vCISO Services

vCISO services backed by people who test what they advise

A virtual CISO who sets your security strategy, runs your risk program and answers to your board and customers, with priorities based on what testing shows an attacker could do.

Security strategy and roadmap mapped to NIST CSF 2.0
Policies, risk register and board reporting
Support for SOC 2, ISO/IEC 27001 and customer security reviews
Priorities informed by penetration testing, not guesswork

Talk to a vCISO See how we work ↓Talk to an expert →

The credentials behind every engagement

2026 CyberSecurity Breakthrough Awards winner

Penetration Testing Solution of the Year2026 CyberSecurity Breakthrough Awards

Reviewed by Omair Manzoor, Founder & CEO, ioSENTRIX · Updated November 2026

Key terms: What is a virtual CISO? · What is security governance? · What is a risk assessment?

Trusted by security teams at

How the engagement grows

Discover, build, elevate

A vCISO engagement moves in three phases, so you see progress at each step instead of a long wait for a strategy document.

Discover: assess where your program stands today
Build: set the roadmap, budget and controls
Elevate: keep it moving with regular reviews and leadership reporting

vCISO plans

Four ways to work with your vCISO

Start with an assessment, add policies and testing as your program grows, or buy hours when you need them.

Plan 1

Discover

Know where you stand

Security assessment and controls evaluation
A security roadmap with budget analysis
Quarterly reviews of progress and risk
Presentations for leadership and the board
Referrals to vetted partners when you need them

Best for: teams without a security leader that need a clear baseline and plan.

Plan 2

Build

Turn the plan into a program

Everything in Discover, plus

Security policies and procedures written for your business
An incident response plan
Quarterly vulnerability scans
Solutions designed for the gaps the roadmap finds

Best for: companies getting ready for SOC 2, ISO 27001 or customer security reviews.

Plan 3

Elevate

Lead it and prove it works

Everything in Build, plus

Monthly reviews instead of quarterly
A network penetration test
A web application penetration test
Remediation tracking and validation of every fix

Best for: teams that need ongoing leadership and proof their controls work.

On demand

Flex

Hours when you need them

80-hour blocks, valid for 12 months

Policies and procedures
Architecture and cloud security reviews
Penetration testing and retesting
Risk assessments and audit support
Vendor reviews and security questionnaires
Incident response plan testing

Works with NIST CSF, SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, PCI DSS and GDPR.

Best for: changing needs, without a long-term commitment.

Find the right plan

The short answer

What are vCISO services?

vCISO services provide a virtual or fractional chief information security officer: an experienced security leader who works part-time or on retainer instead of as a full-time hire. A vCISO sets security strategy, owns the risk program, writes and maintains policy, guides compliance and reports to leadership and the board.

Many vCISOs work from frameworks and questionnaires alone. Ours sit inside an offensive security firm, so the roadmap is based on what testing shows an attacker could reach, not only on control checklists. When you need evidence, the same firm can run the pentest, the AppSec program or compliance as a service.

ioSENTRIX provides vCISO services from inside a CREST-accredited, ISO/IEC 27001 certified offensive security firm.

You need a vCISO if

You have no security leader, or one stretched across too many roles
Enterprise customers send security questionnaires you struggle to answer
Your board or investors want a security plan and regular reporting
You are preparing for SOC 2, ISO/IEC 27001 or HIPAA

What a vCISO owns

Four areas your vCISO takes on

Scope follows your stage, risk and deadlines. Most engagements cover these four areas.

Strategy

Strategy & roadmap

Where to spend next, and why.

Current-state assessment
Roadmap mapped to NIST CSF 2.0
Security budget planning
Vendor and tool selection

Risk

Risk & policy

The documents and decisions auditors ask for.

Risk register and risk assessments
Security policies and standards
Third-party risk reviews
Incident response planning

Trust

Compliance & customers

Answers for auditors and enterprise buyers.

SOC 2 and ISO/IEC 27001 readiness
HIPAA security risk analysis
Security questionnaires
Customer security calls

Board

Leadership & board

Security in terms leadership can act on.

Board and investor reporting
Security metrics
Tabletop exercises
Hiring plans for your future team

How we work

How we work: example vCISO tasks

A sample of the work in a typical vCISO engagement. Your priorities decide the full list.

VC-01

Security program baseline

We assess current controls against the six NIST CSF 2.0 functions, Govern through Recover, and turn the gaps into a ranked roadmap.

VC-02

Attack-informed priorities

We use pentest and attack-surface results to rank roadmap items by what an attacker could reach today.

