Dedicated security leadership for your organization, without the cost of a full-time hire. Every engagement is unique. We customize our vCISO advisory services to your specific needs.
Your vCISO builds a security program designed to identify and eliminate risks before they become incidents, breaches, or audit findings.
From gap analysis to audit day, your dedicated vCISO builds and maintains the security program that satisfies auditors, regulators, and clients.
Strategic security leadership scaled to your budget. Retainer-based, project-based, or hybrid. No long-term contracts required.
Many organizations face increasing pressure from regulators, clients, and boards of directors to demonstrate mature security leadership. Yet hiring a full-time Chief Information Security Officer can cost $250,000 or more per year in salary and benefits alone. For mid-size companies, healthcare organizations, financial services firms, and technology companies, this creates a gap: the need for strategic security direction without the overhead of a dedicated executive.
Altius IT's vCISO Advisory Services provide your organization with an experienced, CISA-certified security executive on a fractional or retainer basis. You get the strategic guidance, board-level reporting, and compliance oversight that a full-time CISO delivers, scaled to fit your budget and your risk profile.
Unlike managed security service providers or technology vendors who bundle advisory services with product sales, Altius IT operates with zero conflicts of interest. Our recommendations are aligned solely with your business objectives and risk tolerance.
Altius IT's vCISO engagement is structured around six core areas of security leadership, each tailored to your organization's regulatory environment, risk posture, and business goals.
Your vCISO develops and maintains a multi-year security strategy aligned with your business plan, regulatory requirements, and risk appetite. This includes:
Boards and executive teams require clear, actionable security reporting. Your vCISO provides:
Your vCISO builds and maintains the policy framework that underpins your compliance posture:
Stay prepared for audits and regulatory examinations at all times:
Your vCISO provides ongoing risk oversight and incident preparedness:
Your vCISO helps you manage the security risks introduced by your vendors, partners, and service providers:
Altius IT's vCISO Advisory Services are designed for organizations that need experienced security leadership but do not require or cannot justify a full-time CISO. Common scenarios include:
| CISA-Certified Auditors | Your vCISO holds the Certified Information Systems Auditor credential, authorized to issue formal audit opinions and compliance letters. This is not consulting; it is certified assurance. |
| Independent and Conflict-Free | Altius IT has no vendor partnerships, reseller agreements, or product affiliations. Every recommendation is aligned solely with your risk tolerance and business objectives. |
| 30+ Years of Experience | Our team has served as trusted security advisors to CEOs, CISOs, and CIOs across healthcare, financial services, technology, and government for over three decades. |
| National Media Recognition | Featured in MSNBC, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and 40+ publications as a trusted authority on IT security and cybersecurity. |
| Seamless Integration with Audit Services | Your vCISO engagement connects directly with our IT security audits, penetration tests, compliance audits, and risk assessments, giving you a unified security partner. |
| Flexible Engagement Models | Retainer-based, project-based, or hybrid engagement structures scaled to your budget and organizational needs. No long-term contracts required. |
Altius IT provides a dedicated team with each vCISO engagement:
Our proposal provides you with detailed information so you know exactly how we will help you:
A structured engagement model ensures that your organization receives consistent, measurable security leadership from day one.
We start with a comprehensive review of your current security posture, policies, compliance obligations, and organizational structure. This baseline assessment identifies immediate risks, existing gaps, and the priorities that will shape your security roadmap.
Based on the discovery findings, your vCISO delivers a prioritized security strategy and roadmap with clear milestones, resource requirements, and timelines. The roadmap is reviewed and approved with your executive team before implementation begins.
Your vCISO provides continuous security leadership through regular check-ins, policy reviews, risk updates, board reporting, and compliance monitoring. Engagement frequency is tailored to your needs, from a few days per month to a more intensive schedule during audit preparation or incident response.
Each quarter, your vCISO presents a formal status review covering roadmap progress, risk posture changes, compliance status, and recommended adjustments. This ensures your security program stays aligned with your evolving business needs and threat landscape.
Unlike a security consultant, Altius IT is certified as a Certified Information Systems Auditor to perform a security audit of your environment and issue reports and recommendations to secure your systems. See our resources page for video clips of our experts on national television as well as over 40 publications featuring Altius IT.
Board-level reporting, security strategy, and compliance oversight from an experienced, CISA-certified executive.
Meet HIPAA, GDPR, NIST, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, SOC 2, SOX, and CMMC compliance requirements.
Incident response planning, tabletop exercises, and breach notification procedures to protect your organization.
Retainer-based, project-based, or hybrid structures scaled to your budget. No long-term contracts required.
Schedule a free consultation with our CISA-certified advisors to discuss how a vCISO engagement can support your organization.