Finding your vCISO
How to engage with a vCISO
Typically, temporary CISOs are called virtual, fractional, or interim CISOs. The engagement can be as short as three months or for an extended period depending on your specific needs. Additionally, you can choose whether you want them to work onsite, fully remote, or in a hybrid capacity.
When engaging a temporary CISO, you have multiple options to consider; you can involve them for a few hours a week in an advisory capacity, opt for a part-time arrangement of 2-3 days a week when you don't need full-time support, or opt for a full-time engagement in case of a vacancy or critical situations.
ENGAGEMENT PROCESS
Step 1: Discovery
Hitch will meet with key decision-makers within your organization to determine your company's specific security scope, whether you need a vCISO or another level of leadership, the type of vCISO need, the length of your initial contract (typically 3-month engagements), and your budget
Step 2: Matching
Hitch will match your organization's specific security scope and needs to an extensive ecosystem of vetted vCISO partners – these will be individuals and vendors.
Hitch will then engage with them for availability and interest.
Step 3: Introductions
Hitch will present the top 3 recommendations for vCISOs.
Hitch will introduce any or all of them and help set up the initial conversations.
Guide you to ensure you get the necessary information from these conversations to make the right decision for your organization.
Step 4: Engagement
Hitch will be available to answer any questions and facilitate the arrangement.
Hitch will follow up periodically to ensure the continued success of the partnership.
At the end of the contract, Hitch will follow up with a brief survey about the vCISO performance and the process.
What are the Benefits of a vCISO?
Most companies today have a considerable amount of high-consequence data to protect, and the one thing that can derail their growth, trust, and brand is a security compromise. Even if your company does not intend to hire a full-time CISO or build a fully staffed security team, it is still vital to be protected.
For organizations that do not need a full-time security leader, this vCISO option offers a cost-effective and rapid ramp-up option to establish a proper security posture.
Additionally, vCISO resources offer experience and leadership combined with agility, which enables them to step into most situations and add immediate value to an information security program.
Here are some ways the vCISO option can help your organization:
Provide a comprehensive review of your information security posture from an industry expert, including incident response, vulnerability management, 3rd-party risk management, and acceptable use policies.
Provide an economically viable option for budget-constrained companies to gain and retain transferrable knowledge of your environment.
Establish a clear vision and a communication strategy within your organization, including with the Board of Directors and outside parties.
A flexible engagement model with both short and long-term options.
Orchestrate and lead incident response and remediation to recover business operations.
Provide swift protection and a framework against potential contractual penalties.
Develop security awareness programs and provide training and education to your team.