VC-03

Risk register

We build and maintain a register of risks with owners, ratings and treatment decisions that leadership signs off.

VC-04

Customer security reviews

We answer security questionnaires and join calls with enterprise buyers, so deals do not stall in security review.

VC-05

Policy set

We write or update the policies auditors expect, such as access control, incident response and vendor management, sized to how you actually work.

VC-06

Board report

We report risk, progress and the decisions needed in plain language, on the cadence your board sets.

Sample gap

What a gap looks like in our report

An illustrative example in our report format. Not client data.

Gap 01 · IllustrativeHigh

Offboarded contractors keep access to production because no one owns access reviews

NIST CSF 2.0 PR.AA-05 (access permissions) · SOC 2 Trust Services Criteria (Security)

What we found

A comparison of identity records with contractor offboarding dates found accounts still active in the cloud console and code repositories after contracts ended. Access was granted per project, but nobody was assigned to remove it, and no periodic access review existed.

Impact

Former contractors could still read source code and change production infrastructure.

How to fix it

Assign an owner for joiner, mover and leaver processes, tie deprovisioning to the HR and vendor offboarding steps, and run regular, recorded access reviews for privileged systems.

What you get

What you get from a vCISO

Not a binder of policies. A security program leadership can run and auditors can check.

A roadmap with reasons

A ranked plan mapped to NIST CSF 2.0, with each item tied to a risk or a test result.

Documents that hold up

Policies, a risk register and evidence organized for SOC 2, ISO/IEC 27001 or customer reviews.

A security leader on call

A named vCISO for leadership meetings, board updates, customer calls and incidents.

Verified reviews

What security leaders say about working with us

★★★★★

“Unlike other providers, Omair and his team truly dive deep into our infrastructure, delivering findings that go well beyond the surface level. Communication is direct and seamless.”

Jesus B.

Cybersecurity Manager, Banking

Verified G2 review ↗

★★★★★

“We were impressed with ioSENTRIX’s ability to independently validate the security of our customer-facing product.”

Zeehasham R.

Data Scientist, Security Operations · Fortune 500 insurer

Verified Clutch review ↗

★★★★★

“The team at ioSENTRIX is professional and highly skilled at their craft.”

Awwab A.

SVP, Chief Information Security Officer

Verified G2 review ↗

vCISO or fractional CISO

Is a vCISO the same as a fractional CISO?

Yes. A vCISO and a fractional CISO are the same role: a senior security leader who works for you part-time or on retainer rather than as a full-time employee. The terms are used interchangeably, and the work is the same: security strategy, risk, policy, compliance and reporting to leadership and the board.

How it works

How a vCISO engagement works

Four steps from first call to a running security program.

Scoping call

A senior engineer replies with scope, timeline and a fixed quote.

Under an hour

Assess

We review your controls, documents and recent test results against NIST CSF 2.0 and the frameworks you need.

At the start

Plan

A ranked roadmap, policy plan and risk register agreed with leadership.

After the assessment

Lead

Ongoing leadership: roadmap delivery, audits, customer reviews and board reporting.

Ongoing

Reply in under an hour → fixed quote → assessment and roadmap → ongoing security leadership

How we compare

Not a full-time hire. Not a policy template.

How an ioSENTRIX vCISO compares with the usual alternatives.

ioSENTRIX vCISO

Full-time CISO hire

Compliance-only consultant

Commitment

Fractional, by subscription

Full-time salary and benefits

Per project

Basis for priorities

Frameworks plus test results

Depends on the hire

Control checklists

Testing and evidence

Same firm runs pentests and AppSec

Bought separately

Board reporting

Part of the engagement

Part of the role

Rarely

Best fit

Teams without a security leader, or growing into one

Large, mature programs

A single audit

Talk to a vCISO

Scope and price

What affects the scope and price of a vCISO

vCISO engagements are priced on effort, as a subscription or a fixed quote agreed in writing before work starts.

What moves the quote

01Company size, locations and how many systems are in scope
02Which frameworks you need: SOC 2, ISO/IEC 27001, HIPAA, PCI DSS
03How much hands-on work versus advisory you want
04Board, investor and customer meeting commitments
05Whether policies and a risk register exist today
06Whether testing or compliance as a service is added

Read: Is a vCISO Worth the Investment? →

What we need from you to start

An org chart and the main systems you run
Existing policies, audit reports or test reports
Upcoming audits, deals or board dates
An executive sponsor

Talk to a vCISO

Track record

Numbers you can check

Ratings you can verify on G2 and Clutch.

