Cyber Security Leadership

Virtual CISO Services (vCISO)

Senior-led virtual CISO and vCISO services for organisations that need board-level cyber security leadership, risk management and ISO 27001 alignment without the cost of a full-time CISO.

A Virtual Chief Information Security Officer (vCISO), sometimes called a fractional CISO, provides the executive accountability, strategic direction and practical oversight needed to manage cyber risk and meet regulatory expectations.

We work with boards, executives, risk committees and technology teams to build a proportionate security programme, improve governance and give stakeholders the confidence that cyber risk is being managed well.

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Services

What a virtual CISO delivers

Every organisation is different, but the core responsibilities of a vCISO remain consistent: understand risk, design proportionate controls, govern effectively and report clearly.

Cyber security strategy

A proportionate cyber security strategy aligned with your business model, risk appetite, technology environment and regulatory obligations.

Cyber risk management

Identify and assess cyber and information risks, establish ownership and develop practical treatment plans, improving the quality of cyber risk information provided to senior leaders and boards.

Security governance

Clear policies, standards, responsibilities, reporting and decision-making arrangements. Cyber security integrated into business governance rather than treated as a separate technical activity.

Regulatory and standards alignment

Alignment with ISO/IEC 27001, NIST Cybersecurity Framework, NCSC Cyber Assessment Framework, Cyber Essentials and Plus, UK GDPR, operational resilience expectations, third-party risk requirements and financial services regulatory expectations.

Security architecture and assurance

Review of proposed and existing technology solutions across cloud, identity, applications, data, infrastructure and software development.

Incident response and cyber resilience

Improve the organisation's ability to prepare for, respond to and recover from cyber incidents, response planning, exercising, executive decision-making, communications, recovery arrangements and lessons learned.

Third-party cyber risk

Strengthen supplier due diligence, contractual requirements, ongoing monitoring, incident notification and exit planning.

Security awareness and culture

Build appropriate cyber awareness, behaviours and accountability across boards, executives, managers, technical teams and employees.

Board cyber reporting

Clear reporting covering material risks, incidents, vulnerabilities, regulatory obligations, supplier exposure and progress against the cyber roadmap.

Outcomes

Specific outcomes for boards and executives

Our vCISO engagements focus on measurable outcomes that matter to senior leaders, auditors and regulators.

ISO 27001 alignment

A structured path to ISO/IEC 27001 readiness, gap assessment, control design, evidence pack and internal audit preparation so certification becomes a by-product of good security, not a last-minute scramble.

Board-level risk reporting

Clear, decision-ready cyber reports that translate technical risk into business impact, board accountabilities and investment priorities. No more jargon-heavy slides that fail to support decisions.

Regulatory confidence

Demonstrate alignment with FCA, PRA, DORA, UK GDPR, NIST CSF and Cyber Essentials expectations. Reduce audit friction and strengthen the assurance given to regulators, clients and investors.

Practical risk reduction

Prioritised remediation that tackles the risks that matter most first, with clear ownership, measurable milestones and a realistic roadmap sized to your organisation.

Incident readiness

Response plans, playbooks, escalation paths and exercising so that when an incident occurs, your team and executives know what to do, who to call and how to recover.

Supplier accountability

Stronger third-party security requirements, ongoing monitoring and clear exit planning so your supply chain does not become your weakest control.

Engagement models

How to engage a virtual CISO

We tailor the engagement model to your maturity, risk profile and budget. Every arrangement starts with a clear understanding of what success looks like and how progress will be reported.

Virtual (fractional) CISO

Ongoing cyber security leadership for a fixed number of days each month, with clear responsibilities, board reporting and roadmap ownership.

Advisory and board assurance

Independent cyber advice, assurance and constructive challenge for boards, audit committees and risk functions.

Interim CISO

Temporary security leadership during recruitment, restructuring, incident recovery or a significant regulatory programme.

Targeted security programmes

Defined assessments or remediation work such as ISO 27001 readiness, NIST CSF gap-to-remediation, Cyber Essentials Plus or third-party risk reviews.

Who it is for

Organisations that benefit from vCISO leadership

Virtual CISO services are particularly valuable for mid-market organisations, regulated firms, scale-ups, SaaS providers and professional services firms that need senior cyber accountability but are not yet ready for a permanent CISO.

Common triggers include preparing for ISO 27001 certification, responding to a regulator or client security questionnaire, recovering from an incident, improving board reporting, or managing cyber risk through a period of growth or change.

Why Intelligistica

Senior-led, practical and outcome-focused

Intelligistica brings more than 25 years of technology and cyber leadership, including PRA and FCA-regulated executive accountability. We combine strategic governance with hands-on delivery experience, so our advice is always practical and grounded in what organisations can actually implement.

We work as part of your leadership team, not as an external auditor. Our focus is on building your capability, improving your risk posture and giving your board clear, defensible assurance.

Discuss your vCISO requirements

Explore related services

Virtual CISO services often sit alongside broader fractional leadership and cyber consulting.

Fractional leadership What we do Cyber security Operational resilience