What is an outsourced CISO?
The CISO (Chief Information Security Officer) is the executive in charge of an organisation's cybersecurity strategy. In its outsourced form — also called vCISO (virtual CISO) or shared-time CISO — this function is performed by an external expert consultant, engaged according to your real needs: a few days a month, project support, or continuous steering.
Unlike a one-off technical service (an audit, a pentest), the outsourced CISO takes a steering and governance posture over time. They are responsible for the coherence of your security approach and become the reference point of contact for management, IT, clients and auditors on these topics.
Why outsource your CISO?
Most SMBs and mid-caps have neither the activity volume nor the budget to justify a full-time internal CISO. Yet requirements — enterprise clients mandating ISO 27001, the NIS2 directive, cyber insurance, GDPR — keep growing. The outsourced CISO fills exactly this gap.
- Immediate access to senior expertise, with no delay or hiring risk
- Controlled, flexible cost: you pay for the level of support you actually need
- An external, independent perspective, free of internal politics
- Structured maturity growth rather than isolated technical actions
- Ability to meet client and regulatory requirements (ISO 27001, NIS2, security questionnaires)
- Gradual skills transfer to your internal teams
Outsourced or internal CISO: how to choose?
An internal CISO remains relevant for large organisations whose risk surface and activity volume justify a dedicated full-time role. For the others, the outsourced model offers far better value for money.
The outsourced CISO suits you if…
- You are an SMB, mid-cap, startup or scale-up of 20 to 500 employees
- You have an occasional or recurring need, but not a full-time one
- You must achieve compliance (ISO 27001, NIS2) within a given timeframe
- You want to start fast without bearing the cost and risk of a hire
An internal CISO is justified if…
- Your organisation exceeds several hundred employees with high exposure
- Security is at the core of your product and mobilises a dedicated full-time team
- You operate in a heavily regulated sector requiring a daily presence
What does an outsourced CISO actually do?
The scope adapts to your maturity and stakes, but generally revolves around six areas:
1. Governance & security strategy
Defining the security policy, the roadmap, roles and responsibilities, and regular reporting to management with understandable indicators (KPIs).
2. Risk analysis and management
Mapping critical assets, assessing risks (EBIOS Risk Manager method or equivalent), prioritised treatment plan and tracking of residual risks accepted by management.
3. Compliance (ISO 27001, NIS2, GDPR)
Steering compliance: ISMS build-out, ISO 27001 certification preparation, NIS2 compliance, and coordination with GDPR and the DPO.
4. Steering audits and tests
Scoping audits and penetration tests, analysing results, prioritising and tracking remediation plans through to resolution.
5. Awareness and security culture
Awareness programmes, phishing simulations, and building good reflexes among teams and management.
6. Crisis and incident management
Preparing incident-response procedures, support during a crisis (ransomware, data breach) and coordination with stakeholders.
For which organisations?
The outsourced CISO is primarily aimed at organisations facing growing security requirements without having structured their governance:
- SMBs and mid-caps needing to meet client requirements or an RFP
- Startups and scale-ups (SaaS, fintech) needing to reassure investors and enterprise clients
- Software vendors targeting ISO 27001 or SOC 2 certification
- Organisations newly concerned by the NIS2 directive (essential or important entities)
- Companies wishing to subscribe to or renew cyber insurance
How much does an outsourced CISO cost?
The cost of an outsourced CISO depends on the volume of support and your starting maturity. The model is generally a monthly retainer (a few days a month) or project support over a defined period.
As a benchmark, an experienced internal CISO represents a total cost of around €90,000 to €140,000 per year (fully loaded salary). The outsourced model gives access to the same expertise for a fraction of that, paying only for the time actually needed. Every NagaShield engagement starts with a free scoping call to define the scope and a tailored quote.
How does a NagaShield engagement work?
Our approach favours concrete, measurable results, without unnecessary jargon:
- A free scoping call to understand your stakes and context
- Maturity assessment and identification of priority risks
- A clear roadmap, prioritised by business impact and effort
- Regular steering with management reporting and tracking indicators
- Skills transfer to your teams to gain autonomy