Interim CISO Engagement

The problem: the seat is empty and the work is not

Sometimes the CISO role cannot wait for a recruiting process. A security leader resigns in the middle of an audit. A funding round brings investor due diligence on security. An acquisition requires someone to own security across two organizations. An audit or a major customer contract forces the role into existence before anyone has hired for it.

In each case, the commitments do not pause. Audits have dates, customers have contractual requirements, the security team still needs direction, and incidents do not wait for a new hire to start. A permanent CISO search can take months. Leaving the function leaderless in the meantime puts every one of those commitments at risk.

The solution: an interim CISO who takes over the function

The Interim CISO Engagement provides full-time coverage of the CISO role. Your interim CISO steps into the seat and runs the function as your security executive from the first week — not as an advisor on the side.

The engagement is delivered with CISO Global, our white-label fulfillment partner, which provides experienced security executives for interim leadership along with compliance, managed security and incident response specialists who can be brought in behind them.

What your interim CISO takes over

• Team leadership — leads your security team and any security vendors, sets priorities and keeps work moving
• Audit commitments — takes ownership of in-flight and upcoming audits and acts as the security lead for your independent auditors
• Customer commitments — owns customer security reviews, questionnaires and contractual security obligations
• Incident command — owns incident response and takes command when an incident occurs
• Vendor and tooling decisions — makes and documents security vendor and tooling decisions, including renewals and consolidation
• Board and leadership reporting — reports on security risk and progress to leadership and the board
• Documented handover — a written handover to your permanent hire covering the program, open risks, commitments, vendors and roadmap, and support in defining the permanent role

When it fits

• Your CISO or head of security has left and a search is underway
• A funding round or investor due diligence requires credible security leadership now
• An acquisition or merger requires someone to own security across the combined business
• An audit or major customer requirement has forced the role before you have hired for it

Commitment and pricing

$12,500 per month with a 90-day minimum. The engagement is billed monthly and requires a minimum of three months, because taking over a security function, stabilizing it and producing a proper handover cannot be done responsibly in less time.

Lighter options

If you need executive security ownership but not a full-time seat, the Fractional CISO Retainer provides a named security executive on retainer. If you are not yet sure what you need, start with the CISO Readiness Assessment & 90-Day Security Roadmap.

FAQ

Start the Engagement — $12,500/month (90-day minimum)