CISO as a Service

Board-level cyber leadership, without the full-time overhead

Our CISO as a Service (vCISO) offering gives you access to senior, strategic security leadership tailored to the stage and needs of your business. Whether you are a start-up building secure foundations, a growing organisation scaling your governance, or a mature enterprise strengthening resilience, our service delivers the right expertise at the right time.

We provide flexibility to engage a fractional, interim, or full-time CISO depending on your requirements, budget, and internal capability. The service can also be activated in response to specific scenarios, such as post-breach recovery, regulatory scrutiny, or investor due diligence, to provide clarity, direction, and assurance when it matters most.

Why use a CISO as a Service (vCISO)?

Bridging the Cyber Leadership Gap

There is a global shortage of senior cyber security leaders. A vCISO gives you access to rare board-level expertise without long lead times or the challenges of recruiting.
Cost
Efficiency

The loaded cost of a full-time CISO (salary, benefits, bonuses, recruitment fees) often exceeds £150k–£200k per year. A vCISO provides the same calibre of leadership at a fraction of the cost, on a flexible engagement model.
Scalability and
Flexibility

Engage only when you need it: a few days a month, interim cover during recruitment, or a full-time presence during a high-risk period.
Post-Breach or
Crisis Response

Rapid access to senior security leadership when the business is under pressure—whether recovering from a breach, responding to a regulator, or preparing for litigation.
Independent
Perspective

An external vCISO brings objectivity and fresh insight, helping boards cut through internal politics and focus on what matters most.
Board-Level Communication

Skilled at translating technical risk into clear business language, a vCISO ensures boards and stakeholders make informed decisions about security investments and priorities.
Regulatory and
Compliance Pressure

Stay ahead of requirements such as ISO 27001, Cyber Essentials, GDPR, NIS2, PCI-DSS, or sector-specific standards, with leadership that understands the frameworks and how to embed them practically.
Vendor &
Supply Chain Risk

Oversight of third-party relationships to ensure suppliers don’t become the weakest link in your cyber defences.
Future-Proofing
Growth

From start-up to enterprise scale, a vCISO ensures security evolves with your business model, technology stack, and risk appetite.
Knowledge Transfer & Uplift

A vCISO can coach your in-house teams, uplift cyber maturity, and leave behind sustainable governance frameworks.

What our CISO service covers

  • Cyber Strategy – aligning security priorities with your business objectives.
  • Risk Management – identifying, assessing, and mitigating cyber risks across your environment.
  • Assurance – independent oversight of your controls, policies, and resilience posture.
  • Governance – board-level reporting, policy frameworks, and accountability structures.
  • Compliance – guidance and alignment to ISO 27001, Cyber Essentials, GDPR, NIS2, and industry standards.
  • Vendor Management – ensuring your supply chain meets security expectations and contractual obligations.

Our CISO as a Service

Service area Fractional - Core Fractional - Enhanced
Board-level cyber leadership (set days per month) e.g. 2–3 days / month e.g. 4–6 days / month
Cyber strategy – alignment with business objectives yes yes
Risk management – identification & assessment yes yes
Risk management – ongoing monitoring & mitigation - yes
Assurance – independent review of controls & policies Annual / Bi-annual Quarterly or Continuous
Governance – board reporting & frameworks Limited
(ad-hoc) 		Structured, recurring
Compliance guidance (ISO 27001, Cyber Essentials, GDPR, etc.) Limited
(baseline guidance) 		Full framework alignment
Post-breach / crisis response On request
(extra) 		yes
Vendor & supply chain security oversight - yes
Independent regulatory & investor due diligence support - yes
Security maturity roadmap & improvement plan Limited
(initial roadmap only) 		Ongoing roadmap & tracking
Knowledge transfer & team coaching Light touch
(workshops) 		Structured mentoring & uplift
Engagement flexibility (fractional / interim / scale up) yes yes

Frequently Asked Questions

A vCISO provides your organisation with board-level cyber leadership on a flexible basis. Instead of hiring a full-time Chief Information Security Officer, you gain access to experienced security leadership to build strategy, manage risk, support compliance, and guide investment decisions.

Hiring a full-time CISO is costly and can be difficult given the skills shortage in the market. A vCISO gives you access to the same expertise without the overhead of a permanent role, tailored to the level of involvement your business actually needs.

vCISO services suit organisations of all sizes. SMEs often use a vCISO to establish their first cyber strategy and prepare for standards like ISO 27001 or Cyber Essentials, while larger organisations may use one to fill gaps after a staff departure, during rapid growth, or to provide specialist oversight on specific projects.

Our vCISOs typically cover strategy development, risk management, compliance (ISO 27001, GDPR, NIS2, Cyber Essentials, etc.), governance frameworks, incident response planning, vendor management, and executive reporting. Each engagement is tailored to your priorities.

The service can be delivered as a one-off engagement (e.g., post-breach review or certification preparation), or on an ongoing retainer to provide continuous leadership. We offer fractional models (e.g., a few days per month) up to near full-time coverage, depending on your needs.

We can usually begin with an initial assessment within 2–4 weeks, depending on your availability. From there, we’ll agree the scope and frequency of engagement so you have immediate clarity on the value delivered.

Yes – collaboration is key. Our vCISO will work alongside your internal staff, managed service providers, and board leadership to ensure security strategy is practical, actionable, and aligned with your business goals.

Absolutely. Our vCISOs have experience guiding businesses through ISO 27001, Cyber Essentials, GDPR readiness, NIS2, and industry-specific compliance frameworks. They can design roadmaps, oversee evidence gathering, and liaise with auditors.

We establish clear objectives from the outset – such as risk reduction, certification achievement, improved governance, or incident readiness. Regular reporting ensures progress is tracked and outcomes are visible at both operational and board level.

CISO as a Service (vCISO)

With Alltime’s CISO as a Service (vCISO), you gain the confidence of experienced, independent leadership, tailored to your organisation’s context and delivered in a scalable, cost-effective way.

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