Virtual Chief Information Security Officer
Large companies have a team of resources, usually under the leadership of a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). The best CISO has both technical and business experience. They know that business processes and practices are as important as technical issues. They keep up to date on a wide variety of standards, of new threats and best practices. Their team operates under their leadership to implement and manage a proper security program. On a full time basis, only the largest companies can afford this.
Many companies have taken advantage of a “virtual CISO” – a highly trained, highly experienced executive who can provide expert advice to management and who can bring a team of resources to assess and address issues that affect security and risk. This is the same resource as you would find in a large company, but in this case, the “virtual resource” operates on an “as needed” model. In addition, there are commonalities in security so although it’s not a “cookie cutter” there are aspects of security which are common to many companies. The virtual CISO and their team know how to do this quickly and efficiently. The result is that even a relatively small company can afford the type of security operation that they need – at a price they can afford.