?
A few questions that cut through the sales pitch: Who is my main contact, and what happens if they leave? How many clients does each vCISO carry? Can I see a sample risk assessment and talk to two current clients in my industry? What is included, and what costs extra? What do the first 30 days look like? And if we part ways, what do I keep in terms of policies, documentation, and evidence?
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a virtual CISO company do?
It runs your security leadership from the outside. That means setting strategy, managing compliance programs like SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, PCI DSS, and CMMC, running risk assessments, writing policies, coordinating incident response, and reporting to your executives and board. You get a security executive without the full-time salary.
How much does a virtual CISO cost per month?
Most firms charge somewhere between $3,000 and $15,000 a month on retainer. What you pay comes down to scope, company size, how many frameworks are in play, and whether the work is advice-only or includes hands-on implementation. As a rule of thumb, a vCISO runs about 30 to 40 percent less than a full-time CISO.
What is the difference between a vCISO and an MSSP?
An MSSP handles the day-to-day: log monitoring, endpoint protection, and triaging alerts. A vCISO provides the leadership above that, setting priorities, owning compliance, building the program, and reporting up. A lot of companies keep both, with the vCISO deciding what matters and the MSSP carrying it out.
What size company needs a vCISO?
Usually companies under 1,000 employees that need security leadership but cannot justify a full-time CISO. That covers businesses chasing certifications, responding to customer or investor security demands, or working in regulated fields like healthcare, finance, and government contracting.
Can a vCISO help with SOC 2, HIPAA, or CMMC?
Yes, and it is one of the most common reasons to bring one in. A good provider handles the whole cycle: gap analysis, putting controls in place, writing policies, gathering evidence, and working with your auditor or assessor.
How fast does a vCISO deliver value?
Most engagements show real progress in the first 30 to 60 days. The opening weeks go to onboarding and assessment, and by day 30 you should have a clear read on your risk and a prioritized roadmap. Compare that to three to six months to hire and onboard someone full-time.
Is a virtual CISO different from a fractional CISO?
Not really. The terms are used interchangeably, and most firms treat them as the same thing: outsourced, part-time security leadership for companies that do not need or cannot justify a full-time CISO. Any distinction tends to be marketing rather than a real difference in the work, so focus on what a provider actually delivers, not the label they use.
