Virtual CISO (vCISO) Services
Fractional security leadership on a predictable quarterly model — roadmap, policies, insurance support, and a security expert on call when questions come up.
Security Leadership, Right-Sized
Somewhere between 50 and 500 employees, security stops being an IT task and starts being a leadership question: What's our roadmap? Are we insurable? Can we pass our customers' security reviews? Who reviews the vendors we depend on?
Most organizations at this stage can't justify a full-time CISO — but they've outgrown ad-hoc security. Helm's vCISO service fills the gap: an experienced practitioner who owns your security program, meets with leadership, and is on call when the suspicious email or the surprise questionnaire shows up.
The model is deliberately simple: a quarterly bucket of hours (typically 20 per quarter), tracked and reported monthly, with limited rollover so quiet quarters aren't wasted. No black-box retainers.
Signs You Need a vCISO
- Your cyber insurance renewal asks questions nobody can answer
- Customers send security questionnaires that stall deals
- Security decisions default to whoever is loudest
- Policies were written once and never touched again
- You're adopting AI tools with no one assessing the risk
- A recent incident showed you need ongoing ownership, not one-off projects
What the Engagement Includes
The recurring work of a real security program — owned, scheduled, and reported.
Quarterly review and reprioritization of your security roadmap — so investment follows actual risk, not the latest headline.
Renewal application review against your real control posture, gap closure before attestation, and evidence your broker can use.
Annual review and refresh of information security policies and procedures — kept current, practical, and actually followed.
Review of new vendor and subcontractor relationships for security and contractual risk — accelerated by Helm's own vendor-review tooling.
Oversight of phishing simulation and security awareness training effectiveness — beyond checkbox completion rates.
Annual tabletop exercise refresh and incident response plan retest, so readiness doesn't decay between incidents.
Ad hoc security guidance — suspicious communications, new tool evaluations, AI adoption questions, or "is this normal?" moments.
Periodic reporting to leadership summarizing security posture, activity, and progress — in business language, not jargon.
Hours tracked and reported monthly, with capped rollover into the next quarter. You always know what you're getting.
How Clients Get Here
Most vCISO relationships start with a specific engagement — then grow into ongoing leadership.
A BEC or fraud incident revealed gaps that need ongoing ownership — not just a one-time cleanup.
BEC Incident Response →The readiness program built your foundation — vCISO services keep the roadmap moving and the plan tested.
Cyber CPR →An insurer, customer, or regulator expects named security leadership and a working program. That's the engagement.
Start the Conversation →Frequently Asked Questions
What does a vCISO cost compared to hiring a CISO?
A full-time CISO is a six-figure commitment before benefits — and most organizations under 500 employees don't have full-time CISO workloads. Helm's vCISO engagements run on a quarterly bucket-of-hours model (typically 20 hours per quarter), tracked and reported monthly, so you get genuine security leadership at a fraction of a full-time hire and always know where the hours went.
How is a vCISO different from our MSP or IT provider?
Your MSP operates technology; a vCISO owns security strategy and accountability. We work alongside your IT provider — setting the roadmap, reviewing their security controls independently, translating risk for leadership, and representing your interests in insurance renewals and vendor negotiations. Independence matters: we don't sell the tools we evaluate.
What happens to unused hours?
Hours are tracked and reported monthly. Unused hours roll into the following quarter up to a defined cap, so an unusually quiet quarter isn't money burned — and a busy one doesn't become a surprise invoice.
Can a vCISO help with our cyber insurance renewal?
Yes — it's one of the most-used parts of the engagement. We review renewal applications against your actual control posture before you sign them, close the gaps insurers care about most (MFA, backups, incident response planning), and make sure what you attest matches reality — which is exactly what determines whether a claim gets paid.
Do we need an incident response plan before starting vCISO services?
No — building or refreshing one is part of the job. Many clients start with our Cyber CPR readiness program or come to us after a BEC incident, then transition into vCISO services to keep the momentum. The annual tabletop refresh and IR plan retest are built into the ongoing engagement.