Most companies face a growing pressure to secure their systems and prove compliance, but 70% report a shortage of cybersecurity skills. Hiring a full-time Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) is expensive and often out of reach, especially for small and mid-sized organizations.

That’s why many turn to a Virtual CISO (vCISO).

A vCISO is an external security expert who acts as the company’s security lead. They guide strategy, manage risks, ensure compliance, and report to leadership just like a full-time CISO, but on a flexible, part-time basis.

The vCISO model gives companies flexible, on-demand access to experienced security leadership. For consultants and partners, it opens the door to long-term, recurring business relationships that goes far beyond one-off projects.

What does a vCISO actually do?

A Virtual CISO (vCISO) fills the role of a security leader — but works externally, on a flexible basis. They’re responsible for building and maintaining the organization’s security posture, typically working with leadership, IT, and compliance stakeholders.

Here’s what that usually includes:

• Leading the company’s information security strategy
• Ensuring compliance with relevant standards (e.g., ISO 27001, NIS2, DORA)
• Maintaining a structured Information Security Management System (ISMS)
• Running risk assessments and guiding risk treatment
• Communicating security posture to stakeholders, including the board
• Coordinating audits and reporting
• Supporting during incidents or regulatory changes

Unlike a full-time hire, a vCISO typically works a few days per month on a retainer. Their role is not to handle every task, but to set direction, monitor progress, and guide key decisions.

They provide structure, delegate work, and stay involved enough to keep security and compliance moving forward. This lets companies get senior-level leadership without full-time cost, and gives consultants a scalable way to support multiple clients.

Read more: 10 most important tasks for a CISO

Why the vCISO model is attractive for consultants

For independent cyber security professionals and small consultancies, the vCISO model solves two major problems:

1. Avoiding the unpredictable cycle of project highs and dry spells
2. Delivering continuous value through ongoing advisory, reporting, and updates

By offering vCISO services, consultants become involved in their customers’ operations. They are trusted advisors rather than temporary contractors. This creates a more predictable and sustainable revenue stream.

Right tools for the vCISO job

Cyberday was built to be a tool for ongoing security leadership. When advisors or partners use Cyberday to deliver vCISO services, they get:

• A centralized, always-up-to-date ISMS, which covers frameworks like ISO 27001, NIS2, DORA, and others, even local ones and with local languages
• Structured and parallel-mapped tasks and evidence collection for continuous compliance with multiple frameworks at the same time
• Dashboards to show implementation status and progress
• Automatisierte Compliance-Berichterstattung
• Built-in tools for documentation, training, and risk management
• One shared workspace for real-time collaboration with the customer

This setup lets you handle multiple customers efficiently, even without a large team.

How partners deliver vCISO services with Cyberday

As a Cyberday partner, offering vCISO services means using the platform as your operational base. Here is how it typically works:

1. Initial setup: You onboard the customer and tailor the ISMS scope to match their needs.
2. Ongoing oversight: You handle updates, review responsibilities, follow up on overdue tasks, and advise on risks or audit findings. You can also assign tasks to internal staff to have the right person oversee their own responsibilities.
3. Regular check-ins: You use Cyberday’s overview and reporting tools to run monthly or quarterly reviews with the customer.
4. Upsell opportunities: As regulations evolve or the business grows, you identify areas for further improvement and expansion of scope.

You remain the expert, but Cyberday does the heavy lifting. You can scale vCISO work across multiple customers while still delivering high-quality, hands-on support.

Abschließende Gedanken

The vCISO model is a practical response to today’s compliance and security realities. For partners, it is a way to grow deeper, longer-term customer relationships while maintaining flexibility in your service offering.

Cyberday is built to fully support this model. Whether you are shifting from one-time consulting work or looking to expand your current engagements, the vCISO role is a smart and scalable next step!