Outsourced Security Leadership When You Need It
Get experienced security leadership without the complexity of full-time hiring. Outsourced security leadership provides strategic oversight, risk management, and governance when you need it - whether during transformations, between leaders, or as ongoing executive guidance. Start in 2-4 weeks.
When You Need Security Leadership
Transformation Scenarios
Acquisition and Due Diligence: Security due diligence for acquisitions, post-acquisition security integration, and cybersecurity risk evaluation for investors and boards.
Enterprise Sales Enablement: Security programs that unblock enterprise deals, customer trust building through compliance certifications, and security questionnaire responses that close deals.
Compliance and Certification: SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, or HITRUST certification initiatives, audit preparation and remediation, ongoing compliance governance.
Scaling and Growth: Transition from startup to enterprise-grade security, infrastructure security for rapid scaling, building security that enables rather than blocks growth.
Interim Leadership Needs
Between Security Hires: Coverage during CISO recruitment and transition, maintaining security momentum during leadership gaps, avoiding security program stalls.
Executive Leave and Transitions: Maternity/paternity leave coverage, sabbatical or extended leave support, smooth handoffs during leadership changes.
Special Projects and Initiatives: Time-limited security transformations, specific risk mitigation projects, focused compliance or certification efforts.
Ongoing Governance
Board and Executive Oversight: Security strategy and risk reporting for boards, executive risk committees and governance structures, investor and stakeholder communication.
Strategic Planning: Annual security planning and budgeting, technology and vendor evaluation, long-term security roadmap development.
Risk Management: Third-party and vendor risk management, cyber insurance requirements and renewal, incident response planning and readiness.
What Security Leadership Provides
Strategic Direction
Security leadership translates business strategy into security priorities, helping executives understand where to invest and what risks to accept. This means clear, jargon-free communication about what matters and why.
Board and Investor Communication
Executives and boards need security updates in business terms - risks quantified, progress measured, and investment justified. Outsourced security leadership provides regular reporting that resonates with non-technical stakeholders.
Compliance and Audit Readiness
Security certifications like SOC 2 or ISO 27001 require leadership and governance. Outsourced security leadership oversees the entire process - gap remediation, audit preparation, and successful certification.
Team Leadership and Hiring
Whether you're building your first security team or expanding existing capabilities, security leadership guides hiring, prioritizes roles, and helps build high-performing teams aligned with business needs.
Vendor and Technology Selection
Security technologies and vendors require strategic evaluation. Security leadership helps you choose solutions that fit your architecture, budget, and risk profile without vendor hype.
Budget Planning and ROI
Security investments compete with product development and sales initiatives. Leadership helps you build budgets that demonstrate ROI, prioritize spending, and justify investments to finance teams.
How Outsourced Security Leadership Works
Flexible Retainer Arrangements
Outsourced security leadership operates on a monthly retainer basis, typically $10K-$25K depending on scope. This provides predictable costs without the overhead of full-time executive compensation ($300K-$500K+ annually).
Executive-Level Expertise
You get experienced security leaders who have led enterprise security programs, managed teams, and overseen successful audits and compliance initiatives. Cross-industry experience means proven methodologies, not learning on the job.
Scalable Involvement
Security leadership scales with your needs. During intensive periods like audits or acquisitions, involvement increases. During steady-state operations, it scales back. You pay for what you need, when you need it.
Integration with Your Teams
Security leadership integrates seamlessly with existing management teams - attending executive meetings, providing board updates, and working alongside engineering, operations, and compliance functions.
Regular Executive Reporting
Expect monthly executive summaries, quarterly board presentations, and on-demand updates for specific initiatives. All reporting uses business language that resonates with non-technical stakeholders.
Transformation and Interim Scenarios
M&A Security Integration
Due Diligence: Cybersecurity risk assessment for acquisitions, identification of security liabilities and integration costs, board-ready security risk summaries.
Post-Acquisition: Integration of security programs across merged entities, rationalization of tools and vendors, unified security governance structure.
Fundraising and Investor Requirements
Investor Security Questions: Addressing cybersecurity questions during fundraising, demonstrating security maturity to investors, building investor confidence through governance.
Rapid Compliance: Fast-track SOC 2 or ISO 27001 for investor requirements, security program buildout for due diligence readiness.
Enterprise Sales Enablement
Security as Revenue Driver: Building security programs that enable enterprise sales, responding to security questionnaires efficiently, positioning security as competitive advantage.
Customer Trust: Achieving certifications customers require, maintaining ongoing compliance that supports sales cycles, demonstrating security maturity in sales conversations.
Regulatory Compliance Initiatives
Framework Implementation: HIPAA for healthcare, PCI DSS for payments, HITRUST for health tech, state privacy laws (CCPA, CPRA), industry-specific regulations.
Audit Preparation: Gap assessments and remediation planning, evidence collection and documentation, successful first-time audit outcomes.
Security Incident Recovery
Post-Incident Program Rebuilding: Addressing root causes after security incidents, rebuilding stakeholder confidence, implementing controls to prevent recurrence.
Crisis Management: Executive communication during incidents, board and customer updates, coordinating incident response and recovery.
Scaling Security with Growth
Growing from Startup to Enterprise: First formal security program implementation, transition from ad-hoc to systematic security, security that scales with rapid headcount growth.
Global Expansion: Multi-region security and compliance, international data protection requirements, managing security across geographic expansion.
Investment and Timeline
Monthly Retainer Model
Most engagements range from $10K-$25K per month depending on company size, complexity, and scope. This is significantly less than the $300K-$500K+ annual cost (including benefits and equity) of a full-time security executive.
Fast Start Times
Outsourced security leadership typically starts in 2-4 weeks from initial conversation to active engagement. Compare this to 3-6 months for executive recruitment and onboarding.
Flexible Commitment
Monthly retainers provide flexibility. Scale involvement up during intensive periods (audits, incidents, transformations) and down during steady-state operations. No long-term contracts or permanent headcount commitments.
Investment Comparison
- Outsourced Leadership: $120K-$300K annually, start in 2-4 weeks, flexible commitment
- Full-Time Executive: $300K-$500K+ annually, 3-6 months to hire, permanent headcount
- No Leadership: Hidden costs in lost deals, failed audits, security incidents, and organizational inefficiency
Industries We Serve
B2B SaaS and Technology
SOC 2 certification for enterprise sales, multi-tenant security architecture, API and platform security that enables growth.
Healthcare and Life Sciences
HIPAA compliance and HITRUST certification, patient data protection, security programs that meet health system requirements.
Financial Services and Fintech
Bank partnership security requirements, SOC 2 for financial services, fraud prevention and transaction security.
Professional Services
Client data protection, cyber insurance requirements, matter-based access controls and confidentiality.
Ecommerce and Retail
PCI DSS compliance, fraud prevention, seasonal scaling security, payment processor requirements.
Startups and Growth Companies
First security programs, investor security requirements, SOC 2 readiness, security that enables enterprise sales.
Common Questions About Outsourced Security Leadership
What is outsourced security leadership?
When do companies need outsourced security leadership?
How is this different from hiring a full-time CISO?
What does interim security leadership during transformation look like?
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Can you help us hire a full-time security leader?
What's the difference between outsourced security leadership and a vCISO?
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Ready for Outsourced Security Leadership?
Let's discuss how security leadership can support your transformation, growth, or governance needs.