4.9 / 5

on G2 from 12 verified reviews

5.0 / 5

on Clutch, Premier Verified

2017

founded; CREST-accredited, ISO 27001 certified, SOC 2 Type 2 attested

Independently verified

Credentials held by the firm

Every engagement runs inside a company whose methods and own security are checked by outside bodies.

CREST-accredited for penetration testing

CREST assesses the firm's testing methodology, quality assurance and handling of client data.

View our CREST listing →

SOC 2 Type 2 attested

An independent auditor tested our own security controls over time.

Request the SOC 2 report →

ISO/IEC 27001 certified

Our information security management system is certified to ISO/IEC 27001.

View in our trust center →

Recognized independently

Penetration Testing Solution of the Year, 2026 CyberSecurity Breakthrough Awards. G2 High Performer, Fall 2026.

Award announcement →See our G2 reviews →

Founded in 2017.

For your buying team

Everything your reviewers will ask for

Security, finance and procurement each need something different. Forward this page, or pull what each reviewer needs.

For security

Sample report

See exactly what you get: findings, proof of concept, fixes and retest results.

Download the sample report (PDF) →

For vendor risk

Trust center

Our SOC 2 Type 2 report and security documentation for your vendor review.

Open the trust center →

For procurement

Procurement pack

Master services agreement, sample statement of work, certificate of insurance and W-9.

Request the procurement pack →

For your team

Share this page

Send the link to the people who need to sign off.

Who you work with

Who does the work

Senior security engineers do the hands-on work and write up the results, so the person who found an issue explains it to your team.

Certified engineers

Each engineer holds one or more of OSCP, OSWE, OSCE, CISSP, CISA or AWS security certifications.

Accredited firm

ioSENTRIX is CREST-accredited for penetration testing, ISO/IEC 27001 certified and SOC 2 Type 2 attested.

Since 2017

Founded in 2017, with security work for Fortune 100, financial services, insurance and SaaS companies.

Need a security leader without a full-time hire?

We reply in under an hour · no sales pitch

Talk to a vCISO

Standards

Frameworks we test and map to

◆NIST CSF 2.0◆ISO/IEC 27001:2022◆SOC 2 Trust Services Criteria◆CIS Controls v8.1◆HIPAA Security Rule◆PCI DSS v4.0.1

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a vCISO and a fractional CISO?

The terms are used interchangeably. Both describe a senior security leader who works for you part-time or on retainer rather than as a full-time employee.

vCISO or in-house CISO: which is better?

A full-time CISO makes sense once security needs a dedicated executive every day. Before that, a vCISO gives you security leadership without a full-time hire, and can help you hire your first full-time security lead. See vCISO vs in-house CISO.

Can a vCISO get us through SOC 2 or ISO 27001?

A vCISO plans the program, writes policies and prepares evidence. For the audit itself, compliance as a service brings the auditor and supports you after certification.

How much do vCISO services cost?

Pricing depends on how much of the vCISO's time you need, the frameworks in scope and how hands-on the work is. Engagements are a subscription or a fixed quote based on effort. We reply in under an hour during US business hours, and scope and price follow the scoping call.

How quickly can a vCISO start?

We reply in under an hour during US business hours. The initial assessment takes days to weeks, depending on your size and scope, and ongoing leadership continues after that.

What should we look for in a vCISO provider?

Look for hands-on security experience, not only compliance knowledge, clear deliverables and a way to verify that controls work. Read what to look for in a vCISO provider.

Resources

Go deeper before you start

Practical guides from our testers on the questions buyers ask most.

Guide · 7 min read

Is a vCISO Worth the Investment? - ROI on vCISO

A vCISO can be a valuable investment, particularly for SMBs or organizations with fewer resources. He provides affordable, on-demand cybersecurity…

Read the guide →

Guide · 6 min read

vCISO vs In-house CISO: Which is Better for Your Business?

A traditional, full-time CISO provides close, internal support. However, a vCISO can offer a more affordable, adaptable, and scalable option, which…

Read the guide →

Guide · 7 min read

What to Look for In a vCISO Services Provider? 7 Key Considerations

When choosing a vCISO provider, consider their reputation. Find providers with a history of success, supported by good client reviews, examples of…

Read the guide →

Keep exploring

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HubContinuous Security (CTEM)ServiceCompliance as a Service ServicePenetration Testing as a Service (PTaaS)

Ready when you are

Get a security leader who knows how attacks work

Tell us where you are and what is driving it: an audit, a deal or a board. We will scope a vCISO engagement and send a fixed quote.

A reply in under an hour · Fixed quote in writing before work starts · Your details are never shared